if i have to resort to a fresh reinstall to see if this is a software problem i would like to know if there are any programs that can let me keep my old desktop settings and copy over the registry settings for my installed programs and games.

I would unplug the game pads then download and install the newest drivers from the net then reboot with the pad plugged in and let windows install it.
yes, such wonderful help, unplug the usb device and plug it back in.
As i said earlier, even with the drivers installed, windows will NOT install the device.