This article applies to the following:

• Mac OS X 10.8.2
• VMWare Fusion 5.0.2
• Windows XP SP3
• RadioShack USB-to-Serial Adapter
• Macbook Pro Retina

Install the Mac OS X drivers:

• Download http://www.xbsd.nl/pub/osx-pl2303.kext.tgz and unzip to a temporary directory.
• Open a terminal window and execute the following commands:


cd /path/to/osx-pl2303.kext
sudo cp -R osx-pl2303.kext /System/Library/Extensions/
cd /System/Library/Extensions
sudo chmod -R 755 osx-pl2303.kext
sudo chown -R root:wheel osx-pl2303.kext
sudo kextload ./osx-pl2303.kext
sudo kextcache -system-cache


• Launch System Preferences and verify the drivers loaded properly. Under Network, you should see a device labeled PL2303.

Since Mac OS X and Windows can’t use the device at the same time, you’ll need to unload the kext. Open a terminal window and execute the following command:

sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/osx-pl2303.kext

Note that you’ll need to repeat this command if you reboot your MacBook.

Install the Windows drivers:

• Download the 260-0183 RadioShack driver from the RadioShack support site. Extract the files to a temporary directory.
• Use the VMWare menu to connect the Radio Shack USB Device to the VM. Windows will launch the New Hardware applet. When prompted, instruct Windows to install the driver from the temporary directory containing the extracted driver files.
• Launch Device Manager and verify the RadioShack device appears under Ports (COM & LPT).