When you plug in your USB drive do you get that little balloon that says something about it being able to run faster? I assume you're using Windows XP? Make sure you download Service Pack 2 using Windows Update. Go to the device manager (Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager) and find your USB entry. Right click and uninstall it, then search for new hardware and it should install itself automatically. SP2 gives support for high speed USB devices but you have to reinstall them before it kicks in. My gut feeling is that that's the problem but if it's not let us know.
As for your wireless card, did it come with its own drivers? And do you have another way to access the net? You might want to try connecting to the net through a modem or cable, and uninstalling and reinstalling the card, and let Windows search the net for its own drivers. I installed my wireless card a few weeks ago on my Dell laptop and the supplied drivers didn't work, Windows needed its own from the internet.
So give that a try and see how it goes
