Hi, I have a mechanical device that I hooked up to a usb port. So naturally when I start up windows xp it won't detect the hardware or show that a device is connected to the usb. So how do i find out the exact path (ex. d:\data\) where the device is connected? So I can manually locate the device and give signals through windows.

If the device is not being recognized at bootup there is no "path" to follow. What kind of device is it and what does it show as in "My Computer" if you connect it after bootup. Goin' Fishin' (Some day)

its a cash drawer. and it doesn't show in my computer. so what do i do now?

You probably will need some type of drivers installed before connecting it. I don't know anything about configuring POS machines but that is the normal method for USB devices. You could try going to Control Panel> Add hardware and see if the device can be configured that way.

what happens if whilst the computer is on and in windows you take the usb plug out and wait ten seconds and then plug back in again. does it come up with anything to say that it has detected a device? does it show anything in Device Manager with a yellow marker?

"....configuring POS machines ..." Search using: POS PC configuring "cash drawers" http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search;_... E.G. "Configuring Cash Drawers" http://www.fieldpine.com/help/en/ed... (excerpt) A cash drawer is a electro-mechanical device, which requires a high powered pulse of electricity to open it. This pulse cannot be directly generated by the PC, so an additional device is usually required. ..... http://www.mmfcashdrawer.com/08/FAQ... (excerpt) How can I test my USB Interface Cash Drawer ? Your USB Cash Drawer came with a CD that contains a test utility and driver. The driver can also be downloaded here (here is a link). The USB Interface Cash Drawer can also be tested with our OPOS driver and test utility which can be downloaded here(here is a link). Click on MMF OPOS V1.9 exe and follow the instructions to download. After the file is downloaded follow the prompts to install the driver Please read the file MMF Cash Drawer Readme.doc for instructions on running the program and configuring the cash drawer. ....... Obviously you would need to load the software appropriate to your brand and model of cash drawer .......