I need some information on USB in Virtualbox.
I installed VB, added WinXP but with no USBs noted or filtered.
I want to be able to access a memory stick, but after adding a filter all I can see is a grayed out reference.
This time I've read the manual, done a search, but cannot find any reference to my problem.
Should I have added the filters before installing WinXP?
Please advise.

What distro? How did you install it? Did you install the OSE version (which does not support USB) or the non-free version (which does, but has closed-source parts)?

Oh! Boy, here we go again.
Ubuntu 10.10. Install from a download from the VB site. Apart from that I don't know. How do I find out? I believe it has USB support, but they're listed but grayed out.
In the details page is shows 4 active USB devices, but I cannot access them in the WinXP page.

I have done a lot more searching (on the VB forum, most unhelpful).
It would appear I have the USB unsupported version. So the non-free obviously requires payment of some sort, even this I cannot seem to access. Where does one go to get the supported version? Where does one buy the support?

http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Editions

They also have a repository you can set Apt up with if you wish, see http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads

And for background on the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_Libre

The OSE edition is free as in beer and as in speech. The closed-source version is free as in beer only. So you (as a personal user) do not have to pay anything ever. Just make sure you get the version with the features you want.

I think between the 'getting' and the 'installing' something went weird, as I have the correct version for USB support.
Please stick with me. I downloaded the 'top' version, when I came to install I double clicked the file and up came the Ubuntu Software Centre with the standard install button. Is it possible it installed the repro version and not the downloaded one?
If I'm right could you help with the Terminal jargon to install the download copy, as I'm unsure of the terminology?

I don't use Ubuntu much so I'm not totally sure. If you double-click virtualbox-3.2_3.2.12-68302~Ubuntu~maverick_amd64.deb (or virtualbox-3.2_3.2.12-68302~Ubuntu~maverick_i386.deb) then I think it's supposed to install it for you, and not pull from Ubuntu's repositories.

Can you post a screenshot or better directions to where you see things "greyed out"?

In the VM's settings, under USB, is "Enable USB Controller" checked? Note you may have to shut down to change this or other settings.

Thanks to all concerned I have fixed it. It seems it was a 'User/groups' problem. I have never accessed that area up until now, so it was an unknown area for me.

What was the exact solution?

I was given some bad advice, which set me off totally in the wrong direction. I was told I had downloaded the wrong program for USB support. So I had spent two whole days trying to sort out the cause.
Turns out I had to add a users/group for vboxusers. I knew I was right in the first place as the USB printer worked 'out of the box'.
I won't be using VB forum ever again, bunch of tight ars...d bar..ds. One line snotty answers just make for more questions. If they don't want to be bothered by noobs, then they should ignore the posts, not give wrong advice!!!!!