IPod 1st Gen (Touch wheel, 10GB) isn't recognized - missing software?

Recently, my 80GB video iPod decided to simply die on me, so I dug out my very first iPod, from 2001 or '02 I believe.
It turns on fine, can scroll through menus, but there's nothing on it anymore - plug it into my computer (firewire-to-firewire), and the iPod goes through a menu where there's the disc and a magnifying glass and eventually a check mark (connotating that everything's fine) - but it never docks onto the computer or shows up on iTunes.
I've SCOURED the internet for old iPod software updates, trying to find one early enough, so it can recognize it and I can restore and hopefully the problem will be fixed - but there's been SO many iPods since then, it's ancient, and no support was found anywhere.
Does anyone have a solution, or a link to the earliest of iPod updaters? I looked for documentation, but it was 9 years ago - I don't have the CD anymore or anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
*In the 'About' menu on the iPod, the current version that's installed is 1.5 - don't know if that matters.
**I'm trying to connect to a 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum?), currently installed with iTunes 8
Message was edited by: Cassidy Knight (still)

The current version of iTunes should be able to connect to even the 1st gen iPod. The one you have is 2nd gen, if it's the one with the four clicking buttons around the touch wheel. I have one of those, and although I use it as my little emergency/maintenance FireWire startup drive (because the screen failed on it), it is still recognized by iTunes on my Mac. Over FireWire, of course.
The first thing you should try is to put it into Disk Mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1363
Note: The procedure for your iPod is at the bottom, where it says +If you have an older iPod model without a Click Wheel+.
If that works, connect it to the computer. Hopefully it will appear both on your desktop and in iTunes. If so, use the Restore button in iTunes to erase the iPod's hard drive and initialize its software. The latest available version of the software for that iPod will be installed.
You may also want to try a different FireWire cable. It's just a regular cable, so you don't have to use the thin white one.

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