How do I sync with iTunes?

Factual Questions
1

I am addicted to my iPod Touch. I listen to podcasts all day at work and play them in the car on the way to & from work. I also play a game or two now and then, and use it to surf while at home and keep track of my contacts. But I have to trim some podcasts now and then, due to needing more space. I always get my podcasts from iTunes thru wifi.

So I had an attaboy from work, and I saw the iPod Nano was in my range. Tiny little iPod, with radio, I can clip on my sleeve. It’ll hold all my podcasts, freeing up the Touch for some art apps. Cool! So I got it, and I plug it into the laptop and go to iTunes, thinking the sync thing would pop up, since that’s the only way to download stuff.

Nothing. I can’t make these things talk to each other. I check the manual - apparently it’s just supposed to happen, and it doesn’t. Apple help is no help - they don’t seem to understand the question. So for now I have a very expensive radio.
Anybody have any suggestions for syncing these things? I used to charge the Touch on the PC, and I think at one time I turned off the auto-sync, since I only wanted to charge it. I’m sure that has something to do with it.

2

“Automatically synch when you see the iPod” and “doesn’t even see the iPod” are two different things.

I think you are having problems with the latter - iTunes doesn’t even see the Nano.

Do you have the latest iTunes? If you’re on a Windows machine, does plugging in the Nano make a little “USB thing plugged in” noise? Does it show up in the “Safely disconnect hardware” section of your Task Manager? (bottom right of the Windows desktop) First you need to get the computer to recognize the device.

Have you tried reinstalling iTunes, rebooting your computer, then plugging in the Nano, waiting for Windows to recognize it, then opening iTunes?

If iTunes does see your Nano, it’ll show up as a device in the left-hand menu (provided you can see the left-hand menu). You need to click on it then click the Synch button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, since you have auto-synch turned off.

3

Does the computer detect the Nano in any way? Is the Nano charging?

4

ZipperJJ, all good suggestions - I’ll try when I get home. Thanks.
AaronX, it does charge, and it does bring up a Nano window.