This problem just started recently, no new software added to my box for some months I might add....
Flying along, screen freezes up, because, in the background of Win98, its in the process of losing the X36 joystick in the control panel...screen unfreezes in AH, and no joystick control. Go to desktop and the X36 is gone from control panel. Re-boot enables Win98 to find it once again. Its becoming more and more often now. Very strange.