A dongle is a USB security device that allows Buzz-2-Stitches to process the graphic and create a stitch file - it comes with the program, it is not an additional purchase.  You do not want to lose you dongle or else the software will no longer work!

Here are a few trouble shooting tips that you may want to try before contacting tech support for additional help:

1. Make sure that your dongle is securely inserted into your computer.
2. Try a different USB port on your computer - if your computer has ports in the front and the back of the computer, you may want to try one of the main USB ports on the back of the computer.  If you are using a USB hub, try one of the ports on the computer itself.  Some self-powered USB hubs are not always active or draw enough power if other peripherals are attached.
3. Some computers/operating systems have power settings on the USB ports that do not recognize when a device is attached.  Try rebooting the computer while the dongle is inserted into an on-board USB port to see if that allows the computer to recognize it.
4. Some security programs running in the background do not allow new hardware to be installed automatically.  You can try turning off these programs running in the background or contact tech support for step by step instructions for using msconfig.exe to do so.