[SOLVED] usb & vb302

[j-retired]

Running PCLOS2009.2  

Downloaded VB3.0.2 from Sun site (PCLOS version) and installed. As far as I can see so far, everything works, even at full screen. Guest additions are installed. I've got XP xp2 installed and working.

The only problem is USB.
I set up a filter in the'settings' panel, and it correctly shows the memory stick I've plugged into a USB port.
When I run XP, and select 'devices' and look for the USB mem stick, it is 'greyed out' though correctly recognised.

Now the interesting bit: I came back later on, and typed out this post, and checking with the system to get all my facts right, I find that for some unknown (but welcome) reason, the USB devices are now recognised and all works OK!

Anyone able to tell me what is going on please?  

The machine did get fully shutdown and rebooted several times with no effect prior to this.

j

Extra info:  I played a bit more.........   The problem is that the USB device is not recognised UNLESS it is plugged in BEFORE the machine is switched on - i.e. total "everything off"!  

[altair4]

I'll give you my personal opinion - and that's all it is - because I really don't know how VirtualBox works internally.

I think the problem with USB is that at any given point in time VB and the host battle for who has control of the device. I personally have circumvented the issue by not creating a filter for USB storage devices and instead create a VB shared folder to /media on the linux host. When you plug in a USB storage device the linux host mounts the device and is always in control. The VB guest can then access it through the shared folder.

[kolosus]

I tend to agree with the altair4. It seems that I have to plug the device into the computer after I turn the machine on. Even if that means just unplugging and replugging the device.

As far as making a mount point at /media: that works but only if you have a mass storage device (or similar). I have a usb camcorder (has linux options, but command line. Yeah, I'm lazy) and a magicJack (no option other than windows). I have to have windows do those for me.

[j-retired]

Thanks guys. 
I'll leave this thread open in case anyone else has any ideas.
I have been told that another option is to network the guest to the host and use that for access. If I get fed up with the present arrangement I may have to find out how to do that!  Any comments?

j

[Was_Just19]

I have a Win2K Guest in PCLOS.
I plug in a USB flash stick and refuse to allow it mount in PCLOS.
I then from the top tool bar in the gues window select
Device - USB device    and tick on the USB flash drive.

It then mounts in Win2K and is visible in Win Explorer window.

It is no longer available in PCLOS - icons disappear from the Desktop.

No USB filters set up in VBox. Just relies on the selection of the device as above.

No idea about other MS products .....

[Mark342]

Problems with usb devices being "grayed out" is very common with virtualbox.

And it is almost always solved by editing the /etc/fstab file.
Follow these steps:

1.Open The Pclos Control center
  Click "System" then "Manage users on system" then click the tab for Groups.

2.There should be a group called vboxusers, if there isn't one then create it.

3.Make sure that you are one of the members of the group called vboxusers, if you are not a member then add yourself by right clicking
  the group, selecting "edit", clicking the tab "Group Users", and then putting a check mark next to your username


4.In the column labled "Group ID" there is a number assigned to the "vboxusers" group, remember this number. In my case the number is 501
  

5.Now (as root) open up your /etc/fstab file and add the following new line:

Code: [Select]

none /proc/bus/usb usbfs auto,busgid=xxx,busmode=0775,devgid=xxx,devmode=664 0 0
Be sure to replace "xxx" in the code above with the number that you saw during step4.

So in my case it would be:

Code: [Select]

none /proc/bus/usb usbfs auto,busgid=501,busmode=0775,devgid=501,devmode=664 0 0

6. Now save the file and either Restart your computer or do "mount -o remount /proc/bus/usb" as root in the terminal.

That's it!

[YouCanToo]

Problems with usb devices being "grayed out" is very common with virtualbox.

And it is almost always solved by editing the /etc/fstab file.
Follow these steps:

1.Open The Pclos Control center
  Click "System" then "Manage users on system" then click the tab for Groups.

2.There should be a group called vboxusers, if there isn't one then create it.

3.Make sure that you are one of the members of the group called vboxusers, if you are not a member then add yourself by right clicking
  the group, selecting "edit", clicking the tab "Group Users", and then putting a check mark next to your username


4.In the column labled "Group ID" there is a number assigned to the "vboxusers" group, remember this number. In my case the number is 501
  

5.Now (as root) open up your /etc/fstab file and add the following new line:

Code: [Select]

none /proc/bus/usb usbfs auto,busgid=xxx,busmode=0775,devgid=xxx,devmode=664 0 0
Be sure to replace "xxx" in the code above with the number that you saw during step4.

So in my case it would be:

Code: [Select]

none /proc/bus/usb usbfs auto,busgid=501,busmode=0775,devgid=501,devmode=664 0 0

6. Now save the file and either Restart your computer or do "mount -a" as root in the terminal.

That's it!

When following your instructions above after adding the following line
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs auto,busgid=501,busmode=0775,devgid=501,devmode=664 0 0
when doing a umount -a I get a dialog box telling me that "none" is already mounted.  In my fstab file there is a line
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0620 0 0
is it safe to remark out this entry?

FWIW this is on my laptop running the latest update of 2009-2

[Mark342]

Opps my bad, I have been trying other distributions latley and apparently "mount -a" doesn't work on pclinuxos try mount -o remount /proc/bus/usb instead

[YouCanToo]

Yeah I kinda figured it out. The problem is that it still does not work. The usb item is still grayed out.
 Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

[oldude]

I have tried everything that has been suggested & my usb device (ipod) is still greyed out also...any further suggestions ?...

[GregPCLOS]

Running PCLOS2009.2

Downloaded VB3.0.2 from Sun site (PCLOS version) and installed. As far as I can see so far, everything works, even at full screen. Guest additions are installed. I've got XP xp2 installed and working.

The only problem is USB.
I set up a filter in the'settings' panel, and it correctly shows the memory stick I've plugged into a USB port.
When I run XP, and select 'devices' and look for the USB mem stick, it is 'greyed out' though correctly recognised.

Now the interesting bit: I came back later on, and typed out this post, and checking with the system to get all my facts right, I find that for some unknown (but welcome) reason, the USB devices are now recognised and all works OK!

Anyone able to tell me what is going on please?  

The machine did get fully shutdown and rebooted several times with no effect prior to this.

j

Extra info:  I played a bit more.........   The problem is that the USB device is not recognised UNLESS it is plugged in BEFORE the machine is switched on - i.e. total "everything off"!  

Not sure where you are with this but read this post of mine bellow...  Hope that helps.

OK,
First you have to have the right vbox installation (the one from Synaptic wont have support for usb)
You need this one:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads and go to PCLinuxOS 2007 i386.
Download and install.  I use Kpackage.

I went through the whole USB thing myself with my printer and webcam a few months ago.  Finally what I discovered was that the usb and the user were not set to the same group.  So:

Go to PCC>System>Mangage users
Go to Options  in the menue at the top and uncheck "Filter system users"
Go to tab "Groups" and find in the list "usb" and right click,  then Edit.
Go to tab "Group users" and check your username to join the group.  Press OK and reboot.

Now the usb device in virtualbox when you start Windows will not be grayed out anymore.

There may be another better way of accomplishing the same, but that one works for me.

[j-retired]

Hi gregPCLOS,

BINGO!!!
That works - all is well with the world and PCLOS.

Thanks very much - I'll mark this one solved now - give other people hope as well!

j

[besonian]

gregPCLOS - an act of consummate brilliance!! A huge, big thank you from my better half who's been desperate to get her audible books onto her iPod. Now it's done. How you found that little trick out I've no idea  - but thank you again. All is rosy now in South London. 

[johnmart]

+1
I couldn't get the usbflash recognised with any one of the above suggestions, but a combo of a few of the above solutions got me a working fix!
With my XP guest running, I inserted the stick, then with a right click on the PCLOS desktop I unmounted it. It then appeared blacked in from the VB/device/usb panel, which I selected. On the XP system, it was then recognised & loaded but refused to read any files! But I dismounted it by the taskbar, took it out & reinserted it, & it opened an explorer window with all its files.
Now I just hope it is persistent!!
Many thanks to all.
p.s. I may do it right with the fstab file edit later. Sounds like the "right" way. I can use all the "right way" knowledge I can get! There's plenty of it to be found around here!!
Thanks to all-

[j-retired]

Just another oddity.....

I just set up a new XP install in VBox.  Applied the fixes relating to user & groups etc. Everything works perfectly.  So what's the oddity??? Well in the first version, I got it wrong, and eventually got it fixed. Time to save machine state and shutdown: nearly 20 secs. Similar time for restart.  Second version: 10secs!!! Each way!!!!  So why nearly twice the speed?
I assume that there is a file somewhere with a lot of redundant junk, which if I could find and remove/edit would restore status quo.
I wonder if this effect affects other system operations when we fiddle to get things going?

j