Thanks for the input. Interesting that no one thinks it is a bad driver?

Different synths, usb ports on laptop, and usb cables gave same results. Microsoft had a hotfix but was not applicable to my laptop.

I still leaning towards a Vista driver problem - maybe not a bad driver but a buggy one. I remember back when I got the Vista laptop I use for gigs, using a usb connection to the synth not even supported - the synth was not recognized. That is why I got the Midisport. When SP2 was release, it was supported although I still had intermittent problems with it quitting - usually at a gig. It looks like I have to solely use the Midisport although I would like to know the usb cable is there as a backup.

Any other ideas is appreciated.

R