Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 file transfer, USB not recognised. No USB options in Settings menu

I have a Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 and I wish to transfer some audio files from it to my PC, running Windows 8. When I connect the phone to the computer with the USB cable, the phone beeps and begins charging but displays no USB connection notification. Likewise, the computer doesn't register the connection at all. I have googled the problem but only seem to find partial solutions, which don't fit my situation. I've tried updating PC drivers and phone software, turning off and on again, trying with and without Kies software and on several different machines. The phone is running Android 2.3.6 Anyone got any ideas?