Here's your situation: Your Flip MinoHD is totally discharged. You plug it into a USB 2.0 port on your computer, and after 30 minutes, nothing is happening. No blinking light, or even worse, you get a "USB device not recognized" message from your computer.

Here's what to do:

• Make sure your Flip is turned off.
• Try another USB 2.0 port. Some USB ports -- particularly on Mac keyboards, and on some laptops -- aren't high-powered enough to recharge your Flip, so try a port on a desktop computer, if you can.
• You should hear a beep from the Flip, see the word "Connected" on its screen, and a light on the Flip's USB arm should start to blink to indicate that it is charging.
• If these things aren't happening, the next thing is to reset your Flip:
  • There is a small, almost imperceptible hole inside the tripod mount on the bottom of the Flip. Take a pin and push it into the hole.
  • Wait five seconds, push the power on button (without touching any other buttons) for another five seconds.
• Reconnect the Flip to the computer. It may take up to 30 minutes to see any activity (e.g., blinking light). Continue charging for 3 hours.
• If, after 30 minutes, you still see no activity, try another USB port or another computer.

If all this fails, you most likely have a malfunctioning Flip. Contact Pure Digital Flip Support.