All modern USB drives are 100% Plug and Play in Windows XP when plugged into a working USB 2.0 port. The system should auto-detect/auto-install the drive within 5-10 seconds of plugging it in. If it doesn't then you have some problem with the drive or it's cable or your USB port(s) are not working properly. A quick check in Device Manager will verify that the USB port is working ok.