iPod anyone using win2000 with ipod shuffle?

Today I received my ipod shuffle. Being excited about it I immediately wanted to try it outof course. At first I was hoping it would just allow for your mp3 files to be copied from explorer to the shuffle, but unfortunartely, it only recognizes the songs as data this way.
So...I install iTunes, open it, but no iPod displayed in the source. I'm like, wtf? isnt ipod supposed to work fluently with itunes?? Then I try the updater to see if it helps, but no, for the updater I need windows 2000 sp4. Not sure where to use the updater for in the first place since it is nowhere clearly mentioned. I'm already getting pretty annoyed at this point when it appears you need the LATEST versions of windows to run this device. Thanks for letting me know so clearly in the technical specifications AFTER I buy it Apple.
After installing the sp4 I was hoping all problems would be solved. But no, I get an 'iPod service error' in Ipod updater and ITunes STILL doesnt recognize the player. I checked the apple forums and there are many MANY people that have the same problem without any support from Apple or solution to fix the problem. Good work Apple, next time please mention it is only guaranteed to work in OSX. Cause in windows, it seems, you're on your own.

Brandon Sharitt said:

If you tried to use the iPod without installing any of the included software, Windows might just be seeing it as a USB flash drive, so iTunes doesn't know about it now since it gets its device information from Windows. This is just a guess, but this is a common problem with Windows. If you haven't installed the software yet, it just guesses what it is and can be a pain in the ass to fix sometimes. I had it happen with a camera.

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that makes sense. There is this guy who had it solved by essentially plug it in after all software was installed. Going to try it now...

yellow said:

MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!! For once, the tables are turned!!!

Seriously though, that sux. At least it was cheap, and not a $500 iPod!

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hehe I'm planning to switch to mac soon (waiting for a 120 GB HD for my mini) but it would be nice if I could use it for it's intended purpose (mobile music) before that, not just as an expensive flashdrive

thanks Brandon!

your guess was SPOT ON. Unbelievable that on Mac support nobody could help me and the hundreds or perhaps even thousands of people that are encountering this problem...because believe me, I'm not the only one.
Weird thing is the apple updater software asks you to mount the shuffle during the installation process which seems to be the cause of the problem.

But unfortunately I still can't listen to the music I put on the shuffle. It seems the battery is empty although it has been charging already a few hours on a high-power USB port. Does anybody know if the shuffle discharges first when you want to charge it the first time? I believe some batteries have that feature but I'm not sure.