Virtualbox and wireless adapter issues

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
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Nathan.008
Posts: 2
Joined: 21. Jan 2018, 02:06

Virtualbox and wireless adapter issues

Post by Nathan.008 »

Hello,

So, I am relatively new to Virtualbox. Today, I downloaded the program, successfully installed Windows 98se, and got it up and running. My issue is directly related to the internet. I am using a PC (with Windows 7 home edition) that has no wireless card, thus I have a wireless dongle through which I get my internet. Earlier today, I was successfully on the web on my Windows 98se. My hope was to later find and install windows 98se updates, but at the time, I just wanted to get a connection up and running. Satisfied with my progress, I shut everything down and left it for a bit.

Now, when I boot up my computer (running windows 7) the internet works as normal. However, whenever I turn on my virtual Windows 98, the connection to the internet is lost, and I cannot get it back until I shut down virtualbox, at which point I can unplug and plug in my dongle and the internet returns. I can still see the connection, and it says that it is connected, but with limited access, but there is no internet.

Has anyone ever had an issue with virtualbox somehow cutting out their wireless internet?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Virtualbox and wireless adapter issues

Post by mpack »

USB devices can't be shared. They are designed to be used solely by the PC you plug them into - and a VM is a separate PC. If the VM is configured to steal ownership of the USB device then naturally the host can't continue using it at the same time.

The correct way to use the device would be to leave it assigned to the host, and use NAT networking mode in the guest.
Nathan.008
Posts: 2
Joined: 21. Jan 2018, 02:06

Re: Virtualbox and wireless adapter issues

Post by Nathan.008 »

mpack wrote:If the VM is configured to steal ownership of the USB device then naturally the host can't continue using it at the same time.
Ok, that makes sense.

I went back into my '98 vm settings, and under USB, I added a device filter for my internet dongle. My thought (as I am relatively new to this) what that it would assign that USB port to the host. Unfortunately, it did not solve my problem. Is that the correct way to assign the usb port the the host?

Thanks again for the info. I don't have a ton of experience with virtual machines, but I am a quick study :)
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Virtualbox and wireless adapter issues

Post by mpack »

You can't assign a USB device to the host, as all a VM can do is assign a USB device to itself. Avoid doing that and you'll be fine. If in doubt then just disable USB support altogether in the VM settings (*). As I said before, just leave the USB stuff alone, let the Win7 host worry about that, configure the VM for NAT networking mode.

(*) I'm surprised you found the USB settings useful at all for a Win98SE guest, as Win98SE will require Win98SE compatible drivers, and nobody has bothered making those for 15 years or so. I rather suspect that it fact you never successfully configured USB, you were always using the host API via NAT: until the next VM restart when the useless USB config kicked in.
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