If I am not mistaken, the USB hub should be plug and play. Is it USB 2.0? Are you using Windows XP SP 2? If I remember correctly, you have a P-4 2.4 ghz. It should be compatable, even if you are only running USB 1.0.
Try this.
Plug in the hub.
Go to your desktop and right click on My Computer.
Click on Properties.
Go to the Hardware tab.
Click on Device Manager.
There should be a Universal Serial Bus Controllers somewhere in the list. Right click on this and select scan for hardware changes.
This should detect the hub. If it does not, then the hub may be faulty.
Let me know if this does not work.