Does the docking port need to be recognized???

Question

I cannot charge my iPod shuffle 2nd generation,
when I plug it into the docking port the shuffle gets recognized fine by iTunes and starts to flash amber for about 20 seconds.
After this 20 seconds of flashing the light stops and doesn't come back on again- I have waited for a couple of minutes, am I being impatient?
Also the docking port does not get recognized by my computer, is this because it is just a cable or should i be able to unplug it via the eject hardware thingie
I am new to this so I may be doing something simple wrong, when I charged it for the first time it never went solid amber or green, just kept flashing
Whats going on!!!
iPod 2nd gen   Windows 2000  

Answer 1

I cannot charge my iPod shuffle 2nd generation,
when I plug it into the docking port the shuffle gets
recognized fine by iTunes and starts to flash amber
for about 20 seconds.
After this 20 seconds of flashing the light stops and
doesn't come back on again- I have waited for a
couple of minutes, am I being impatient?
IF your Shuffle shows NO light after the flashing amber, it is NOT charging...which may mean that the USB port isn't supplying adequate power. Are you plugging the dock's cable DIRECTLY into a USB port on the back of your computer. Do NOT use a keyboard USB port.
Also the docking port does not get recognized by my
computer, is this because it is just a cable or
should i be able to unplug it via the eject hardware
thingie
Not significant.
I am new to this so I may be doing something simple
wrong, when I charged it for the first time it never
went solid amber or green, just kept flashing
Whats going on!!!
When it's flashing it's either in use by iTunes or your computer thinks the Shuffle is a data storage drive. Either EJECT it in iTunes OR "Safely remove hardware" in the system tray. The light should turn solid orange and after some number of hours, green.