@rcentros, I had forgotten to say that I had 2 different cables and 2 Windows 7 laptops to try the various connection combinations on with no success. But the other 2 Kobos connected just fine as expected.
Thanks for the Linux idea too.
@stumped, I will try the hub trick when I find a USB hub and report back. It'd be funny if it did work
Just wondering what it is in the hub that could make it work.