ipod classic will not show up in itunes

i have an ipod classic either 6th or 7th gen that itunes will not recognize anymore. used it back in the day, recently got inspired to use it again.

I have my old itunes library on my old windows laptop (i currently use a 2015 macbook), running windows 7. syncing worked initially but I ran into a problem where itunes would recognize the ipod classic for a moment, and then the ipod icon would disappear and itunes would no longer recognize it. i updated the windows and itunes software to as current as possible, but the same problem continues. The laptop recognizes it as an external drive, but itunes wont let me access it. i also tested this on my macbook and the music app recognizes the ipod, but wont load the screen for syncing. ive followed as much info on these forums as i could find but nothing has worked yet. The ipod is in great condition, minimal use, nothing wrong with the drive. ive uninstalled and reinstalled different versions of itunes as I could, the exception being itunes 9 which would not load my itunes library saying it was created by a later version of itunes. Im really lost here, the ipod works great, no signs of failing from the hard drive or physical condition, I was able to sync until one day it just stopped. Again itunes will show the ipod logo briefly but then disappear before it is able to be selected, so it technically recognizes the ipod, and then stops. Any help anybody has would be appreciated