Specifications

For example, if the host system is using a floppy drive, you must connect the floppy drive to the virtual
machine before you can use it in the virtual machine. To use the floppy drive on the host again, you must
disconnect it from the virtual machine. By default, a floppy drive is not connected when a virtual machine
powers on.
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Use a Removable Device in a Virtual Machine on page 53
You can connect and disconnect removable devices in a virtual machine. You can also change the
settings for a removable device by modifying virtual machine settings.
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Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines on page 54
When a virtual machine is running, its window is the active window. If you plug a USB device into the
host system, the device connects to the virtual machine instead of the host by default. If a USB device
connected to the host system does not connect to a virtual machine at power on, you must manually
connect the device to the virtual machine.
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Troubleshooting USB Device Control Sharing on page 56
Only the host system or the virtual machine can have control of a particular USB device at any one
time. Device control operates differently, depending on whether the host system is a Linux or a
Windows computer.
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Using Smart Cards in Virtual Machines on page 57
Virtual machines can connect to smart card readers that interface to serial ports, parallel ports, USB
ports, PCMCIA slots, and PCI slots. A virtual machine considers a smart card reader to be a type of
USB device.
Use a Removable Device in a Virtual Machine
You can connect and disconnect removable devices in a virtual machine. You can also change the settings
for a removable device by modifying virtual machine settings.
Prerequisites
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Power on the virtual machine.
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If you are connecting or disconnecting a USB device, familiarize yourself with the way Player handles
USB devices. See “Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines,” on page 54.
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If you are connecting or disconnecting a USB device on a Linux host and the USB device file system is
not located in /proc/bus/usb, mount the USB file system to that location. See “Mount the USB File
System on a Linux Host,” on page 55.
Procedure
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To connect a removable device, select the virtual machine, select Player > Removable Devices, select
the device, and select Connect.
If the device is connected to the host system through a USB hub, the virtual machine sees only the USB
device, not the hub.
A check mark appears next to the name of the device when the device is connected to the virtual
machine and a device icon appears on the virtual machine taskbar.
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To change the settings for a removable device, select Player > Removable Devices, select the device,
and select Settings.
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To disconnect a removable device, select the virtual machine, select Player > Removable Devices, select
the device, and select Disconnect.
You can also disconnect the device by clicking or right-clicking the device icon on the virtual machine
taskbar. Using the taskbar icon is especially useful if you run the virtual machine in full screen mode.
Chapter 4 Using Virtual Machines
VMware, Inc. 53