winxp ms sidewinder prec2 stopped working

HP laptop, winxp sp3

microsoft sidewinder 2 joystick (usb), used it last night to play games, worked fine!

today it is not working, go to control panel game controllers (is not listed) go to add/ms sidewinder (autodetect)/OK and get following error message:

"Your gameport or Gameport drivers are not properly configured. Please consult the Device Manager."

wth - only change is upgrade avg from 8.5 to 9.0?

no errors/conflicts in device manager..but i don't see a list for 'game controller' either, its a usb joystick and it has always worked fine without issues...