Whatever works for you.
Tapeworm was suggesting MSC because it usually works better, and the fact that you have to reload the driver every time you connect sounds pretty inconvenient.
Using the Fuze in MTP mode (or Auto with any recent Windows, which goes to MTP) makes it a virtual device for Windows, an extra step which is just one more thing that can go wrong. For many other users, switching to MSC made troubles go away.
It is quite odd that MSC doesn’t work since you can make the data connection and get MTP.
Do thumb drives, cameras, etc., work on that USB port? Just curious.
The USB 1.0 drive might have been the problem on your previous computer. The Fuze can be touchy about those.
And the original Win XP had a version of Windows Media Player that was the one before the Fuze-compatible one–IIRC, XP had WMP 9 and the Fuze wants 10 or above.
But it’s really surprising that on a newer computer, with a faster USB port, you can’t get the MSC connection, which is more direct.
If you want to continue using MTP, you might have fewer problems if you update Windows Media Player. That should install an MTP driver that reads the Fuze permanently, so you don’t have to keep doing the workaround. Microsoft Support also had something called an MTP Porting Kit that used to help people with XP and might also improve Vista.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=19153
