Mastercam X72022 — Virtual Usb Bus Error 39 Fix

| Mastercam Version | Virtual USB Bus required? | Additional notes | |------------------|--------------------------|------------------| | X7 – X9 | Yes | Most susceptible to Error 39. Test signing mandatory on Windows 10+. | | 2017 – 2021 | Yes | Still uses HASP. Error 39 appears after Windows 11 upgrade. | | 2022 | No (uses CodeMeter) | If you see Error 39, you installed a HASP-based license incorrectly. Uninstall Virtual USB Bus completely. | | 2023+ | No | Not affected. |

For Mastercam 2021–2022, Error 39 often stems from a broken CodeMeter installation.

Step-by-step reinstall:

Mastercam does not talk directly to your USB HASP key. Instead, it installs a virtual driver called the "Virtual USB Bus." This bus acts as an interpreter: it creates a virtual pathway between your physical USB port and Mastercam’s licensing system.

When you see Code 39 in Device Manager, Windows is telling you that the driver for this virtual bus is present, but its registry entries are corrupt, incomplete, or conflicting with another driver. mastercam x72022 virtual usb bus error 39 fix

Last Updated: October 2025
Applies to: Mastercam X7, Mastercam X9, Mastercam 2017, Mastercam 2018, Mastercam 2019, Mastercam 2020, Mastercam 2021, Mastercam 2022 (and some legacy HASP/NetHASP installs)

If you are a CNC programmer or machinist, few things are as frustrating as launching Mastercam only to be greeted by a cryptic error message:

"Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 39)"

This error, appearing in your Device Manager under a node called "Virtual USB Bus" (often accompanied by a yellow exclamation mark), is the notorious Error 39. It completely prevents Mastercam from communicating with your HASP key (the hardware USB dongle that holds your software license). | Mastercam Version | Virtual USB Bus required

This article will explain why this happens, the critical differences between Mastercam X7 and 2022, and provide a step-by-step master fix that works across all affected versions.

For nearly a decade, users of Mastercam—from X7 to the 2022 release—have encountered a baffling licensing error:

"Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)"

This appears in Device Manager under System devices as a broken entry named Virtual USB Bus. The error prevents the HASP (Hardware Against Software Piracy) or NetHASP license dongle from being recognized, rendering Mastercam unusable. For Mastercam 2021–2022, Error 39 often stems from

Despite appearing driver-related, Error 39 is rarely a true driver corruption issue. Instead, it stems from Windows driver signing enforcement, conflicting kernel drivers, or registry permission inheritance breaks—often triggered by Windows 10/11 feature updates, security patches, or third-party USB filtering software.

This feature provides a systematic, field-tested guide to diagnosing and eliminating Error 39 across Mastercam versions X7 through 2022, on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit only).

Error 39 lives in the registry. We need to delete the "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters" keys that Windows is choking on.

Warning: Incorrect registry editing can crash Windows. Follow exactly.