I am new to this, so please forgive any faux pas.

My XP-Pro desktop machine will not recognize ANY removable media;
floppies, CD, DVD, USB, iPod.

If the media is writable, it says that it must be formated, but will
fail if given the chance. It does accurately identify USB devices when
they are plugged in, before saying they need to be formated.

Non-Writable media (CDs etc...) are claimed to be in an invalid format.

Thanks in advance,

RobWin

See Best Buy DVD to iPod Converter Software from Best Buy Reviews:
http://www.bestbuyreviews.com/dvd-ipod-converter/