Thanks!
That did the trick, thanks for the suggestion. I was using a 15' USB2 extension cable on an already long (10'), normal USB1 cable- so it could be across the room.
I don't know why it would have worked for the 6 months during which the cord wasn't too long, & suddenly decide to go kaput. But whatever, I'll just rearrange the room so it can be closer.
Thanks again...