im trying to backup to my laptop from 1304net. it keeps telling me to plug in the usb device....
this did not come with dvr, just one that i found.. are there diferent types of usb cables that are both male ends??

Yes, there are "A" male to "A" male type usb cables. Do you have a manual and if so, does it state what cable to use? You may also need to load some software/drivers on your computer as well.