So
@binkinator I figured I'd update you and the thread in case this helps anyone going forward.
First of all, I tried so many things. So so many things. So many things that I'm exhausted and don't even feel like listing them all out. None of them worked anyway.
I did manage to fix this, but I did two things and I'm not sure which fixed it. The first thing I did, was I re-enabled "Microsoft Device Association Root Enumerator" in my Device Manager. Technically, that is enabled by default on the Windows OS, but I recently disabled it because it had been reported to fix stuttering issues associated with Elden Ring. Of course, disabling it didn't fix Elden Ring and I still get the stuttering - but that's another story lol. Aside from that, I simply rebooted my PC in case it needed a reboot for that change to take effect. Whether or not one, or both of what I did fixed it, I can't say. But it is working right now. After about 4 hours of pulling my hair out, it's all good.
I appreciate you trying to work with me through this.