What do i do if my laptop does not recognize a new devise

Naturally it won't work if you try to connect a firewire cable to a USB port. Try reading the documentation that came with the camcorder.

ex-bubblehead is absolutely correct. As a user of Firewire I don't see how it would even be possible to connect a firewire cable to a USB port. It would help to know the model of the mini camcorder.

The model number of my Samsung mini camcorder is SD-382XAA. Appreciate your efforts. Thanks.

At a quick glance I see the camera uses an SD card. Is the issue getting video from the camcorder to the computer? If yes, you can remove the SD card from the camera and insert it into the card reader on your laptop. Looking at the manual (http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/201102/201...) for your model it appears as though it has a DV (firewire port) but no USB port. If you must connect the camcorder to your laptop you will have to do it via a firewire port. Without knowing the model number of your HP laptop I cannot tell whether or not it has a firewire port. The firewire port on the camcorder and the one on the laptop, if it has one, should look the same (4 pin I believe it is). If that is the case you will need a 4-pin to 4-pin firewire cable.