What USB hub would be recommended for compatibility?

I have been trying to figure out some computer issues for a while, and it looks like a lot of the issues I am having are caused by the current USB hub I use. It is most likely a compatibility issue, and I wonder if it was not designed for complex devices. My laptop only has two USB ports, but I need more for my drawing monitor, external hard drive, and mouse. And I think from a previous discussions, there was talk about it not being safe to connect an external hard drive to a USB hub that has a power adapter. So my question is, what would be the right hub for this type of compatibility, and would there be anything extra I would need?