itunes doesnt recognize ipod touch 3G

I have a ipod touch 3rd generation I'm trying to sync to itunes to begin operating it to put music on for a friend. I plug the ipod with the sync cable into the computer but nothing happens. I know there's nothing wrong with either the cable or USB port because both my iPhone and iPad sync and operate correctly. Could there be something wrong with the ipod? I turned the ipod off and on and performed a reset of it as well. iTunes is updated to the latest version. Help?