Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
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BigMikey
Posts: 2
Joined: 27. Dec 2009, 02:54
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: None

Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by BigMikey »

Hi all,

I've just installed VB 3.1.2 on my Windows 7 machine and installed several other iterations of windows using VB. However, I'm getting the following error message when I start the Virtual Machines:

Failed to access the USB Host subsystem

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

Result code: E_FAIL (0x00004005)
Component: Host
Interface: IHost {e380cbfc-ae65-4fa6-899e-45ded6b3132a}
Callee: Imachine {99404f50-dd10-40d3-889b-dd2f79f1e95e}

Anyone got any ideas how I might fix the problem?

Thanks.
BigMikey
Posts: 2
Joined: 27. Dec 2009, 02:54
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: None

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by BigMikey »

66 views and no answers or comments. Has anyone experienced this issue before? Perhaps I ought to log it as a bug? Thoughts?

Mike
Silverbox
Posts: 1
Joined: 18. Jun 2008, 23:54

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by Silverbox »

I have the same problem! And can't solve it...
jspraul
Posts: 5
Joined: 31. Oct 2008, 06:40

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by jspraul »

Same issue on Windows Vista SP1 32-bit host. I tried running as Administrator but got the same error.

Back when I updated to 3.1.2 I was informed I would have to reboot in order to install all the VirtualBox driver updates (probably because I already had a pending reboot required for some other software installation). I did not encounter this problem until after I rebooted.

I will see if a re-install of 3.1.2 solves the problem.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by mpack »

@Silverbox and @jspraul: please update your profiles to show what your typical host and guest OS's are, and which VBox version you are using (OSE or PUEL).

As has been mentioned on this site many times, including in the VirtualBox FAQ, the OSE version of VirtualBox does not include USB support.
whatdoesitwant
Posts: 19
Joined: 9. Jul 2009, 14:19
Primary OS: MS Windows 8
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Debian 7, Windows 8

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by whatdoesitwant »

I can confirm this error message on Windows 7 64bit host, VirtualBox 3.1.4. The guest is a new (not yet installed) linux ubuntu server 64bits environment.
lshantz
Posts: 7
Joined: 30. Jul 2010, 17:52
Primary OS: openSUSE
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windows 7, XP, Vista, Ubuntu

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by lshantz »

Obviously this is a wide spread issue and no solutions. ?? Here it is August of 2010 and still no answer.
I am having the exact same issue as the original post. Vista 32bit, all updates are on it. USB works just fine, but not with Virtualbox.
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by Perryg »

VirtualBox OSE does not have USB support.
The reason these things go unanswered is because they have been answered a thousand times and no one takes the time to search and find out why.
Aren Cambre
Posts: 17
Joined: 20. Sep 2010, 18:23
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windows 7

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by Aren Cambre »

Perryg wrote:VirtualBox OSE does not have USB support.
The reason these things go unanswered is because they have been answered a thousand times and no one takes the time to search and find out why.
OK, then VirtualBox has a user interface bug. The error must properly inform us. Per this thread, it's just confusing everybody.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by mpack »

"The service might not be installed on the host computer". What alternative wording would you suggest?
Aren Cambre
Posts: 17
Joined: 20. Sep 2010, 18:23
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windows 7

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by Aren Cambre »

mpack wrote:"The service might not be installed on the host computer". What alternative wording would you suggest?
Something that makes it clear that diagnosing is a waste of time because, per prior comments in this thread, this feature will never work on the OSE version.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by mpack »

Come on - you were quick to criticise software you paid nothing for, so how about being equally quick with something constructive? I.e., please be specific about which wording you believe would be better.
Aren Cambre
Posts: 17
Joined: 20. Sep 2010, 18:23
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windows 7

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by Aren Cambre »

mpack wrote:Come on - you were quick to criticise software you paid nothing for, so how about being equally quick with something constructive? I.e., please be specific about which wording you believe would be better.
That's fair. Alternatives:
  • Disable this feature entirely, under premise that non-working features shouldn't even be present.
  • Show an error as soon as the non-working feature is selected.
  • Switch to an error like this: "You have enabled features in the USB page of this virtual machine's settings. VirtualBox Open Source Edition does not support USB. Please disable these features to avoid errors in your guest OS."
shan_mcarthur
Posts: 3
Joined: 17. Sep 2010, 03:28
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows Server 2008 R2

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by shan_mcarthur »

I disabled the USB options on the guest settings, but I still get this error message. Sounds like a bug to me. I am using Windows 7 x64 host, with VB 3.2.10, and a Windows Server 2008 R2 guest.

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

Re: Failed to Access the USB subsystem

Post by mpack »

I don't see why anyone would consider it a bug. In VirtualBox there is a GUI which is separate from the service (VBoxSVC) which actually runs the VMs. The GUI doesn't know whether the host USB proxy drivers will be available at a future time when the VM is launched, so simply not mentioning USB is not an option. Really, the error message is IMHO perfectly clear: it says you may not have installed the host service (which is an choice you are given during install).
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