The Toshiba Recovery CD won't help you, considering that'll have the Windows side of drivers and whatnot.
What version of Ubuntu are you trying to install, exactly? I did a search of your laptop and found that USB ports were tested in Hardy and no errors were mentioned... so I can't imagine Intrepid and Jaunty didn't have similar results.
What USB devices are you trying out? Have you verified they work on that laptop in Windows?