As promised I have tested all my usb connections to see if this affects everyone generally although it’s hard to be certain as I’m using Windows 11
Thrustmaster joystick out and back in … no problem, not even a glitch
Thrustmaster pedals the same result
USB printer the same too
USB wireless mouse and keyboard (not bluetooth) unplugged, Froze the screen. Plugged back in they worked again but the screen remained frozen and esc key did nothing. However as soon as I called up task manager the sim unfroze instantly and everything worked again.
Xbox controller. plugged it in, immediately the sim paused and a box appeared asking me if I wanted to customize settings or keep default, I chose default, closed the box and unplugged the controller without a hitch.