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Always go for brand name usb hubs and cables. Don't save a few bucks getting something from local computer markets or ebay. Not many hubs supply the full 5V @ 1A many usb devices expect. It may share the juice amoung all the ports being used rather than supplying to full power to each port separately. Then there's the data transmission, every physical USB port gets a unique address so software knows where to find the device its trying to communicate with. Its not really "universal". The software and operating system will communicate in certain ways to the USB devices, in some cases "locking" that device to that exact port so swapping it around wont help. Usually a reboot will help clear locks though. Always disconnect USB devices from the task tray icon in windows for that purpose, never just rip the cable out.
Troubleshooting is as has been described, unplug everything, reboot back to the operating system from scratch, make sure everything runs fine there before plugging in a usb hub, ideally to the socket you want to devote to using it. the os should mount it and maybe request drivers, deal with that, next follow install instructions for your usb devices one by one. Some require you to install drivers to the operating system first before connecting the device. take note of things like that and follow the instructions!
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