Can not access USB ports of any kind

[SMXSteve]

I have a MacBook Pro
OS X El Capitan 10.11.3
VM Windows 7 fresh install
4GB RAM set for the VM

When I try to access any USB whether on the MacBook's USB port or a hub I get this error message:
***
Failed to attach the USB device Plugable USB3-SATA-UASP1 [0100] to the virtual machine Win7.

Failed to create a proxy device for the USB device. (Error: VERR_PDM_NO_USB_PORTS).

Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: ConsoleWrap
Interface: IConsole {872da645-4a9b-1727-bee2-5585105b9eed}
***

I have tried to change the settings to USB 2 or 3 but then I can't start the VM and get this error
***
Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Win7.

The device helper structure version has changed.

If you have upgraded VirtualBox recently, please make sure you have terminated all VMs and upgraded any extension packs. If this error persists, try re-installing VirtualBox. (VERR_PDM_DEVHLPR3_VERSION_MISMATCH).

Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: ConsoleWrap
Interface: IConsole {872da645-4a9b-1727-bee2-5585105b9eed}
***

Setting USB back to 1 I can start the VM.
I've seen other reports and tried installing updated software but no luck.

[mpack]

Install the extension pack.

If you need to continue this discussion then please provide a VM log file: with the VM fully shut down, right click it, save "VBox.log" (ONLY) to a zip, and attach the zip here.

[SMXSteve]

Is this a new extension pack? I ran it a couple of weeks ago but this one got me further.

I was able to add the device and select USB 3. Windows found it but now I have a problem with Windows installing a driver for it. I know it works because I also use Parallels.

[socratis]

There is no new or old Extension Pack. There is exactly one that matches your VirtualBox version.

As far as the Windows driver installation issue, it should be a matter of Windows finding the correct driver. But, please follow mpack's advice about the log file.

[SMXSteve]

I've attached the log file.
I don't get the error, USB is set to 3 but no driver for the USB controller.

I don't agree completely that it's a Windows issue. Windows isn't recognizing the USB hardware in order to find the driver for it which is what a VM is supposed to do, correct?

[socratis]

I don't agree completely that it's a Windows issue. Windows isn't recognizing the USB hardware in order to find the driver for it which is what a VM is supposed to do, correct?

Not correct. The only thing that VirtualBox does, once it captures the USB device, is to pass control to the guest VM. After that it is up to the guest OS in the VM to do whatever it wants with it. Ergo, it is a Windows problem.

For example, I have several devices that do not have device drivers and are not even recognized by my host. They are recognized on the guest and they work fine, once their respective drivers are installed.

What's the problem that Windows is having? Try to find a program called USBView and install it on the guest. Let us know what it discovers. One thing I noticed is that you're using the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Are you sure there are drivers for your device/OS combination?

[mpack]

I see you enabled an xHCI controller for the VM. But, your Win7 guest did not come with native support for xHCI, so did you install the Intel drivers?

[SMXSteve]

If I did enable the xHCI controller it wasn't intentional. Forgive me I'm a software guy and work with hardware out of necessity.

If I did enable that where would I have done that and could that be interfering?

I've attached a screen shot of the item causing the error.

I've uninstalled it and had windows try to find the driver but it can't for some reason. To back up a bit, it finds the devices but initially I was getting the failure to attach error which you had me run the extension pack which got me past that error (why it didnt' work a couple of weeks ago) and I also ran the guest additions again.

[mpack]

If the guest doesn't have xHCI drivers then that naturally means it can't use xHCI - which means no USB. You should turn off xHCI in the VM settings (*), and turn on EHCI. You may need to do something to get Win7 to recognize the change, I'm not sure - never done it.

(*) Not inside the guest. This is a change to the VM recipe, done with the VM settings panel - and the VM must be fully shut down at the time.

Come to think of it, why are we discussing this in "OS X Guests"? Your guest is Win7. Moving this topic to "Windows Guests".

[SMXSteve]

Sorry about that, I thought I had selected VirtualBox on Mac OX host or whatever it's called. I was following other posts from the search box.

Now I am confused. Looking at the USB settings on the panel (I assume you mean Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager). Here is what I see

Enable USB Controller
USB 1.1 (OHCI) Controller
USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller
USB 3.0 (xHCI) Controller

I was paying attention to the USB #. Reading the posts that I found there were suggestions of changing the USB version helped solved the initial error problem. It is a USB 3.0 device that I was trying to connect to. I would also create the filter for each type of device I was trying to connect to per the postings that I found.

[SMXSteve]

BTW when I change it to USB 2 I get the initial error I reported. Changing it to USB 3 I don't get the error but Windows can't find the driver.

[michaln]

Your USB device needs USB 3.0 support in the guest, and for Windows 7 that means downloading and installing drivers from Intel in the VM.

[SMXSteve]

I've been trying to find those. But I am curious why I never had a problem with Parallels VM? Not trying to compare and I think this is better but not sure why it was different.

[mpack]

Are you under the impression that if you configure Parallels then you never have to configure anything else ever again?

[SMXSteve]

I'm not sure what that meant. I assume you are familiar with Parallels, another VM. I am just saying I never had issues with USB devices since the day I installed Parallels and Windows 7 on my MacBook which has been about three years now.

On the other hand with Virtualbox and a near identical installation of Windows 7 I have had USB issues since the installation. Connecting USB devices is a known issue with Virtualbox as there are many posts in these forums besides mine and you have an updated extension pack that is supposed to help or at least that is the recommendation. And from there there have been so many ways it seems that some have gotten it to work from changing the USB version to undocking the device from the Mac side, etc.

All I am trying to do is get VirtualBox with Windows 7 running correctly. I look at Parallels to see how it was set up. I've been looking for the driver but all I have been able to find are those damn tool kits that install more than you need and make changes to your system.

But I don't know why Windows can't find the driver. It's like it is not getting the true identity of the USB controller.

I like VirtualBox better than Parallels for many reasons including it runs better except for this issue.