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VMware ACE Administrator’s Manual
Take the following steps to check the provider of your driver:
1. Go to the Device Manager. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, click
the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.
2. Expand the listing for Universal Serial Bus controllers.
3. Right-click the listing for the controller and choose Properties.
4. Click the Driver tab. If the driver provider shown on that page is Microsoft, you
have the correct driver already.
If the driver provider is not Microsoft, download the latest USB driver for your host
operating system from the Microsoft Web site and follow the Microsoft instructions to
install it. Details are available in Microsoft knowledge base article 319973.
Installing USB Devices as a Non-Administrator
Any user on a Windows host can connect USB devices for use in a virtual machine. You
do not need administrative privileges on the host to connect a USB device to a virtual
machine.
Note: A USB device must be installed on the host before it can be used in a virtual
machine.
Who Has Control over a USB Device?
Only one computer — host or guest — can have control of a USB device at any one
time.
Device Control on a Windows Host
When you connect a device to a virtual machine, it is “unplugged” from the host or
from the virtual machine that previously had control of the device. When you
disconnect a device from a virtual machine, it is “plugged in” to the host.
Caution: On Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 hosts, you need
to take a special step to disconnect USB network and storage devices from the host.
There is a system tray icon called Eject Hardware on Windows 2000 and Safely Remove
Hardware on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Use this icon to disconnect the
device from the host before connecting it to a virtual machine.
Note: On Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 hosts, when you
connect a USB network or storage device in a virtual machine, you may see a message
on your host that says the device can be removed safely. This is normal behavior, and
you can simply dismiss the dialog box. However, do not remove the device from your
physical computer. VMware ACE automatically transfers control of the device to the
virtual machine.