Customer Reviews

USB Laptop KVM Switch

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IOGEAR USB 2.0 Laptop KVM with File Transfer GCS661U (Black) installs a heavy load of invasive system-level drivers and remote software on both computers. This ruled out using it to connect a personal laptop and corporate workstation for the client for whom I acquired the KVM.

The description of this product is misleading because the functional scenario in which this KVM product is suggested to be used is described as a laptop controlling a workstation that appears very much like the workstations in the average workplace which is a scenario very similar to the one for which it was acquired it. Yet, most companies (such as my client's) have policies that restrict or disallow installation of low level drivers and system-level software by most users. The description on Amazon should have clearly indicated that installation of low-level software and drivers is mandatory for both computers.

But the real kicker is that in order to use the KVM like any other KVM which means the "slave" computer can be switched to whenever it is needed, the following must be done: All user accounts except a single password-less account must be deleted. Yes, you read it correctly: According to IOgear the only way to have the "slave" computer always available such as after a reboot is to only have a single non-passworded user. Deleting all user accounts but one and removing the password from that one user account is not something most people can/want to do.

But IOgear is not correct. There is actually another way to make the "slave" always available that does not require deleting any accounts or removing passwords. The way to do it goes something like this: Edit the registry to have a default admin automatically logged in on boot up. There are descriptions of how to do this which you can find with the search terms "windows auto admin login registry key". This still has the disadvantages of 1) entering a password for an administrator in the registry and having the computer automatically logged in to an administrator-level user account whenever it boots. After it has started and automatically logged in to an administrator account it can be locked just as any other computer. Of course, anyone who knows that it has enabled the auto admin login registry key will be able to restart it or shut it down and reboot and be logged in as an administrator. There may be a registry key that will automatically put the computer into locked mode after start up which would help decrease the risk.

Kudos to IOgear for putting the software in the device and making it show as a USB drive.

F- to IOgear for not clearly describing the degree of invasiveness and driver load and the need for draconian user accounts pruning.