About a month ago, I realized my 360 and PC were no longer talking to one another. I tried everything... Eventually I reformatted my computer. It worked again.

After I re-installed the Nintendo software for the USB connector, I noticed I could no longer see my PC files on my Xbox... so I found the root of my original problem. However, I'm wondering if anyone else here have experienced the same thing and if they know how to work around it.

It seems as though I can't have the software on my system and have my Xbox 360 talk to the computer at the same time. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

See if the file and printer service is started
Check if file and printer sharing is bound to your network adapter
Make sure the windows firewall (if enabled) allows file and printer sharing on the local subnet.

I've read about others having the same issue. The Nintendo install wizard seems to mess up the file sharing.

EDIT:

How can I get the computer to recognize the USB connector without the software?

Use non nintendo drivers with the PCI ID of your adapter added to them. I posted it on another thread but I can't remember what it's called. Ill try to find it.