Is there a way to remove all trace of a joystick from a USB port. I know CH Products offers a program to remove joysticks from ports, but only for CH joysticks. Mine is a Sidewinder.Thanks for the info.Danny

The generic and Mircosoft specific joysticks drivers are part of your operating system, i.e., Win98/ME/XP. They are installed during the operating system installation.Third party updated drivers are installed by the user when they purchase a particular joystick. The generic drivers still remain on your hardrive in case you try a restore/uninstall.W. Sieffert

Thanks for your answer, but I didn't mean the drivers, I meant the registry entry. This is an extract from CH Products download page, explaining the CH Delete program. I want to do the same for my Sidewinder joystick:Software Download- CH Delete Introduction CH Delete was designed to remove registry entries of CH USB devices in order for users to conduct a clean install the controllers.The following information is a brief overview on what CH Delete has to offer as well as its limitations. If you have any questions or problems with installation or operation, please contact our technical support department and we will gladly help you with whatever you need. Why do I need it? In the event you have improperly installed your CH USB controllers you will now be able to remove all traces of the devices from your registry. This enables Windows to "see" the devices as if they had never been plugged into your computer before. Limitations CH Delete only works in Windows (98SE to XP) and only on CH USB products. Thanks,Danny

I don't know of any instructions or programs to remove registry entries for any Microsoft Game controllers.Mucking around in the registry is dangerous. You may end up reformatting your hardrive and having to reinstall your operating system if you make the wrong registry choices.W. Sieffert

DJ,Mr. Sieffert is correct, the MS Sidewinder is directly supported by XP. I don't have the USB model, yet I own the original Joystick version of the ForceFeedback. Considering that the Joystick Port isn't PnP, I had to go into Control Panel, Game Controllers, and select "MS Sidewinder", then click OK. After a moment, it came back with the "MS Force Feedback.." joystick, showing that it's "OK". After that, all works the way it's supposed to, and I've not needed to add any other software.If you've added any of the additional software, that's going to be another story, and would require the recommended removal method outlined by that manufacturer.I think, if you look into REGEDIT, under HKLM/Hardware/DevicMap, you'll find the pieces of hardware currently attached to your system. As an example, I DONT have my Saitek joystick attached so it's not shown there. BUT... under HKLM/System/ControlSet001/Control/MediaProperties/PrivateProperties/Joystick/OEM/VID_06xxxxx... is my Joystick entry. If you look at the other entries, you'll see CH Products, MS Sidewinder, etc., which are all default entries from the OS. YOU could delete these, but I wouldn't ;)Hope this helps,TomKONT