Windows 7 does not recognize my usb drive & ipod.

Hi ,

Are you getting any error messages in the Device Manager?

Unplug the device, try in a different port and check if it helps.

Open Device Manager and check if the USB drive has a yellow exclamation mark. If it has a mark, then update the driver for your USB flash disk.

 Follow these steps:
1. In the device's Properties dialog box, click the Driver tab.
2. Click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.
3. Follow the instructions to update the driver.

Refer this link to troubleshoot problems with USB devices:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Tips-for-solving-problems-with-USB-devices  

This link is for Windows Vista but it also applies for Windows 7.

Check the link mentioned below, it may help you fix the issue.

IPod not recognized in 'My Computer' and in iTunes for Windows:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1369  

My suggestion would be to update the iTunes software to the latest since this has resolved sync problem for most of the users.

Please download the latest version of iTunes from:

iTunes 9.0.2 for Windows (64 bit) :
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL925  

Download the 32-bit version of iTunes from the link below:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download

 Run the installation after downloading from the link.

The device may also need a firmware update.

Connect the device and check if there’s any iphone firmware update available for it. 

Also follow these steps to delete the UpperFilters registry value and the LowerFilters registry value. These values may cause access problems.

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the UpperFilters registry value. This value is located in the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
3. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.
   Note If you receive an error when you try to delete the registry subkey, you may not have appropriate permissions to edit the subkey. For more information about how to set or change registry editing permissions, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 310426 How to set or change registry editing permissions in Windows XP or in Windows Server 2003
4. Locate and then click the LowerFilters registry value. This value is located in the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1538

Important This  method contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry
if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

 Back up the registry:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Back-up-the-registry   

Updating iPod
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1483

Check if synchronizing works after performing the updates.

If the problem persists, then please contact Apple support for further assistance:

http://www.apple.com/support/ipodtouch/assistant/itunes/   

Regards,

Afzal-Microsoft Support.
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