The ATMEGA162 is critical because it contains and a bootloader . Ross-Tech protects this firmware against readout by setting the Lock Bits and Security Fuses on the chip. Once locked, standard programmers (e.g., USBasp, AVRISP) cannot read the flash memory.
Disconnect the programmer. Reassemble the VCDS cable. Plug it into your PC. If successful, Windows will detect it as “Ross-Tech Interface”. Open VCDS 21.3 or newer. The interface should pass the self-test. vcds atmega162 reflash 2021