Friends - my config is listed in the sig below. I tried today to start a flight and NOTHING of my previously enabled joyfulstick is recognized :-hmmm Checked the XP Pro Application and System tables, nothing in there; no recent updates to this machine apart from a Norton AV update this morning. The exact error XP Pro gives me is:Your gameport or gameport drivers are not properly configured. Please consult the Device Manager.Which I did, and hey, the Sidewinder is no longer there!Now I know some people will say I have installed new stuff, clobberred it myself, but I haven't. There have been no changes to this machine since the last time I used this joystick effectively (two days ago).I have checked MS Technet but no hits thus far.Any ideas warmly received.Many thanks, Chardy(Oh, and BTW, the Click here to choose your attachments is still not working)

I had exactly the same thing happen to me twice. Searched technet, nothing. Asked a few friends of mine who are into IT and they tried everything I tried. Nothing.And guess what, after 2 days of giving up, I checked device manager just to see if it was still not there and the damn thing was there. Don't know when it got detected as I didn't even bother checking but it was there, fully functional. After the second time it happened, I disconnected it and left it unplugged and then re plugged it after 2 days into a different USB port and windows found new hardware for that USB port. Installed it and never had a problem since.Maybe it was a faulty USB port or dirty connection but I haven't had a problem since.Goran

Yes, unplugging for 10..20secs may help. My Sidewinder Precision Pro, connected to the USB port (it can also be connected to the old type game port on the sound card), often becomes disabled or disappears. Once I plug it in anew, it comes back to life.Not sure where this comes from. All USB root hubs in the Device Manager have the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" setting off. Perhaps an external hub on my monitor causes some disturbance when I switch the monitor off in the evening, who knows.Regards,Siggy

I had this happen a while back, and I called Microsoft, and they told me it has to do with connecting the joystick to a USB hub. The capacitors get overloaded (for whatever reason) and must be allowed to discharge.Here is the solution:Unplug joystick for several hours (overnight if possible). This process takes a while as the capacitors must fully discharge.Plug it back in not attached to the USB hub. Hopefully, it should be recognized!Hope this helps!

Thanks everyone for the replies.Given my machine is a notebook, then would you suggest leaving the machine disconnected from mains power AND removing the battery, or just turning the machine off.I left it off last night but still connected to mains power and tried reconnecting the Sidewinder this morning to no avail.Out of interest, why would the capacitors NOT get overloaded for other, constantly connected USB devices, like my Logitech Optical mouse? The Sidewinder is only connected on avergare once every couple of days for a couple of hours?Many thanks - Chardy

Try another USB port if you have one.Goran

Hi Goran - tried that...I have 4 USB ports - tried each of them, and tried other devices such as USB Memory keys - all ports seem to be working fine with everything BUT the Sidewinder.....thanks for the reply, Chardy

Interesting. Try plugging something else into the USB port reserved for your sidewinder. Leave it in there, install the hardware. Turn the computer off and then back on again. Check to see if the hardware is still there. If it is, unplug it, plug in the joystiick and see what happens. If that doesn't work, check to see if the joystick works on someone elses computer.Have funGoran

If you want to discharge the caps on your mobo, do this.After shutting down UNPLUG your machine.While it,s UNPLUGED press your power on switch, if you have an Asus mobo you will see the little green LED on the mobo go out, this indicates the caps are discharged, a safety precaution you should allways use when adding or removing cards etc. If it,s not an ASUS, same deal, caps get discharged.Allways do this when you plug/unplug stuff on your mobo.After building 4-5 hundred machines you learn, in my case the hard way a few times!Regards

Thanks Buck - still didn't seem to work.So, friends, I had a bit of a think. I bought two of these 9100's about 8 weeks ago, and I went through my rebuild plan which I do for each machine I build. Suprise suprise, I had NOT installed the Sidewinder software. I imagine why it was working is that if you look in Windows XP Pro, in Game Controllers, it has a Sidewinder plug-and-play version.I imagine what it did was load that driver, and for some reason it broke when I originally posted this problem.Last night I installed the sidewinder software, and it all now works.Many thanks to all who contributed...I really appreciate it.Kind regards, CHardy

After I made the last post I was thinking back. I had a problem with Joystick drivers with respect to FF vs non FF. They are two totaly different drivers.I now use C&H Yoke & Pedals, so much better for the heavies.Regards