vandeesr wrote: and the new computer is a macbook pro using the new VMware 5.0.2.
If by newer it has USB 3.0 Ports then this can in some cases be an issue with USB 3.0 Devices. One test/workaround is to plug the device into a USB 2.0 Hub connected to the Mac and then connect to the Virtual Machine. Also try setting the USB Controller to 2.0 in the Virtual Machine Settings, have a look at: 
Configuring the USB Controller and Connecting USB Devices