Ipod Touch Not Showing as a Device

[sgitlin]

I just received a new Ipod Touch and am just playing around with it a bit to see what it can do.

When I look at Vista Explorer and check the devices attached to my desktop PC, it is not showing the Ipod attached via one of the USB 2 hubs. I know the computer is seeing the Ipod, because as soon as I plug it in, itunes is activated on the desktop. Shouldn't I see the Ipod as a device attached to the PC?

A second question kind of related to the first. Can I download apps, music, etc., to my PC and then transfer them over to the Ipod, without downloading directly to the Ipod? Reason I'm asking this, is that I'm having a bit of a problem connecting to my password-secured home network. The relation to the first question, is if I can't see the Ipod on the PC can I do such a transfer, or is that all done through itunes.

Thanks in advance for any help to a newbie.

Stew

[acosmichippo]

yes, you can "sync" music from your PC to your iPod. All of that is handled through itunes. There are alternatives, but i believe your ipod must be jailbroken, and i have heard they are not as easy to work with as itunes.