Crashy,
I use the X-45, but just skipped Saiteks stick setup software. Just pluged it in, let windows find it, and set it up in AH.
When I did use the Saitek software, I kept having to re-load the configuration (and toggle the auto-load function sometimes) to get it to work right.
I just use the default stick setups in most games, but then I only really use it for AH and OFP
-Sik