Questions about syncing

I am trying to help my daughter use her new LG Optimus T phone which has Android 2.2 on it.

1--I am used to using Windows Mobile and for the past several years an [COLOR=#000000 ! important][FONT=inherit ! important][COLOR=#000000 ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]Iphone[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR], each of which has syncing [COLOR=#000000 ! important][FONT=inherit ! important][COLOR=#000000 ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]software[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] (Itunes for the Iphone) that enables you to synch contacts, calendar, music, files, etc. between your phone and PC. The Optimus didn't come with that. When I google it, there seem to be various complex solutions and work arounds, none of which seem to work for us. Can anyone explain how Androids synch with a windows computer?

2--Possibly related to the first issue, the PC doesn't seem to recognize the phone. We've plugged it into USB ports, but get no response from the phone. We are running Windows 7 Professional. Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on what might be happening. Is there a known issue with Windows 7 Professional.

Thanks,
Gerry