VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
Post Reply
Broytsch
Posts: 39
Joined: 22. May 2021, 12:19

VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Post by Broytsch »

I have two oldish USB2 sticks, plus printer, set up and ticked in the VBox USB settings for my Windows XP VM.

All three work fine, provided I wait until the VM is at least loading before plugging in the USB sticks. These are identified as E: and F:

I want to add a third USB stick. This is a more modern one, a SanDisk USB 3.0 32 GB.

It is empty (it's quite new). If I plug into my Host (Win 10) it shows as drive G: formatted FATS32. (By the way, although it is a USB 3.0 drive and there are two USB 3.0 ports (blue plastic interior) on my PC, it is not recognised by the Windows 10. I have to plug into a USB 2.0 port (black) for it to show as a connected drive.)

I opened a new USB filter on the VBox list, entered the new drive as USB DRIVE G: and then ticked this filter (I have also tried, equally unsuccessfully, entering it by its manufacturer's name for it.)

If I plug it into this Host when the VM is ioading, or when it is running, this USB drive does not show at all. I tried changing the enabled USB controller from 2.0 to 3.0, but that makes no difference - except that the VM then doesn't see the older (USB 2.0) drives!

What is the solution to this problem? Sooner or later it must surely be possible to add a new USB stick, or replace one or both of the elderly USB 2.0 ones?
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Post by scottgus1 »

You may have to enable USB3 in the XP OS. Carefully go through USB basics and troubleshooting. If you finish all the steps 1-7 and cannot get your USB device into the guest OS, carefully post the outputs of the commands in step 8 as text, not screenshots. Zip and post the logs step 8 call for, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Post by mpack »

Just to point out the obvious: why does the XP guest need to own any of these devices? All of them can be shared using conventional network means (i.e. shared folders, shared printer), and you won't need to find USB3 drivers for old XP guests.
Broytsch
Posts: 39
Joined: 22. May 2021, 12:19

Re: VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Post by Broytsch »

Thank you both very much for your answers.

mpack's solution is elegant, but I am wary of adding any shared devices beyond the printer. Here, sharing is necessary, for printfil to work. I have to be careful not to leave the printer in the "ownership" of the Host when starting the Guest, because the Guest also needs to "own" it. If I don't take this precaution, the Host crashes (blue screen and "fatal error" message). This self-repairs, but it is slow and tiresome.

So I have to remember to keep the printer offline except when I am in either the Host or the Guest OS, and need it.

scottgus1's solution sounds like some difficult hoops to jump through for me. I am sure that it is an excellent solution if handled competently. But am far from confident that I can rise to the challenge! "Real" Windows XP running on a Dell compact desktop PC sees and captures the SanDisk USB 3.0 flash drive, so XP ISO should, in principle, surely also be able to.

POSSIBLE FURTHER SOLUTION( (SIMPLER, BUT SOME COST)?

Buy some USB 2.0 memory sticks? The ones that are currently captured are Apacer USB 2.0 Flash Drive AH321 4GB., bought in 2009 These are still for sale, and exist in higher capacities than the existing ones (in 2009 these had more capacity than my then XP PC's hard drive!).

STILL PUZZLED

Why my Windows 10 Host does not see any of my SanDisk 3.0 flash drives when plugged into one of the two blue (USB 3.0) ports on the back of my 2018 Asus desktop PC (the Windows 10 Host for my copy of VirtualBox). Because I have only fairly recently appreciated the difference between USB ports with black and blue interiors. 3 years ago I plugged the little transponder for the wireless keyboard and mouse into one of the blue ports. These devices work fine. But, if I plug a SanDisk 3.0 flash drive into the second blue port, the OS does not see this drive - and, sometimes, doing this disables the mouse and keyboard!

These flash drives, however, are both seen and captured by the W 10 if plugged into a (black) USB 1.0/2.0 port, and there are no unforeseen repercussions such as those just mentioned.

Any ideas about these apparently "strange behaviours"?
Broytsch
Posts: 39
Joined: 22. May 2021, 12:19

Re: VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Post by Broytsch »

The plot thickens as regards my puzzlement.

I have just removed the mouse/keyboard transponder from its blue USB port and plugged it into a black one.

All still fine.

I then plugged one of the Sandisk USB 3.0 flash drives into one of the two (both empty) blue ports.

This drive was recognised, and apparently captured.

USB 3.0 ports are backwards compatible. If the mouse/keyboard is a USB 2.0 device, did plugging it into a USB 3.0 port cause the controller for both those ports to become a USB 2.0 controller which can't handle a USB3.0 device?
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: VM (Windows XP) will not load a USB disk

Post by mpack »

Broytsch wrote: USB 3.0 ports are backwards compatible.
That means a USB3 controller can access USB2 devices. It doesn't mean that the OS thinks it has a USB2 controller.
Post Reply