[SOLVED] Virtualbox: Steps to get USB working in Linux Mint with Linux Mint guest

Please give me the steps to install usb for virtualbox. Here's what I've already done:

* installed vbox from repository
* installed extpack from repository
* installed guest additions from cd in vm
* created vboxusers domain group on temporary windows server 2019 domain controller
* mapped the group on server to the local vboxusers group on host machine
* Added the standard users group to the server's vboxusers group
* Rebooted the system
* Logged onto the system with a domain user with normal permissions, including non administrator in linux mint

Installing the extension pack gives you USB 2/3 support.
I typically download the extension pack directly from Oracle's website and install it via VBoxManager. Did you verify the extension pack was actually installed?

What do you exactly mean by get USB working? What type of USB device do you want to connect to your guest?

Using the Devices pull down menu on the guest select USB and click on the device you want to connect. You can not share a USB device i.e. it is only connected to the host or guest. Once connected to the guest it should be automatically recognized (depending on device type).

Failed to access the USB subsystem. VirtualBox is not currently allowed to access USB devices. You can change this by adding your user to the 'vboxusers' group.

Are you seeing this message?

I think I can verfiy that it's installed, because somewhere I found a checkbox (green) by extension packs. I have no use case yet, but I will. One before, but I figured it out, was transferring files from host to guest, which I did in a complicated way. I couldn't get the shared folders to work either. No I'm not seeing that message from the gui, and I haven't ran terminal commands which might output that lately. However, the list of devices to add, still remains blank.

Yes, in the extension pack manager there should be a green check mark indicating it is active.

Is the USB controller enabled in VBoxManager for the guest?

Is the USB controller enabled in VBoxManager for the guest?

That's a good question. How do you do that? I seem to remember this particular thing, just working on windows. I understand why it might not, it might be more flexible when you get used to it, like samba. My machine is indeed working better with linux mint. However, this adding to the group and everything is a bit new to me. I've never solved all my personal problems to get windows or linux working (on my home network). I'm really hoping I can with linux mint! But this is a bit new, and that was the thing it didn't say in the steps I read. I should probably include the search I went through, so here it is:

https://www.google.com/search?q=step...client=gws-wiz

Yes, the checkbox is there. And this is probably exactly what I did NOT do, I bet.

That's a good question. How do you do that?

In VboxManager select system -> USB for the guest. There is a checkbox to enable USB.

I used:

boxmanage modifyvm main-des --usb on

Which may or may not be right. The command succeeded. I did not see any change in the gui. It's still not detecting my USB devices. Perhaps this will help:

I have at a minimum, these USB devices attatched;

* Directly in the machine, a USB docking station Diamond Multimedia v2 ds (something or other)
* All other usb devices attatched through it, drivers for ubuntu latest at time of writing, installed
* dvd drive
* zip disk drive
* floppy disk drive
* usb smart lamp (bar)
* speakers
* usb splitter
* usb splitter
* 4 port kvm switch with sound and microphone from trendnet
* montior
* wireless keyboard and mouse
* usb light
* montior sound

Somewhere is the following:
* usb to searel port adapter
* macro keyboard
* other stuff???


When I take it to my office at my mom's:

* Same, but v3 docking station
* 2 port kvm switch with no sound or microphone
* montior
* wireless keyboard and mouse
* usb smart lamp (bar)
* speakers

I think that is all there.

The PC, appears to me so far to have only one other usb port. Perhaps something with the docking station or usb connector devices? It works on host machine. I don't want to pass though the whole docking station. That results in funniness. I just want to pass through the other devices most connected to it.

I believe the vm does not have the drivers installed.

The docking station could be the problem. The devices may not be passed through to the guest. I have no problem seeing USB devices on my guests but I only have a keyboard/mouse, external drives and the occasional USB serial port adaper.

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I had Internet down. The problem is fixed now. I will resume things again now.

https://github.com/orgs/linuxmint/discussions/195

The issues I've been facing that WERE more important. I think I've got solutions now to them. Or at least good enough to move on.

It appears as if it still doesn't work, even though I rewired mine into a new USB splitter. This should've worked then, and allowed me to see my USB devices. I must not have something right. Should I manage the vbox users group just like a regular local group? Would that help?

Do you think the problem left is my "crazy" way of adding to the group? Remember, I mapped it to a group in AD, which I then populated. Could that actually be a problem? I have another idea for joining it to AD, that might work better, if this could be a problem.

I changed my configuration so that the configuration is more traditonal. It still won't work. I guess at this point, it's a bug. Is there another hypervisor for linux mint that will allow me to convert images from vbox to it? Or can we fix the problem?

I also plugged a device directly in, and it still didn't work.