Please try the following suggestions, one at a time, starting with #1:
1. Ensure that the license information on the dongle has not expired, by contacting the appropriate dongle/software vendor.
2. Ensure the USB license dongle itself is functional, by connecting it directly to a physical computer (not to an AnywhereUSB). Next, install the proper dongle driver and confirm that the dongle is installed properly by looking in Windows Device Manager. Finally, if you have any software to test the dongle with, run that software to ensure the dongle is working properly. If the dongle does not work here, it will likely not work with an AnywhereUSB.
3. Ensure that another USB device works on the same USB port of the AnywhereUSB, such as a USB keyboard or mouse.
4. Ensure that you are running the most current AnywhereUSB driver and firmware versions on the host computer.
5. Ensure that you are running the most current dongle driver version.
6. Run the AnywhereUSB Configuration Utility, click "File / Preferences", check "Use Microsoft Device IDs", click Save, Disconnect from the AnywhereUSB then Connect to the AnywhereUSB.
7. If you are launching the protected software through a RDP session, console directly into the computer instead and run the software that way.
8. Add the dongle as a "permitted device" by carefully following the "AnywhereUSB Permitted Device List" instructions in the Appendix of the AnywhereUSB Installation guide. Add the dongle specifically, based on its PID/VID.
Specific instructions for #8 are as follows:
8a. Run the AnywhereUSB Viewer Utility from the Start Menu, in the AnywhereUSB program group, select the USB device in question on the left, and note the VID (Vendor ID) and PID (Product ID) of that device on the right. They should each be four characters, in HEX format, i.e. 0x1234. Ignore the leading 0x when taking note of the values.
8b. Using Registry Editor, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ionhub
8c. With "ionhub" highlighted, click Edit / New / Multi-String Value.
8d. Rename the default name (i.e. "New Value #1") to "PermittedDevices" (without quotes, and note that it's case sensitive).
8e. Double-click PermittedDevices, input "Vid_1234&Pid_5678" (without quotes, where 1234 is the Vendor ID and 5678 is the Product ID of the USB device in question) then click OK, then close Registry Editor.
8f. Reboot the host PC.
9. Disable Windows DEP (Data Execution Prevention).
10. Go into the BIOS of the host computer and disable the parallel port, if it's not actually being used, of course. Note that virtual machines have BIOS's and even if the physical PC that the virtual machine is running within doesn't have a physical parallel port, the option still may be in the BIOS.