Hi,
- You didnt mention if you are trying to plug in newer USB devices. Still with a Win98SE desktop around, newer devices such as USB Flash discs, like those that are U3-enabled, wont just work with our 98SE, even if it says that compatible sya. Also, what you could check is if the USB port of your laptop is already 2.0 as all new USB devices are 2.0, even if they're supposedly backward compatible.
- If the USB ports are working, when was the last time you plugged in a device and what was it?
- Last option is to upgrade the OS to XP to solve all your problems.