I did struggle a bit when connecting USB to VMWare so here you find guide to save you some time.
After VMWare 5.5 installation my USB was grey and could not mount it at all
You need to select your server IP, then choose VM you want to mount USB and add USB controller
Once your USB controller is ready, plug in your USB storage (else you won’t be able to mount it)
Now you should be able to add USB to your list of devices and read from it.
