[If you don't know what /dev/disk/by-label is, please don't answer. This is not just a normal directory.]

I would normally mount a USB flash drive this way:
(insert the drive)
But for some reason, the /dev/disk/by-label directory has disappeared from my Slackware system! (I verified it's not there...I did "ls /dev/disk" and by-label has really disappeared.) I saved all my Windows executables and documents to the USB stick before I reinstalled Slackware, so that I could access them from an XP virtual machine.

This is a fresh Slackware 12 install -- reinstalled it last night -- but the directory WAS there this morning! (I know, I mounted a USB drive and looked at it.)

Is there any way to re-create this special folder, or will I have to reinstall my whole Slackware system???

Did you try inserting the USB device? It's likely that
the directory appears automatically when the device is
inserted and deleted when it's removed.

If the directory doesn't reappear, try running "fdisk -l"
which will list all of your devices and partitions. Look
for a new device which you'll be able mount manually.

Now a missing label would certainly not keep you from being able to mount a drive.
But maybe it's the other way around?
Does show your USB drive? If not, then something is broken -- either the flash drive itself or maybe some loose USB connector on the mainboard or a missing module/driver.

EDIT: I need to type faster... )

Thanks for your help! I started thinking maybe the directories were created at boot, never thought they might be created upon insertion.

You hit the nail on the head...I think (will have to take it to a hardware shop to verify this).

It tried "fdisk -l" over and over again with the USB stick inserted...sometimes the "drive" shows up, sometimes only my hard drive partitions...this is true even if I don't remove the USB stick between attempts!

"/dev/disk/by-label" only exists when a stick is both in a USB port and recognized by fdisk. I also tried this with 2 different sticks to make sure it's not the stick.

I haven't used the USB much on my laptop at all, so I can't see the ports getting loose from my usage...maybe they are defective or just low quality. The 2 ports I tested are right next to each other (maybe on the same card), so I should remove my mouse and laptop pad to see if the problem exists with those ports. I never had a problem with any other computer not recognizing the sticks (not even the computers at school, which are heavily used)!

Also, I sometimes do/sometimes don't get this message from fdisk, so again, I think you are right about the defective ports:

see below

USB stick was damaged from use in school computers...probably USB ports at school were damaged, so they damaged my stick. Eventually I could not use the stick at all (Windows or Linux). I had to buy a new one.