USB problem with VirtualBox

[siralphred]

thanks Bodhi your help made my built in webcam work in vbox aswell.....btw those of you still having problems after Bodhi hint, you have to actually add the usb device in the General settings of Virtualbox and restart your computer (Computer itself not virtualbox)

[bwdease]

OK! I run vbox on a windows xp machine. I had been trying for a while to get my USB flash card to work on a ubuntu 7.10 virtual machine. This is what I found to help.

First, dsconnect the USB device. Then, start the virtualbox program. Then, connect the USB device. Then, go to the USB settings in vbox. In USB filters, add the USB device. Under remote, select any or yes. Then start the virtual machine. The USB device should be present in the virtual machine.

It seems that the device cannot be connected untill after the vbox program is running. It worked with my situation on the USB flash card reader. I'll try it with others to see if this holds true. Hopefully this will work for you. GOOD LUCK!!!

[jefferystone]

I was getting this error:

Could not load the Host USB Proxy Service (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND). The
service might be not installed on the host computer.

Added the following lines to /etc/fstab:

#usbfs
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devgid=46,devmode=664 0 0

---------

This worked fine for me. Taken from Message #40 here.

Sincerely,

Jeffery Stone

[redunbar]

I see a lot of people having trouble with accessing USB drives in virtualBox, but it is really quite easy, and if you do it the easy way, it will work even with the OSE version of VBox. All you have to do is use the shared folder feature of virtualBox. This is what you do for a virtual XP in a Ubuntu host.

1. Make sure that the Guest Additions are installed. To do this, start your virtual XP system, then select Devices > Install Guest Additions. Sometimes it's a little slow, and sometimes it ignores you, but be patient or try it again if nothing happens. Once it's installed, then...

2. Set up a shared folder. You don't have to make a special folder for this in Ubuntu, you can use any existing folder, including a mounted USB drive. And you don't need to use ANY command line instructions to do it. In your virtual XP or W2K window, select Devices > Shared Folders. This will bring up the Shared Folders dialog box. Click on the Add A New Shared Folder button, which is in the upper right corner of the dialog box, with a + symbol on it. This will bring up the Add Share dialog box. In the Folder Path field, enter the Ubuntu path of the folder you want to share, for example: /media/USBdrive (if you have a USB drive mounted in Ubuntu as /media/USBdrive) or whatever the path to the folder is. In the Folder Name field, put in whatever name you want to use for the share in Windows. This name doesn't have to match the Ubuntu folder name. Once these fields are filled in, click on OK to exit the Add Share box, click on OK to exit the Shared Folders box, and your shared folder is set up. Now, to access the shared folder in Windows...

3. Find My Network Places, either on the Windows desktop if you put it there, or in the Start menu. Right click on it and select Map Network Drive from the menu that comes up. This will bring up the Map Network Drive dialog box, which contains a Drive field and a Folder field. The Drive field will have a suggested drive letter already entered, but if you don't like it, you can change it. The Folder field will be blank. You can either enter the shared folder name directly in it, for example \\VBOXSVR\FolderName (where FolderName is the same name you used in the Folder Name field in step 2, or you can use the browse option to select your folder. You will find your shared folder in the VirtualBox Shared Folders folder. The browse interface is a little slow and flakey on my system, so you have to select the one you want, then select something else, then select the one you want again before you can click on OK to get back to the Map Network Drive box. Once your folder is selected, check the Reconnect at logon box unless you want to do step 3 every time you bring up Windows. Then click on OK, and your shared folder/drive is set up. Go to My Computer and you will see it as a network drive which you can use like any other drive or folder.

[statto1977]

I see a lot of people having trouble with accessing USB drives in virtualBox, but it is really quite easy, and if you do it the easy way, it will work even with the OSE version of VBox. All you have to do is use the shared folder feature of virtualBox. This is what you do for a virtual XP in a Ubuntu host.

1. Make sure that the Guest Additions are installed. To do this, start your virtual XP system, then select Devices > Install Guest Additions. Sometimes it's a little slow, and sometimes it ignores you, but be patient or try it again if nothing happens. Once it's installed, then...

2. Set up a shared folder. You don't have to make a special folder for this in Ubuntu, you can use any existing folder, including a mounted USB drive. And you don't need to use ANY command line instructions to do it. In your virtual XP or W2K window, select Devices > Shared Folders. This will bring up the Shared Folders dialog box. Click on the Add A New Shared Folder button, which is in the upper right corner of the dialog box, with a + symbol on it. This will bring up the Add Share dialog box. In the Folder Path field, enter the Ubuntu path of the folder you want to share, for example: /media/USBdrive (if you have a USB drive mounted in Ubuntu as /media/USBdrive) or whatever the path to the folder is. In the Folder Name field, put in whatever name you want to use for the share in Windows. This name doesn't have to match the Ubuntu folder name. Once these fields are filled in, click on OK to exit the Add Share box, click on OK to exit the Shared Folders box, and your shared folder is set up. Now, to access the shared folder in Windows...

3. Find My Network Places, either on the Windows desktop if you put it there, or in the Start menu. Right click on it and select Map Network Drive from the menu that comes up. This will bring up the Map Network Drive dialog box, which contains a Drive field and a Folder field. The Drive field will have a suggested drive letter already entered, but if you don't like it, you can change it. The Folder field will be blank. You can either enter the shared folder name directly in it, for example \\VBOXSVR\FolderName (where FolderName is the same name you used in the Folder Name field in step 2, or you can use the browse option to select your folder. You will find your shared folder in the VirtualBox Shared Folders folder. The browse interface is a little slow and flakey on my system, so you have to select the one you want, then select something else, then select the one you want again before you can click on OK to get back to the Map Network Drive box. Once your folder is selected, check the Reconnect at logon box unless you want to do step 3 every time you bring up Windows. Then click on OK, and your shared folder/drive is set up. Go to My Computer and you will see it as a network drive which you can use like any other drive or folder.

That's a really snazzy way of doing it (the only way that's worked for me as I'm using OSE). My problem is that I needed USB connectivity for my Sony mp3 player to sync with sonicstage, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to realize that it's plugged in, just viewing it as a hard drive.

If anyone knows of an easy way around this that would be great.

[jpnuzzo]

Here's my twist on the USB issue: I have USB keyboard and wireless-usb mouse. My VM starts. Problem is that I can't install XP (and therefore can't install the Guest Additions).

XP setup launches in the VM, but I lose control of my mouse & kbd. <right-ctrl> does not restore control of mouse/kbd. XP setup reaches the prompt: "press enter to continue or F3 to abort", and I can't do either!

I've tried all of the tricks to make my USB work... FSTAB using devmode=666, usbfs group created with all users added to it...I've gone through the litany of stuff recommended on any google-able page I've been able to find.

Any ideas are welcome, else I'll be relegated to vmware or parallels.

[detlef2]

I am not sure how to activate a usb device in Edgy, but I can tell you how I did it in Feisty.

First, it had nothing to do with fstab.

This solution worked for me :

Edit (as root) /etc/udev/rules.d/40-permissions.rules (I use vim, you can use nano, gedit or whatever)

Change this line :

SUBSYSTEM=="usb_device", MODE="0664"

To :

SUBSYSTEM=="usb_device", MODE="0666"


For further advice see : http://www.virtualbox.org/download/UserManual.pdf

See section 10 "Troubleshooting" there is a section on USB devices.

FYI : I am working on a Virtual Box How-to for Ubuntu here : http://doc.gwos.org/doku.php/doc:office:virtualbox

Feel free to give feedback

Thanks to bodhi.zazen.
But I was not glad with the security-problem (the usb-device will be visible for any user).

This solved the problem on my system
(host is Kubuntu feisty, VirtualBox 1.5.6, guest WindowsXP home, with guest-system installed):
In the file
/etc/udev/rules.d/40-permissions.rules
Change this line :
SUBSYSTEM=="usb_device", MODE="0664"
To :
SUBSYSTEM=="usb_device", GROUP="vboxusers", MODE="0664"

The user has to be part of the group vboxusers too - like prescribed in the manual.

Note: Editing the file as bodhi.zazen prescribes, doesnt work on my system.
I edit the file as user with an editor. Then save the file on the desktop.
In the konsole I type "sudo konqueror" (ignore the errormessages in the console).
The konqeror-widow starts as root. Change to the directory of the file.
Use drag and drop for putting the file from the desctop to this directory - best renaming the original file before doing this (for easier undoing, if it doesn work).

Thaks to this forum and bodhi.zazen, which helped me getting this solution.

[aks2008]

Hi this solution doesn't seem to work in hardy heron.
Error message I get on attaching my USB bluetooth dongle is

"Not permitted to open the USB device, check usbfs options."

I am using ubuntu hardy and virtual box version 1.5.6-28266

40-permissions.rules file seems to different in hardy
It reads

# USB serial converters
SUBSYSTEM=="usb_device", GOTO="usb_serial_start"
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", GOTO="usb_serial_start"
GOTO="usb_serial_end"
LABEL="usb_serial_start"
ATTRS{idVendor}=="0403", ATTRS{idProduct}=="6001", \
MODE="0660", GROUP="dialout"
LABEL="usb_serial_end"

Any advice what should I do?

[bodhi.zazen]

More recently I add this line to /etc/fstab :

# USB for vmware/vbox
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devgid=46,devmode=664 0 0

It works like a charm. Typically I need to reboot after adding that to fstab, although you can *try* to re-mount your usb devices ...

[aks2008]

Thanks Bodhi-zazen.
I also followed Paco758's suggested tutorial at
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=242936
Now it is working.
Thanks