opti 931 vs MS sidewinder game pad

> Sidewinder game pad doesn't show connected when attempting to play games.
> Microsoft tech diagnosed that sound card is problem and suggested updated
> driver is needed. Opti ...931 chip. Opti no longer provides updates. Where
> can I find updated driver? Any other way to fix this problem? PS disabled
> everything but joystick under control panel, system, device manager, sound
> etc and then it worked with no sound. Enabling these items again caused game
> pad to show "not connected". Game pad shows "connected" when not trying to
> play game. Running Windows 98