virtualbox.org

Host: Windows 7
Guest: Windows XP SP3

I cannot get any USB device into the guest. I have tried the following USB devices:
flash drive
printer
scanner

The same result occurs with all 3 as follows.

1.
USB device connected.
VBM started.
VM started.
USB activated by VM menu.
Host device manager removes device.
Guest device manager goes through a repopulation, but the device does not appear and does not function. No error messages appear.

2.
VBM started.
USB device connected.
Filter for USB device auto-created with VBM.
USB device disconnected.
VM started.
USB device connected.
Host device manager removes device.
Guest device manager goes through a repopulation, but the device does not appear and does not function. No error messages appear.

Someone in another post was successful by uninstalling AMD USB FIlter Driver. I also tried that and it did not make a difference.

Are the ports USB 3 by any chance?

Where would it say that?

Thanks.

On your host hardware specs and the specs of your USB devices. You can connect a USB 2 device to a USB 2 port, a USB 3 device to a USB 2 port and a USB 2 device to a USB 3 port, but not a USB 3 device to a USB 3 port (yet).

Okay, thank-you.

Ports are all USB 2.

Devices are several years old.

OK, it's time for the step-by-step list once again. Although it seems that your method #2 is the closest, there might be a small detail that you missed (for example, you left the serial number of the device enabled in the filter). Plus there are a couple of "obscure" steps that you might have not taken.
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Follow the steps below. If there is a failure, please state which step failed:

1. Make sure that the Extension Pack is installed on the host. The same version as VirtualBox.
2. Make sure that USB 2.0 is enabled in your VM settings.
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. Check also http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids to make sure that you have the numbers correct.
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. You might get a "New hardware found" wizard on the host, that's normal.
7. If the device shows up in your host and is not captured by the filter, either the filter is incorrect, or there might be a problem with your filter installation.
8. If the device shows up, but as unavailable, "eject" it from your host (if you can), but leave it plugged in. It should show up as available.
9. Is the VirtualBox USB Driver installed in your host? Make sure your host didn't silently reject non-MS drivers (Google for Driver Signature Enforcement).
10. Check out these two Windows-specific ways to troubleshoot potential driver installation issues:
    1. USB not working
    2. SOLVED: Failed to access the USB subsystem on Windows 7 host

I just managed to get my Canon scanner working in a WinXP SP3 guest today. No drivers were created for this model [N1220U] after Win XP. I successfully used this method for two PCs running Win 8.1 and a laptop running Win 7. My method is similar to the previous post by socratis. I used the newest stable build of Virtual Box [4.3.18], and I installed the corresponding Extension Pack In Virtual Box. My method was:

1) Open host Device Manager [scanner shows as not having drivers with the yellow triangle]
2) Query the Scanner "Details" tab in host Dev Mgr to obtain vendor VID and product PID
3) Disable the Scanner in host Dev Mgr [can simulate unplugging device]
4) Open Settings for the Win XP Guest
5) Enable USB Controller and EHCI controller.
6) Manually create a USB filter for the Scanner. Name the filter and enter values for vendor VID and product PID. Set Remote to "Any."
7) Boot up the guest Win XP in Virtual Box.
If all goes well, the host will immediately capture the scanner. The scanner will disappear from the host Dev Mgr list. Do not count on this happening!
9) If it does not work, clicking the "USB Devices" drop down for the Virtual Box guest window will show the device without a check mark. Clicking on the scanner will produce the "cannot connect because the device is busy" error message.
10) Try toggling disabling and enabling the Scanner in the host Dev Mgr again. After each change click on the scanner in the USB Devices drop down. The guest may or may not capture it. When it does a check mark will show to the left of the scanner item.
11) Repeat step 10 a few times.
12) If that does not work, try to disconnect and reconnect the scanner USB cable. After each unplug/replug click on the scanner in the USB Devices drop down.
13) If that does not work, reboot with the scanner disconnected and plug the cable in after the guest is fully booted. Again click on the scanner in the USB Devices drop down.

Yes, a considerable amount of trial and error may be necessary. When I installed the scanner in Win 8.1, I never had to unplug and plug it in again. I just had to toggle the "Disable" or "Enable" in the host Device Manager a couple times. When I installed the scanner in the Win 7 laptop, I lost count of the unplug/plug attempts. But, the guest finally captured the scanner after the first reboot and two or three unplug/plug attempts. After the scanner is finally captured the guest system will prompt for installation of the drivers for the scanner.

When I restart the Win XP guest in the Win 8.1 host, I find I may need to toggle "Disable" or "Enable" in the host Device Manager once to cause the guest to capture to scanner. Despite having had to work much harder to install the scanner into the Win 7 guest, every restart of Virtual Box has resulted in the guest capturing the scanner immediately.

I found posts regarding this issue going back a long time. It seems to be a tough nut to crack. I am pleased to have my scanner working this way rather than having to reboot into a Win XP partition.

Something unusual happened between the time I posted the above and now reading the posted methods. At the time that I removed AMD USB FIlter Driver, I did that from Device Manager because every time I checked installed Programs, there was nothing listed for that. Sometime later, I had an unrelated problem and needed to check installed Programs and noticed that AMD USB FIlter Driver was suddenly now in there, but with an unidentified-type icon. After uninstalling it from there, my devices worked.

I am wondering though, would a method posted by socratis have worked without uninstalling this driver?

(I had already found and tried the method posted by RobertLac, but it did not work for me.)

Thanks.

Maybe no one knows.