By default Windows emits a tone whenever a usb device is plugged in or unplugged. Is there a log that keeps tabs on this function. Something connected to my pc is randomly disconnecting and reconnecting but I can isolate it. Any ideas?? tia

pc hp media center m8210n
3 gb ram
2 250 gb hd
windows vista premium sp2

I can't find any that are free. You should be able to see by disconnecting USB devices. You should have none coming and going. Then start connecting one at a time.

I've not found any way to directly get dis/connect events in the standard event log, but until I write one (hah, in my Copious Spare Time) you could try utilities like MyUSBOnly, or this USBLogger (which doesn't seem to be linked from the authors home page any more - I found it via this forum posting). I'm using USBLogger right now to try and figure out a problem with a mobile broadband stick.

USB Monitor is a more serious developer level tool for monitoring all USB activity, but if you're prepared to wade through the output it might be useful for some issues.

Possibly not for you, but others finding this, enabling verbose debug tracing on a checked build driver could be useful too.