That wasnt initially stated, technically you didnt even say it failed during the game, just in Vista... but anyways.
I would check in device manager for the USB root hubs I think, there should be a power management tab, and uncheck to allow computer to turn off device.
Only other thing I can think of is that you might not be launching the TrackIR software with Admin priviledges, or its a bad install and the driver is screwing up.