Windows 7 – Huawei E170 Modem Not Working

It's possible the Dell only has USB 1, not USB 2, controllers onboard. Device Manager can tell you if you have a USB 2.0 controller. A power issue is also possible.

Some older systems' front USB ports were only USB1 capable, while the back ports were USB2, so you could try other ports on your system. (I've also seen ports go bad, so trying a different port is a good idea from that standpoint as well.)

If that doesn't work, and if you can verify the device works (in another computer), I'd try springing for a cheap PCI USB2 controller card. It's bound to be a newer controller than what you've got, and might allow the device to be recognized.

For testing purposes, be sure to plug the device straight into the port -- if it came with a cable use that, or another high-quality cable, but don't use any extension cables since these could be causing problems.

Try pressing escape at boot and explicitly selecting the USB drive (not UEFI).