USB Audio in means no audio out

[dwankan]

I have what I assume is probably a simple problem, but I don't know enough to deal with it. I have an effects board for my guitar which connects to my computer via usb. I can record what I'm doing with it, so the sound and the connection are working fine. The problem is that when I plug in the usb from the effects board, the audio out from the computer stops working, so I can't hear what is coming in until I've unplugged the effects board, at which point, the audio out starts working again. It's like the usb audio in cancels out the audio coming out of the system.
I'm on Windows 7. The effects board is a zoom g5, but I've had the same problem with a Fender Mustang amp, so I don't think it's the particular external device that is causing the issue.
Does anyone have any suggestions for why this might happen or how to get it to stop? Tell me what you need to know, as I'm sure I'm not giving enough info to answer the question, and if I'm repeating a question that has already been asked and answered as far as you know, please don't be a jerk about it and call me names but rather point me in that direction. Sorry for the soapbox, but simply typing in "bump" and calling someone an idiot because they didn't find that one thread out of a thousand (needle in a haystack) doesn't help them.

[JoeE SP9]

No offense. This may be the wrong forum to ask your question. Perhaps a site dedicated to music making and computers would be more help. This site is really about reproducing music not making/creating it.