Youre welcome.
Glad deleting the stick.cfg works. Unfortunatly, youre not the only one with this prob.... so good to know what to do when it occurs. Thanks for the feedback.
Joysticks: Well, thats a matter of personal liking and $$ you want to invest.
Basic requirements: (8-way-) Hatswich (for views), throttle lever, some rudder control (twisty or rocker). Youll get pretty far with that.
You can get cheap ones (25-40 USD) that fit those requirements. Good sticks i know of are Saitek Evo, Thrustmaster AfterburnerII, Speedlink BlackWidow. Just stay away from Logitech.... theyre no good usually.
If you can invest something and want to stick with flight sims for a while you could think about getting a Saitek X45, X52 (80-130 USD) or maybe even a CH Setup - Throttle, Stick and Pedals (250-450 USD).