Hudsonsmith:

AS AN ADDENDUM...

For the items listed under "Sound, video and game controllers", I only deleted ones that referenced either "Creative" or "Soundblaster". I did NOT delete any others...

Also, even though the problem seems to persist, even after installation of the driver you suggested, I am now getting a "Found New Hardware Wizard" popup that wants me to install software for the multimedia controller...

not sure if these additional tidbits help, but thought I should mention them.

Thanks again,
Frank