Vista - USBs Up, but don't respond

USBs frequently require unplugging/plugging for the device to work.

However, when I do the first unplugging, the "disconnect" sound is heard,
which means the operating system thinks the device was connected. But the
device is unresponsive.

Sometimes it takes several in/out sequences to finally wake up the device.

And then, some devices seem to be picky on which USB ports they will work
from. My USB optical mouse only likes the port off the mobo. Some devices
will work in the 2-port connectors on the mobo. Still fewer will work on
the 5-port PCI card I have.

Sometimes devices plugged into external hubs would wake up when I would
unplug/replug the hub.

My main device problem is my CH USB Yoke and Pedals (2 devices). I now have
them plugged into a hub. When I run Flight Sim X the startup plan crashes
because the Yoke doesn't work. When I unplug the hub the yoke is connected
to, I hear the "disconnect" sound. Sometimes I hear two disconnect/connect
sounds while doing this, but other times just one. Eventually the CH USB
Yoke and Pedals works and then keeps working without a fault--a really great
device.

I feel the USB mouse needs to be right off the mobo for speed reasons. Just
a guess. Maybe for the same reason some devices want to be directly
connected to the mobo rather than a hub: my Yamaha keyboard USB connection
instructions say "no way" to a hub connection. (Are we getting closer to
SATA connectors?)

Any ideas, fixes, or OS changes? Or is it just a flakey hardware system?

John