Connect usb smart card reader to any virtual machine

Discussion in 'Installation and Configuration of Parallels Desktop' started by KL12, Nov 20, 2020.

  1. KL12

    KL12 Bit poster

    Messages:
    2
    Hello,
    Parallels for mac appstore ver 1.6.0 (21086), MacOS Catalina
    When I connect any smart card reader (utrust 3700F or Cyber Jack) to any virtual machine (windows, linux, etc...) there is alert:
    "Unable to connect USB device to virtual machine now. Try to connect this USB device later.".
    I tried everything what is described here: https://kb.parallels.com/10136 and:
    Devices > USB & Bluetooth > here i can see my smart card readers
    New external device detected - there is no window from PD where i can choose where to connect reader
    On MAC readers work properly.
     
  2. kuebler

    kuebler Member

    Messages:
    62
    Hi,
    I connect to this thread, because my problem might be related. I'm using Parallels 15.1.5 (47309) with a OS Win10 virtual machine on my Macbook Pro mid 2015 with builtin SD card reader, running Big Sur 11.1 Beta.
    When I plug in a standard 4GB-SD-card (I have also tried with several others), then the card is virtually always only connected to the Big Sur host, regardless of how often I try. Only extremely rarely the card is connected to my Win10 guest. Maybe 1 out of 100 attempts or even less(!), and it is totally unclear, why and when.
    The Parallels settings for "At detection of a new external device" are as shown in the screenshot. I have also experimented with different settings, such as "ask with any new device", but nothing changes.
    I'm really desperate... Is there anything which might help?
    PD-settings.jpg
     
  3. KL12

    KL12 Bit poster

    Messages:
    2
    Just found the solution.
    Parallels 1.6 from appstore does't work with smart card readers, i installed parallers 16 and works fine.
     
  4. kuebler

    kuebler Member

    Messages:
    62
    By coincidence I also just found a way, how to circumvent the apparent Parallels 15 bug explained in #2:

    For explanation I have made 2 further screenshots. Pic 1 shows both my Win10 VM desktop (left part) and the Big Sur desktop (right part). In Big Sur the SD card "No Name" is shown, so the card is connected to Big Sur, and not to my Win10 VM, as it should.
    SD-card1.jpg
    Pic 2 shows in the Big Sur menu bar the menu of my Parallels Win10 VM. When I go to "Geräte" as shown in the pic ( with english Parallels it would be "Devices"), then you see the SD card, and it has a checkmark, as if it would be connected to the Win10 VM. But it is not. When I click on this entry "Apple SD Card Reader ...", then the checkmark just disappears, but otherwise nothing changes.
    SD-card2.jpg
    Now comes the magic ;-) When I click on this entry again, then the checkmark comes back, and magically the "No Name" card on the Apple Big Sur desktop shown in pic 1 disappears. Bingo, now the card is indeed connected to the Win10 VM and can be read or written to or whatever.

    BTW: When I click then again on the menu entry, then the card is not connected back to Big Sur, but in Win10 a window appears telling that I can now safely remove the card.
     

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