virtualbox.org

Hi,
I have Installed Virtualbox in windows 10 and windows xp in Virtualbox. I have followed tutorials to set USB in Virtualbox, but Windows XP doesn't find it. I have now tried several different tutorials that show me the exact same thing but I still cannot get xp to find my external cd drive. The mouse and keyboard work well in windows xp though. Please, please, can someone help me? I'm going crazy. I cannot install the software I want on Windows XP without being able to read the cd.

Not all external USB-CD drives can be treated as CD drives in VirtualBox. In some cases the host drivers make them look like mass storage (e.g. USB flash drives) which definitely can't be treated as CD drives either: totally different mode of operation. Bear in mind that VirtualBox has to be able to emulate sensible drive electronics into the guest OS. It is not just an app reading files off a host drive.

The easiest solution if you only need to read the CD is to use the host to image the CD to an ISO file (ImgBurn is try for free and works well), and mount the ISO in the VM as a virtual CD drive. In most ways this is the preferable way to do it anyway (more quiet, more convenient - no need to hunt for a CD - and more reliable as CDs over time are prone to fingerprints and scratches).