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Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 10. Sep 2020, 16:24
by DUVIT
Hello guys... I am trying to get my printer to work on Win7 32bit Virtual Machine.

I have installed Guest Additions and Extensions.

So far I have set my USB controller to 2.0.

Still no luck.

The printer driver installation is not detecting it and it is listed as unspecified.

I have uploaded some screenshots, please check and let me know what I am doing wrong.

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 10. Sep 2020, 18:19
by scottgus1
Go through USB basics and troubleshooting. If steps 1 through 7 cannot get your device working, please provide the troubleshooting command outputs in step 8, as text in

Code: Select all

 tags. Also zip and post the requested vbox.log, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 10:07
by mpack
Unless you have an excellent reason why the VM has to OWN the printer, just leave the host as the owner and access the printer as a network share. Then you don't have to thrash in the USB quicksand (VMs controlling physical hardware: almost never a good experience).

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 14:02
by DUVIT
mpack wrote:Unless you have an excellent reason why the VM has to OWN the printer, just leave the host as the owner and access the printer as a network share. Then you don't have to thrash in the USB quicksand (VMs controlling physical hardware: almost never a good experience).
Well please can you tell me how to share it???

I got no idea :/

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 14:23
by scottgus1
Sharing a printer involves getting the physical PC to run the printer. Then use the PC's OS to share it onto the network so other OS's, like the guest OS connected via Bridged or Host-Only network, can see the shared printer over the network.

Sharing a printer is a common thing and there are good tutorials online on how to share it in the PC's OS and how to find the shared printer in the guest OS. Virtualbox sets up the network. You would not need to use USB filters if you can share the printer from the physical PC.

Note that for printer sharing to work, the physical PC's OS must have drivers for the printer. If your PC's OS does not have drivers for your printer, but the guest OS does, then you will have to drop back to the USB method and tutorial linked above.

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 15:08
by DUVIT
scottgus1 wrote:Sharing a printer involves getting the physical PC to run the printer. Then use the PC's OS to share it onto the network so other OS's, like the guest OS connected via Bridged or Host-Only network, can see the shared printer over the network.

Sharing a printer is a common thing and there are good tutorials online on how to share it in the PC's OS and how to find the shared printer in the guest OS. Virtualbox sets up the network. You would not need to use USB filters if you can share the printer from the physical PC.

Note that for printer sharing to work, the physical PC's OS must have drivers for the printer. If your PC's OS does not have drivers for your printer, but the guest OS does, then you will have to drop back to the USB method and tutorial linked above.
Yes I understand I have already installed the X86 drivers in the sharing settings of my PC.

The problem now is how to view the printer in the Virtual Windows Network.

I tried using Hamachi but it doesn't seem to work on Virtual Machines.

Any other suggestion?

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 16:53
by scottgus1
Hamachi does work in VM's, at least up to recent times. I have used it before in a guest as of last year.

You need a network between your host PC and the guest. What Virtualbox network have you set up for the guest?

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 18:39
by DUVIT
scottgus1 wrote:Hamachi does work in VM's, at least up to recent times. I have used it before in a guest as of last year.

You need a network between your host PC and the guest. What Virtualbox network have you set up for the guest?
Ok i solved the problem!i set network as bridged in VB settings as you said and now the printer is found in network!! Tested and printing succesfully!!! Thank you!!!

Re: Printer showing as "Unspecified", not detected in installation

Posted: 11. Sep 2020, 18:45
by scottgus1
Great! Glad you're up and running.