"Lost" all USB ports on win xp laptop after plugging ipod shuffle

Connect the included USB cable to your iPod Shuffle.

Plug the opposite end of the iPod Shuffle cable into an open USB port on your computer, which must be turned on.

Check the light on the iPod Shuffle. If the light has turned on, the iPod Shuffle is properly charging.

Using iPod charger

Plug the iPod charger into a working electrical outlet.

Connect the included USB cable to your iPod Shuffle.

Plug the opposite end of the iPod Shuffle cable into the USB port on the iPod charger.

The iPod Shuffle should begin charging immediately.

hope this helps

Connect the iPod shuffle USB cable connector into a high-power USB port on your computer.
Note: To charge an iPod shuffle battery, connect the device to a high-power USB port.

Please be aware that USB keyboards and non-powered USB hubs generally do not have high-power USB ports.

If you connect to a low or non-powered port, iPod shuffle will not charge.

The computer must be turned on and set to not go to sleep.

Plug the other end of the iPod shuffle USB Cable into the headphone port on the iPod shuffle.

Verify the iPod shuffle is connected securely.

Once the iPod shuffle is plugged in, it will take about 2 hours to charge the battery to 80% capacity and about 3 hours to charge it to 100%.

Find out how to check the battery charge here

hope this helps

Plug the charger into a USB port or wall charger. Then plug the other end into your i pod. Once plugged in and successfully connected to power then a green battery symbol should appear. If not then their might be something wrong with the power supply or the i pod.

To charge the battery using your computer:
Connect iPod shuffle to a high-power USB port on your computer using the included iPod shuffle Dock. The computer must be turned on and not in sleep mode (some models of Macintosh can charge iPod shuffle while in sleep mode). When the battery is charging, the status light on iPod shuffle is orange. When the battery is fully charged, the status light turns green.
If you don't see the status light, iPod shuffle might not be connected to a high-power USB port. Try another USB port on your computer.

To charge the battery using an iPod USB Power Adapter If you do not have then you have to buy the same from Apple Store) 1 Connect the AC plug adapter to the power adapter (they might already be connected). 2 Plug the USB connector of the iPod shuffle Dock into the power adapter. 3 Plug the power adapter into a working electrical outlet. 4 Put iPod shuffle in the dock. You can disconnect and use iPod shuffle before it is fully charged.

As with all iPods, you must use Apple's iTunes application to sync your music with your iPod Shuffle.

You'll need to install the latest iTunes by downloading it from Apple click here> and then installing it. You install iTunes like any other downloaded program by double-clicking on the resulting icon after iTunes has successfully downloaded.
Follow the on-screen directions to install iTunes.
Once iTunes is installed, start up iTunes and have it search your computer for music for it to manage for you. While that is going on, plug the white USB cable that came with your iPod into your iPod Shuffle and into one of the USB ports on your computer. This will trigger iTunes to recognize your iPod Shuffle and ask you whether you want to set it up with this computer.

Follow the on-screen prompts to sync your iPod Shuffle with your computer.

To charge your iPod Shuffle, just keep it plugged in to your computer using the supplied white USB cable. Keep the cable connected until the battery indicator on the ipod Shuffle shows that the battery is full.

Thanks for using FixYa and Happy New Year!

Remember these five basic suggestions if you have a problem with iPod shuffle. Try
these steps one at a time until the problem is resolved. If one of the following doesn’t
help, read on for solutions to specific problems.
Reset iPod shuffle by turning it off, waiting five seconds, and then turning it back on
again.
Retry with a different USB port if you cannot see iPod shuffle in iTunes.
Restart your computer, and make sure you have the latest software updates
installed.
 Reinstall iTunes software from the latest version on the web.

 If the status light blinks orange when you press a button, the iPod shuffle buttons are
disabled. Press and hold Play/Pause (’) for about three seconds, until the status light
blinks green.
 Connect iPod shuffle to a high-power USB port on your computer. Your iPod shuffle
battery may need to be recharged.
Turn iPod shuffle off, wait five seconds, and then turn it on again.
You may need to restore iPod shuffle software

Maybe it's because that the USB isn't clean enough. Try cleaning it.

there could be a problem with your usb port...try another port or try another device in same port...also could be the connecting cable for ipod....

- check the cable - check the connections on the bottom of the ipod for bent pins, or dirt - make sure ipod battery is fully charged - if you have all your library backed up, reset ipod to factory. You will lost all settings etc. though. - check usb ports are working properly with no conflicts or driver issues (control panel\system\hardware\device manager) - uninstall usb ports on pc, let pc redetect them

Do you have the oportunity to try a different shuffle on your computer and see if it will charge? If it will, it's probably your shuffle that is the problem. If that is the case, check the contacts on your shuffle to make sure they are not damaged or dirty. I have the same iPod myself, and although I've used it acouple of hours daily for a year, the batteries aren't supposed to (or at least they are not going to) last forever.