HELP - iPod not readable

Problem: When I connect iPod to my laptop I get the message 'iPod not readble - The iPod needs to be reformatted for use on your PC. Click on the update button below to run the iPod updater application that will allow you to reformat or restore your iPod'.
When I got this message the first time I clicked on the update button that can up, but it only confirmed that the software on my iPod was up to date. Confused, I decided to do a restore in the hope that that would solve the problem. Unfortunately that didn't help and I've continued to get the 'iPod not readable' message whenever I connect my iPod to my laptop.
When I go into My Computer it no longer recognises iPod and I only get a Removable Disk showing up.
I've downloaded and installed the most up to date versions of iPod updater and iTunes but that hasn't helped. I've tried repairing iTunes, uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes and a whole lot of other things.
I saw on another thread that reformating the disk in iPod has worked for someone else, but that hasn't helped either. I've tried in both disk and normal modes.
I've had iPod in diagnostic mode and it seems that iPod itself is OK.
I'm not sure where to go from here but everytime I connect iPod I get an 'Autoplay' box come up and then a message that 'iPod not readable'. Has anyone got any suggestions that I can try to get iPod working again?
Thanks<<br>
Dell Inspiron 1150 Laptop Windows XP U2 Special Edition iPod (4G 20GB)

I have dual USB 2.0 ports on my laptop, and have tried them both. I don't have a FireWire port though.
I did try my iPod on my work computer (which doesn't have iTunes on it) mainly in an effort to format the disk in Disk Utility that I was having trouble formatting on my laptop. Interestingly iPod also showed up as a Removable Disk on my work desktop as well. I would have thought that even without iTunes installed it still would have recognised iPod.
I've read on a couple of threads elsewhere that if you're having problems with iPod on a PC that you should try connecting it to a Mac (or vice versa). So I'm going to go and see the (hopefully) friendly people at my local computer store and see if they will let me connect my iPod to a Mac instore. Failing that I'm running out of ideas.
Anything else you can think of?
Dell Inspiron 1150 Laptop Windows XP U2 Special Edition iPod (4G 20GB)

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I purchased my Colour IPod yesterday with great excitement and have become completely disillusioned within a matter of 24 hours due to the seemingly incompatibility with the Windows platform. I hope I am doing something dramaticaly wrong.
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When I connect my IPod to the cable, a window pops up saying ,' Ipod Not readable. This Ipod needs to be reformatted for you on your PC. Click on the update button to run Ipod Updater application that will allow you to reformat or restore your Ipod.'
Last night, I actually tried to formay hard drive and it completely crapped itself and stopped working. I took into a Apple store and the first thing the support staff said was," Your first mistake was to buy an Ipod with a Windows machine!!" I felt pretty frustrated at that stage and within a few minutes they fixed it, claiming, ' I had clearly corrupted a few DLL's???
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Unless you have a high end PC you will have problems. My work PC is fine with my iPod and works the way I expected to from all the stories I heard, but my slighly old (but still fairly high spec) home PC is very temperemental.
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my ipod (4G) has had problems: sometimes skipping songs. etc. So I decided to reset it. But the problem: It isn't seen by the PC (Windows XP) at the explorer level (same with iTunes), not by
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I've solved the problem. The problems occurs if you disconnect the ipod to often "unsafe". Then some files corrupt on the disc. Solution: restore ! But how, when PC is frozen.
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Since nobody can give me help I tried and tried and then I noticed, that not the PC is frozen, but everything around the explorer. It has to do with explorer !
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