1st Gen iPod Shuffle repeatedly connecting / disconnecting to both Windows and iTunes. Why?

This is related to a 1st Gen iPod Shuffle which is repeatedly connecting / disconnecting to both Windows and iTunes. I am running Windows 7 and the current version of iTunes. With iTunes open and with the iPod Shuffle in the "off" position, I connect it to a USB port on my laptop. The iPod then momentarily appears in the "Devices" section of my iTunes account... then disappears. The iPod itself flashes the green light on the front momentarily... but then quickly flashes green/orange once and then changes to flashing orange for a few seconds. This pattern repeats unceasingly and I am not able to sync / manage my iPod.

When the iPod is disconnected from my laptop / iTunes, the iPod seems to function normally (the non-shuffle setting stopped working years ago) and the battery light on the back appears green when the button is pushed.

Any ideas?