Can a Virtualbox VM recognise a USB security dongle attached to the host?

[FlexMcMurphy]

I use a HASP USB security dongle to activate an old software program. I want to run that program from FreeDOS running in a Virtualbox VM.

Lets say I connect the USB dongle to my Win 10 host that is running the VM. Will the FreeDOS OS (or the OS could maybe be Win 7 instead) running in the VM be able to see that HASP USB security dongle and the program running in that VM get activated for use?

Cheers,

Flex

[scottgus1]

Virtualbox can put a host USB device into a VM for the VM's OS to use. The VM's OS must have appropriate drivers and software to understand and use the USB device. Once the device is in the VM it cannot be used by the host 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.

[FlexMcMurphy]

Thank you @scottgus1

Just reporting back that my Hasp HL Basic dongle was indeed "passed through" from the host to the guest running in a Virtualbox VM. I had to install the dongle driver in the VM and after that simply activate the USB dongle in the VM by clicking on the little USB icon in the VM settings panel.

Cheers,

Flex

[mpack]

A DOS app that requires USB anything? Surely not. Or the OS could be Win7 instead? Say what?