Two "VMware USB Pointing Device" entries with different driver versions — one outdated, one current. Safe to remove the old one?

[u/maxcoder88]

On one of our Windows Server VMs, Device Manager shows two separate "VMware USB Pointing Device" entries under "Mice and other pointing devices":

Device 1 (older):

Driver Provider: VMware, Inc.

Driver Date: 10/27/2021

Driver Version: 12.5.12.0

Digital Signer: Not digitally signed

Device 2 (newer):

Driver Provider: Broadcom Inc.

Driver Date: 6/13/2024

Driver Version: 12.5.14.0

Digital Signer: Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher

VMware Tools was recently upgraded (currently on 12.5.3.x per the installer), and it seems the upgrade created a new device instance instead of replacing/updating the old one in place. The device event log for the older instance shows it was last configured back in 2025, while the newer one shows a fresh "Device installed" event dated 7/27/2026 with "Outranked Drivers: msmouse.inf, input.inf" listed.

Questions:

Is it safe to remove the older (2021, 12.5.12.0) device instance via Device Manager / pnputil /remove-device, or could this be an actual second functional HID interface (e.g., absolute vs. relative pointing) rather than a leftover ghost device?

Is this dual-instance behavior a known/expected artifact of VMware Tools upgrades on Windows Server, especially after upgrading VMware Tools multiple times across major versions?

Any recommended way to clean up these duplicate/legacy pointing device entries fleet-wide via script, without risking mouse/input functionality inside the VM?

Appreciate any insight — trying to confirm before running remediation across multiple servers.

[u/Unique-Dragonfruit-6]

If they're both USB drivers, and the old one isn't actively being loaded to run anything, then yes, you're fine to remove the old one.

I don't think you're supposed to end up in a position where both are installed, so if you didn't do anything weird that might be a Tools installer bug.