USB 3 with Windows 8.1 host and windows 7 guest

[DougalScott]

I can't get my guest VMs to recognize my USB 3 drives when connected. From what I have read, this combination should work, as I have the Generic USB xHCI Host Controller driver installed in the Windows 8.1 host, but I can't get the VM virtual USB 3 driver to install in the host.

I have shutdown the host, changed USB from 2.0 to 3.0, and rebooted with and without a USB 3.0 drive connected to the guest, and tried to update the existing USB host controller driver in the guest (it only finds same drivers). I have reinstalled VM Tools in the guest (there is no entry for USB3 driver in the options?).

Is there a driver I can install in the guest to get USB 3 support, or am I wrong in my reading of the various KB articles on USB 3 compatibility, and it is only Win 8.x guest OS on Win 7 host that can access USB3?

Cheers

[bonnie201110141 · Accepted solution]

USB 3.0 support for Window 7 guest is currently not supported.

[DougalScott]

Thanks for the quick response, but seems VMWare are missing the boat on this. Windows 7 remains common in business, and will be for some years. Apart from limited reason to upgrade thousands of clients, Windows 8 breaks some of out core business applications, so Windows 7 is required OS. Not being able to virtualise Windows 7 guests seriously impacts our business. I guess we will have to look at Hyper-V for the majority of our VMs and servers.

Cheers