How Do I RESET the USB list???

This is REALLY frustrating.

The dispatcher.desktop.xml file for my Parallels contains about 300 entires for every USB device ever connected to my computer. Some go back at least 4 years (I know because some of the devices I have not even HAD for four years).

I have repeatedly attempted to delete the dispatcher.desktop.xml file and restart, also my finder prefs and I cannot find any other plist that would contain this historical information.

Telephone support is USELESS and unable to help- anyone here have an idea?


1) From where does Parallels parse this list of "every USB device ever connected" ??!

2) How do I reset it??


Thanks!!

 

Okay, more from phone support - it's not a bug, it's a feature!

LOL

Apparently, Parallels parses each windows VM file for USB devices in each version of window's registry.

So if you have a lot of virtual machines, you get the aforemetioned HUGE unwieldy list of every USB device that every instance of Windows has ever used.

And there is no way to alter this behavior.

This means that you have to go into each Windows VM, and clear out the old USB devices from the registry.



IMO this "feature" is BS. FEATURE REQUEST: Please let us TURN IT OFF.

 

Solution

Okay, after reviewing some logs and more plist files etc, here is the WORKAROUND that Tech Support does not know about:

1) Quit Parallels

2) Delete the following files

In

YourHardDrive/Library/Preferences/Parallels/

Delete:

dispatcher.desktop.xml
vmdirectorylist.desktop.xml


And in

YourHardDrive/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/

Delete

com.parallels.Parallels Desktop.plist


2b) Make certain you empty the trash.

3) Remove any VM files from the *default* VM directories (if you were using them). The Default directories are:

/Users/Shared/Parallels/
/Users/YourUserName/Documents/Parallels/

Put the VM files/images into a folder called "VMinactive".

4) REBOOT

5) Create a folder called "VMactive", and put only the VMs that you need to use at the moment in that folder.

6) In Preferences, select the "active" folder as the virtual machines folder.



This will prevent Parallels from scanning every VM you have for all the USB devices that you have ever used. If you have a lot of archives VMs, this can grow the USB list to unwieldy size.

This will also help get rid of the "SpaceNavigator #5" and "USBstick #43" junk.

 

This list is used to assign a "user friendly name" to any usb device connected to
host and make it easily to distinguish this devices in PD's usb menu.

For example, if you connect for the first time some usb device called "My Device",
it will displayed in PD's usb menu as "My Device". If then you will connect second
usb device called the same it will displayed in PD's usb menu as "My Device #2".
And if you replug first one to different usb port on your host it still be displayed in
PD's usb menu as "My Device". If you replug second one, it still be displayed in
PD's usb menu as "My Device #2". And thus you can distinguish two usb devices
with the same name in PD's usb menu.
This work as described if usb devices have correct "serial number descriptor".
If usb device doesn't have serial number descriptor, or this serial number is incorrect
our naming scheme work a little bit different, but it still use the same list already
mentioned here.

So, this list always used by PD. An this is feature.

To clear this list you simply need to stop Parallels Dispatcher.
Clear list by editing xml-file. Start Parallels Dispatcher.

But i wonder, how this list could disturb you?

 

Not a very good one. In fact, it sucks.

Oh really? How?Its not documented and support didn't know when I called.

Did you not bother to read my post? Do you have any idea what a pain it is to have to SCROLL through 200 to 300 devices? The ENTIRE history of ALL USB devices ever plugged into this machine over the last 4 years? Are you joking?

 

So your problem is boils down to privacy concerns from forensics analysis?

 

I don't know what you are talking about - it has nothing to do with that.

It has to do with having the same device listed 5 to 10 times with a number after it like "#5", and it has to do with having a list that is so long it is impossible to parse to pick the specific device(s) that need to be permanently assigned to a particular VM/ I stated as such in the first post.

 

Did you mean drop down list which you can see when adding entry in
Parallels Desktop->USB->Permanent Assignments ?

 

Yes - it ended up so long it scrolled off screen, and was a total pain just to find the device I was looking for, nevermind the fact that the ONE device I was looking for was in there SEVEN different times (Scattered throughout), with "#1" through "#7" appended.

This may be a feature(?!?), but it is not handled elegantly. For people with a large number of VMs, it would be useful to be able to simply shut the "feature" off and clear the devices list so that it only shows currently connected devices.

 

That list gets only populated if you set a permanent assignment, mine for instance is empty as I don't like setting permanent assignments and have the Connect to Mac option enabled. Anyway, you have a plus and a minus sign on the bottom left, you can remove entries with the minus sign.

 

No, you are not paying attention - I am NOT talking about the perm assign list, which by default is empty.

I am talking about the list in the dispatcher.desktop.xml file, which becomes populated with every USB devices ever attached to all instances of windows VMs.

When you THEN go to make a permanent assignment, all of those devices come up and it then becomes difficult to fine the device you need out of the 300 in the list.



I don't really care if you like to use perm assignments or not - I have a device that essentially *requires* a perm assignment, as its driver will not initialize correctly if it is not attached at windows boot.

 

Aaaand... I don't really care about your problem either.
You're right! I'm not paying attention, any, starting.. now.

 

People we are trying to help each other here right, so why not to be polite and less aggressive. This KB describes how to stop and tart dispatcher service (parallels service) : http://kb.parallels.com/en/8089

 

So are you saying that "Parallels Dispatcher" is actually the "Parallels Desktop" application?

Then why not be clear, and use the term "Parallels Desktop" ? How am I to know that "Parallels Dispatcher" really means "Parallels Desktop" when it's not discussed in the docs that way?


As far as being aggressive - I posted three posts at the top the clearly describes the problem and then a solution that you in tech support do not know about for further commentary and assistance to the community.

Then I get a response from Alexander in tech support that didn't help the issue.

Then a response from that guy "Specimen" that was simply troll worthy and accusational in tone, and a later post from him that shows he didn't even bother to read the thread and again was utterly not helpful and did not in anyway address the issue, and then finally, he left another troll message. I can assume he is your local troll.


Finally, there is YOUR POST (which does nothing to apply to the actual issue) - but from your post I can infer that when you people say "Parallels Dispatcher" you really mean to be saying "Parallels Desktop application". That's helpful, because that (at long last) brings Alexander's comment into some clarity. Thanks.


FOR THE RECORD - I think Parallels is a better VM than VMware, which is why I switched from VMware to Parallels. But your tech support is less than useful. This comment is based on my dealings with phone support, chat, email, and support here in this forum.

Good luck.