VM Removable Devices does not detect all USB devices under Workstation 12.5

[DonGolden]

I upgraded to Workstation Pro 12.5 and can no longer add a removable device via the VM menu item.   The devices which the previous version allowed me to attach to the guest are no longer presented in the dropdown menu.   This is a showstopper for me.   We use Safenet Sentinel Dongles to protect our software and they are no longer visible.

[DonGolden]

So I removed 12.5 (the uninstaller does not work well on Windows 10.   It leaves dregs everywhere).  I reinstalled 12.5 - this did not solve the problem.

Then I uninstalled 12.5 again and installed 12.1.   This went well but could not open my two guests that I have opened under 12.5.   This makes me really DEAD IN THE WATER. 

I need a rollback solution.

HELP!!!!!

[DonGolden]

The issue after doing the rollback is NOT that the guest is corrupted, but that Workstation 12.1 cannot find the vmci driver handle:

The attachment shows the error message.

[DonGolden]

None of the VMware Tech Support suggestions worked, even KB1308.   I had to revert to restoring a backup of my C drive. 

I am NOT a happy paying customer.

[Zongmin]

Hi, welcome to the community!

You can follow Workstation 12.5 release notes to clean up Workstation related driver files after Workstation12.5 uninstallation:

http://pubs.vmware.com/Release_Notes/en/workstation/12pro/workstation-125-release-notes.html#knownis...

After VMware Workstation is uninstalled, the following driver-related files remain on the Windows host operating system:
In C:\Windows\System32\drivers:
hcmon.sys
vmci.sys
vmx86.sys
vmkbd.sys in case Enhanced Keyboard Driver was installed.
In C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\Drivers\vmci\device:
vmciver.dll

Workaround: Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers and delete hcmon.sys, vmci.sys, vmx86.sys, and vmkbd.sys. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\Drivers\vmci\device and delete vmciver.dll.

After above steps, reboot host, you can either re-install Workstation12.5, or an older version of Workstation.

Hope this will help!

[bonnie201110141]

Please let me if other USB devices work well, such as a USB flash drive. I suspect that USB arbitrator service even starts up. After uninstalling Workstation 12.5 and manually removing those drivers, and reinstalling Workstation 12.5, is your USB working again?

[tracywang]

Thanks for using Workstation.

I have a SafeNet Sentinel SuperPro dongle, and I can connect it to the VM after upgrade from 12.1.1 to 12.5. So, could you upload your log files so that I can check what's the difference between our environment? Go to Help -> Support -> Collect Support Data... and upload the support bundle zip file saved on your desktop to here. Thank you.

[DonGolden]

Some of these .dll's were locked and could not be deleted.

I have rolled back to 12.1 by restoring my C drive from a backup.   This is drastic.   I am reluctant to try 12.5 again until I know that the USB problems have been solved,

[DonGolden]

Unfortunately, ,I have rolled back to 12.1 by doing a restore C drive from backup and have not log files.

Maybe I will take a clean copy of Win 10 as a guest and install 12.5 to try some of these suggestions.

[ggeihs03]

I am having the same problem. USB devices worked under 12.1 but not showing up in 12.5.

I tried uninstalling, removing the files: hcmon.sys, vmci.sys, vmx86.sys, vmciver.dll, rebooting and reinstalling. I'm still not seeing any USB devices.

What else can I try?

[bonnie201110141]

Hello ggeihso3,

Sorry that you ran into such issue. Can you collect support information via the followings?

1) Power on the VM and observe that the issue appears

2) Click Help->Support->Collect Support Data and select the running VM

When it finishes, please upload the support file. Thanks!

[ggeihs03]

Hello,

I finally got this working again by following ALL steps in KB1308.

https://kb.vmware.com/kb/1308

[GuardianSix]

I had the same issue after upgrading to 12.5. I solved it by going to "Programs and Features", right-clicking "VMWare Workstation", choosing "Change" and then then choosing the option to repair the installation. I lost half a day trying to solve this though, and was dreading going through the same reinstall process you did.

Additional data if it helps anyone - my original installation had failed due to me clicking "Ignore" on a warning about the installer being unable to install some service, resulting in VMWare being absent from my machine. I dug the installer file out of the temp folder and ran it again, and when I got those warnings I started killing random processes (not VMWare, which I'd already shut down) via process explorer until retrying worked. At that point I thought I'd installed successfully, but apparently not since I hit the issue described in this thread. The failed upgrade rendering the software absent and missing devices constitute a pretty crummy upgrade experience, I hope you guys make this more robust.

[jjs77]

thank you

"right-clicking "VMWare Workstation", choosing "Change" and then then choosing the option to repair the installation."

that worked for me too

a normal uninstall and reinstall did not work, but that did

[stralex]

Thank you for the hint, still valid. Actually, what it does it fixes the path for VMUSBArbService that before was pointing to an installation directory, while vmware-usbarbitrator64.exe is located in Common Files\vmware\USB.

Cheers!

[BalthazarBob]

I seem to have the same issue.

I have tried doing the complete uninstall described in the thread linked "above", and also tried to do the "repair" (multiple times), but still no luck.

My missing USB device shows up as a VMware USB device in my host OS, but it does not appear in "Removeable Devices" list in my VMware, or anywhere else for that matter, so anybody have any suggestions to what else I can try?

Regards

[admin]

Hi Balthazar,

Do you have any other vmware products installed ? Like vpshere client or any other?

Can you unplug and replug the usb device ? Then you should atleast be able to use the usb device on the host.

[BalthazarBob]

Hi

No other VMware products installed, only VMware Workbench (and player).

I finally got it to connect and show in the removeable devices, by deleting the "VMware USB device" in the device manager on the host OS when connected, and the reconnecting the device, at which point it appeared.

/Regards

[AspenLogic]

I also have this issue. Still.

I was able to uninstall VMware Workstation 12 Pro (v12.5.7) after a significant amount of effort (it stubbornly refused to uninstall completely -- see Cleaning up after an incomplete uninstallation on a Windows host (1308) | VMware KB), clear out all the old drivers (using Windows 10 safe mode because 1308 did not work completely), and re-install Workstation 12 Pro version 12.5.7 build-5813279. For exactly one invocation of the Windows 7 guest operating system, I was able to see all the USB peripherals on the host including my all important backup drive. I was saved!

The second time I opened the Windows 7 guest VM, I was stymied yet again -- no USB peripherals! No amount of rebooting host and/or guest has returned me to the promised land.

This is a very serious problem with something in the VMware application. Not windows 7. Not windows 10.

It calls into question the entire Virtual Machine system and its value. Zero support is available unless you kick back some serious money to VMWare. Even then would it help? (A jaundiced person would assume this was some grand money making scheme on their part.) They have not been able to fix it in 7 minor version changes.

I am frustrated at this point with the lack of a solution to this vexing problem.

[BSchor]

Bless you, GuardianSix -- such a simple solution, so easy to do, and (best of all) it works!

BS