USB External Drive Disconnects Continuously...

[RacerByron]

I need to do a restore for Windows 12 server virtual from a backup on an external drive. The base system is running OS X Sierra. While doing the restore, the drive just reconnects to Mac and remounts the NTFS partition and kills the bare metal restore. I have updated to the latest version. I have tried different hard drive to USB adapters. I have tried putting the adapter on the filters.

Is there any way to fix this?

[socratis]

I have tried putting the adapter on the filters.

Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal. With the USB device plugged in and the VM not running, post the output of the following commands:

    VBoxManage list usbhost
    VBoxManage showvminfo "Your_Virtual_Machine_Name"

[voiger]

I had the similar problem but installing the Extension Pack (as adviced in adjacent topic) must have fixed it. Thanks, socratis!

[socratis]

I wonder how you found this thread, which is not even solved, and you didn't find so many more that have been solved. The mysteries of Google...

OK, you're half way there. Here's the "list". The blue comments apply to your case.

1. Make sure that the Extension Pack is installed on the host. The same version as VirtualBox. I have already amended the instructions to include the command "VBoxManage lists extpacks". The version you were reading didn't include that diagnostic.
2. Make sure that at least USB2 (EHCI) is enabled in your VM settings. If your guest supports USB3 (xHCI), use that. Your guest supports USB3. You only have USB1 enabled, which means that either you don't have the ExtPack (see #1) or you simply didn't enable it.
3. Create a USB filter in your guest settings while the device is plugged in the host. Delete all values except Name, VendorID and ProductID. You have the filter already. You just have to delete a couple of values. [1]
4. Unplug the device.
5. Start your guest (the one that you applied the filter to). Let it start completely. Log in if you have to.
6. Plug your device. The filter should capture it and pass control to your guest.

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[1]: And yours is a good example why you should delete all the values except ProductID and VendorID. If you look at your filter the revision is listed as 1022, while the actual device is listing revision 1634. Your filter was never going to catch that, it was never going to work.

Now why did that happen, I have no clue. Did the firmware on your ext. HD get updated after you created the filter? Did you manually create/change the filter? I really don't know.

[voiger]

Thanks! Solved!

[socratis]

Thank you for explaining exactly what solved it in your next reply...
And since you're going to be at it, any idea why there was a discrepancy between the Revision values in the firmware and the filter?

[Aaron_SDR]

I'd like to add my experience with what worked for me. OS Sierra with latest VB running Win 10 x64 guest OS. I looked at my filters and only saw one for bluetooth and the keyboard but nothing else. I created a filter as described above and still nothing appeared. I checked the Host and saw that the drive was still being used by the Mac. I did notice this (Innostor Technology Corporation IOUSBHostDevice [0036]). Which is my USB controller, but it was greyed out on the Devices, USB, menu. I unmounted the drive in Mac Finder, went back to the USB setting menu, removed the Bluetooth and Keyboard filters, added a new filter and viola the USB controller was now available so I added it as a filter, went to Devices, USB and the controller was now available to choose. I selected the controller, watched the USB drive light go active and it appeared as a selectable drive in Windows Explorer. A little persistence paid off, but it was well worth it because now I know how to do it for future USB drive issues.


Good Luck!!