BleepingComputer.com: HP Pavillion a1410n Question

I recently picked up an HP Pavillion a1410n refurb. Up till now I've always backed up my data on CD and DVD RW, but now I want to try my hand at other storage devices, like flash USB. The problem is I'm largely unfamiliar with this kind of stuff, and since I picked up my HP secondhand I don't have any of the documentation that might have come with it.

Here are the media readers slots at the front of my PC:

Smart Media/xD
Compact Flash I/II
MMC/SD
Media Stick/ Pro
USB 2.0

Now except for the last one I have no idea what any of these slots do. I tried a USB Flash Drive in the corresponding slot, and my computer didn't recognize it. However, when I stuck it in my other USB slots, the computer did recognize that the stick had been inserted, then popped-up the message: "This device is not configured properly."

In My Computer, I have a C: drive, a D: (DVD/RW) and four others, E: thru H:

What do these drive letters correspond to?

(As always, thanks in advance.)

the E through H are probably all the different media slots available, and those are all different types of media storage. You can find them at wally world. Personally, I use flash drives Or SD cards for most of my data transfers, your computer should support those as well. as far as your USB drive not working, does it work in other computers? cuz its possible the sticks bad. Or the USB controllers bad. hard to tell.

How does a USB flash drive normally work anyway. When you pop it in, should the computer automatically detect and try to open it like it does if you load a new CD into the drive? Do USB flash drives require software in order to work?

Also: E: thru H: would appear to designate four separate drives. But as I indicated in my first post, I have five slots in my front media bus. Which of the following would not need a designated letter drive:

Smart Media/xD
Compact Flash I/II
MMC/SD
Media Stick/ Pro
USB 2.0

You're correct. Normally when you plug a USB drive in, the computer will automatically detect it and bring up an autorun box asking what you would like to do. You may need software if you're running an older version of Windows (before xp). If you have XP or Vista, it should automatically install the drivers for the drive the first time you plug it in.

Is the Drive formatted?

E through H would probably be all except the usb drive.

No idea whether the USB flash came pre-formated or not. I know I've never done anything to it. For the record, these flash drives were handed out free as doorprizes at a computer store I visited. Maybe they were handing out duds.

When you insert an unformated flash drive, will the autorun window inform of you this and ask if you want it formatted?

Insert the drive into a slot that you know works with it. It should pop up in my computer as a removable disk. If you then right click on the drive and go to properties, it should tell you the file system. Also, if you've been able to put files onto the drive, then it is formatted.