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VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 22. Apr 2012, 13:23
by czezz
Details:

Code: Select all

VirtualBox 4.1.8 r75467
Host OS: Windows 7
Guest OS: Windows 7
Guest Additions: installed
Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.1.8-75467.vbox-extpack: installed
I have a very odd experience with my USB disks.
One of them: - Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 (8GB) just works. I can easily see it on Settings > USB and under Guest OS.
However, here are 2 more disks:
- Samsung HM250JI - Freecom - 250GB
- WD Elements 1042 - 1TB
There is just on chance to access them under Guest OS. Also I cant see them under Settings > USB.
Any suggestions/help how to connect these disks please.

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 25. Apr 2012, 09:18
by czezz
Refreshing.
Anyone knows how to solve it ?

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 25. Apr 2012, 11:37
by mpack
I gave you a suggestion in the other thread where you raised this issue. I have no other suggestions, and see no reason to believe any VirtualBox issue has been raised.

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 25. Apr 2012, 12:25
by jorgensen
I have a problem with an old USB IDE drive.
You can always share the drive which also speed up the access.

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 25. Apr 2012, 21:11
by czezz
I gave you a suggestion in the other thread where you raised this issue. I have no other suggestions, and see no reason to believe any VirtualBox issue has been raised.
...and I have replied to you that I did completely everything what is written in manual.
Also I have specified disk drives to prove that those are the most common disks on the market.
And I did tests on other VM where it just works.
This is extremely odd that 1 of these disks works and 2 another dont.

@jorgensen - thanks for suggestion but I need to have mounted dirves

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 27. Apr 2012, 07:33
by naemrr
Do the USB drives work for the host? do the usb drives report "phantom" or "virtual hardware" (sandisk usb drives with the U3 package report a phantom cd drive".
have you tryed manually keying in the vendor and device id into the list for the vm.
have you tryed a blanket "catch all" rule that would catch any usb device plugged in after VM start?
the community is here to help you, but you need to help the community do so by giving as much information as possible so that an answer can be given instead of more questions asked.

also on the matter of the non working shared folders, a quick how-to (this assumes you have a basic familiarity with the virtualbox UI).
with the virtual machine running, create a folder share, using the folder of your choice on the host machine.
in the GUEST machine, open "My Computer" / "start -> computer"(for vista/7)
click into an empty spot in the address bar at the top, and type "\\vboxsrv" (with out the >"< quotes) and press enter
you should now see the shared folder you setup for the machine using the virtualbox gui, if you do not, then you may need to reinstall the virtualbox guest additions.

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 3. May 2012, 22:22
by czezz
Hello, thanks for reply.
Here are my answers:
Do the USB drives work for the host?

Yes, under Windows and Linux.
do the usb drives report "phantom" or "virtual hardware" (sandisk usb drives with the U3 package report a phantom cd drive"
I am not sure what do u mean by "phantom" or "virtual hardware" but probably not.
have you tryed manually keying in the vendor and device id into the list for the vm
Do you mean by that to add USB filter (settings > USB > add filter)? If so:
- there is no chance to add filter based on existing devices. (just cant see that usb disks)
- manually - I was trying but I have no idea how can I verify Hardware ID and Provider ID which seems to be essential. Can you please help me to find it out ? Do I need some additional software to read it ?
have you tryed a blanket "catch all" rule that would catch any usb device plugged in after VM start?
I have no idea how to run blanket "catch all" rule but yes, I have tried to start VM 1st then attach usb disk (all ports).

Thanks,
czezz

Re: VirtualBox - not all USB disks are supported ?

Posted: 4. May 2012, 00:22
by naemrr
to look up the information, in windows click start, right click computer and then click properties.
then click "device manager"

locate your usb device, right click it and select properties.
we need the actual usb device, not any of the "hard drives" it reports to the host.
switch to the "details" tab and in the drop down select "hardware ids"
the first line should read similarly to this one

HID\VID_1532&PID_0002&REV_0100
you need from this

VID_1532
PID_0002
REV_0100
please note your hardware will have different numbers than I have posted here, this is just an example.

now on the virtual machine you want to use the device, with the machine off open the machine settings, go to usb, and create a new rule, then select the edit button.
name it as desired,
remove the wording before each of the lines, so in vendor id I would type;
1532 not VID_1532
the rest of the fields may remain blank, set remote to "no" hit "ok", and give it a try.

A catch all rule, would be to leave ALL fields blank, this is NOT recommended as if you have a usb mouse or keyboard they could become attached to the virtual machine! and you would need to shut down the VM to regain control of your host.

however a catch all can be useful just to see if your device will work. as always plug in the device AFTER the machine is running and guest additions are installed and loaded (indicated in windows guests by a tray icon.)


The Virtual Box Help file also lists another way to get necessary information.
"VBoxManage list usbhost"


one final heads up, the first time a guest actually grabs a usb device, the host will install the usb pass-through driver, if it does not install it quickly enough the guest may fail to initialize the usb device, this is not an issue with virtualbox, this issue is simply a timing failure, and only happens on rare occasions.
should this issue occur to you, simply let all driver install steps complete, then unplug the usb device and plug it back in, the drivers should now already be in place on the host and the guest will get a response within the window that it expects.