Install Kies on laptop so that it will download all updated drivers.

Also when connecting, check notification bar for "USB connection" notification.

 

Moved to Samsung Galaxy Y section.

 

go to Device Manager and then to Universal Serial Bus controllers now will see yellow thing on drivers update them and try. if still doesnt work unistall it and plug ur phone. now drivers will be installed if not still working, install google usb driver. now my phone is detected in my laptop which has windows 7

 

I was having the same problem few days back. I just searched for samsung galaxy Y USB driver, a 23 mb file (can't post link; not allowed) and it started detecting.

 

This.

 

This... doesn't fix the issue whatsoever.

I have the same problem with my Galaxy 2 tab and my Galaxy s2 phone. I have to play with a bunch of settings and eventually it connects, but it's an ugly, buggy connection and after awhile it decided to stop transferring files.

Here's what I do:
Once it's plugged in, about 10% of the time it actually works right off the bat. 90% of the time, it says "Hardware ID Missing" or something along those lines. What I'll do then is go to my device and under the setting menu, select DEVELOPER OPTIONS, then select "USB Debugging". This sometimes does the trick.

If it doesn't, I go to the dropdown menu at the top off the device. I select the usb symbol and switch between "MTP" or "camera". You have to give each selection a minute to register with your computer. More often than not, this works. IF not, I click on USB DEBUGGING again.

Sometimes I have to disconnect the device and reconnect it and start all over again, but I always get it to work... eventually. It's been a nightmare though. I wish there was a fix.

I was having a problem with windows 7 picking up a SanDisk Cruzer flashdrive I bought but luckily there was an easy fix to that: I just deleted and INF file and it created a new one automatically.