iPod new iPod Shuffle not working all of the sudden

[buckuxc]

I just picked up my new iPod shuffle today and it was working this afternoon. I'm not sure what happened, but now when I connect it to the USB port, the shuffle's light blinks (meaning it is connected), but it does not mount the desktop and nothing happens with iTunes. iTunes is updated to 4.7.1 and the Shuffle has the 1.1 update on it.

Programs have been hanging a lot today and now after restarting the computer and trying to launch iTunes I get a warning that the Library file is not located on this disk, is locked or I do not have permissions for it. The first two things are dead wrong. The last i'm not sure. I assume this has something to do with why my shuffle isn't connecting (?). Can someone give me an idea of what the heck is going on?

Ok, so this problem seems to have worked itself out. However, I've noticed a new "problem" so to speak. The music that I've played on the Shuffle (at least this morning) did not get updated when I plugged it into the computer; none of the songs' play counts or last played dates changed. Is this a feature the Shuffle lacks? If it is, is there any way around it? Am I the only one with this problem?