Virtual Box 6.1 & USB access problem

[#1]

Running Linux Mint19.1  with Virtual Box 6.1 installed...  on that we have Windows 7 Pro, installed... all god - so far.

Have got the "guest extension" addon installed, but cannot get the USB to recognise a USB stick.. nor give me acces to my Printer, during the Set up.

I have made access to Users and Groups.

I think I have done everything correctly... but something is still wrong/missing... can anyone help please  ? ?

[#2]

Your user needs to be a member of the vboxusers group.

So I think that last box needs a tick in the Gerry line?

You can check if you have the right setup by running

cat /etc/group | grep vboxusers

I see "vboxusers:x:130:jeremy" (the number may vary according to distro).

A reboot is probably necessary for it to take effect.

[#3]

@VileReynard   OK... thanks for that... will have a look... have uninstalled it...and going in for another install there was an error notice about too much RAM... cos I tried to run a 2nd copy. then delete the first..but it would not delete..  so unistalled it altogether...  usually the best way for me to get things working again, as I usually mess something up trying ! ! ..

watch this space for updates ! ! ! .

[#4]

@VileReynard  Hmm... weird... I used the Menu to "uninstall" Virtualbox.... rebooted the laptop.   and on the menu is Virtual box... so I clicked on it... and I still have two versions of Win7 pro on the virtual box ! 

also did a Terminal ... with your instruction

[#5]

@VileReynard    I think I have "cracked it "  !...

Your point about putting a tick in my user name as well as the vboxusers ...also needs it to be done on the reverse setup

e.g.

Properties for vboxusers  selected from the list

[  ] Gerry

[ @] vboxusers

Properties for Gerry selected from the list

[ @ ]  Gerry

[ @]  vboxusers

So that both "properties" are the same... i.e. both "username" and " vboxusers to be ticked.

I still have two copies of win 7 showing up when I start Virtual box... despite uninstalling  from the menu and it not being available on the short cut, after the uninstall had finished.

I still have two copies of win 7 showing up when I start Virtual box... Despite doing  apt purge virtualbox* on the terminal,...and removing some leftovers after which I re-booted ... and installed virtual box from the "software manager"  then the extension pack from the Oracle website downloaded new copy.

I did reduce the memory to 1056kb on both , which, may or may not have helped with the usb.. but it did remove the "warning" triangle at the bottom of the window !.

Thanks for your assistance.

[#6]

Well, that's not exactly right!

1. everyone is in the adm group (I think this just gives access to system log files)

2. gerr is in the nopasswdlogin group - is that a passwordless signon?

3. vboxusers is in the vboxusers group - I'm assuming you haven't created vboxusers as an actual user name? Cos that's the only way this could work. 😁

[#7]

@VileReynard   hmmm   well  the usb seems to be working as it shows all the stuff on the pop out window. and I have transferred a couple of files from a USB stick... 

Perhaps you could send me a PM with the "proper" way to activate the USB" in step by step .... simple... instructions" Please..

Then I can keep it for next time I need it, save me a lot of wasted time...and a lot of stumbling about in treacle !

cheers

[#8]

I never did get USB3 working in VB though I did manage to get USB2

Having just removed the SSD containing Linux from my main PC and used Windows System Repair to remove GNU Grub from the BIOS I have at long last have system start up back to normal. Win7 by default and Win10 via the BIOS.

When my new back up PC arrives (all 12x12x5cm of it) I'll put Linux on there and go through the whole VirtualBox and Win7 install process again. The new box has been bought sans operating system so there's nothing to screw up system wise.

Brian

[#9]

@VileReynard  & @bmc   Thanks to both of you, for your interest, and input... I have now got the USB working just fine... ( somehow .... still not sure of the proper procedural route to get to that state.... but ...hey.. it works ! ! ) .. the other problem I was having was getting the VB Win7 to "see" the printer after installing the Canon printer driver from a direct download from Canon site... it got so far as the VB recognised the printer at the end of the wire on the USB settings...  ..but the Printer driver did not.......  It kept on suggesting that I plug the lead in ! ! ! .. and it took about 4 mins to " search " for the printer, which was at the end of the 3 ft wire on the desktop, next to me... eventually saying it could not be found... I mean..how much "programming" is needed to tell if there is a voltage/current at the other end of a wire ? surely it is just the same thing as an "off/on" switch   i.e.   0 or 1 resulting in NOPE... or YEP ! you can print now... #

Anyway,...  I eventually went for the WIFI option... which works now.. so all is well.

@bmc  When you go through the process of installing your VB and extension.... and the o.s.  and doing the USB activation part.. including the users and groups bit with vboxers....would you be kind enough to make notes of the steps in the process. and send them to me via a P.M.. I would appreciate that very much. Thank you.

[#10]

@shutter 

I may be escaping the task of re-install.

My Linux SSD boots on my new bare bones machine so it works. All I need to do later is figure out how to fix or repair GNU Grub so it doesn't show what was on the previous machine. 

Once I do that I'll have another look at USB in VB

Brian

[#11]

@bmc OK.. on the re-install part.... my main problem was... as this thread title... somehow I manage to get it working.. but it takes a lot of stumbling about in the dark... VB hanging, cos I`m doing something wrong at the wrong time. and having to re--install VB before I can get back to where I was stumbling about before,... so it would be nice if you could work out for me the proper stages to go through, so it becomes "kinda" seamless, and fruitful on the first ( or maybe 2nd) try ! ! .

cheers

[#12]

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@shutter wrote:

... so it would be nice if you could work out for me the proper stages to go through, so it becomes "kinda" seamless, and fruitful on the first ( or maybe 2nd) try ! ! .

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Clean install of VB from openSUSE repo (not latest version but that shouldn't matter...)

Information for package virtualbox:
-----------------------------------
Repository     : Online updates for openSUSE Leap:15.1 (standard)
Name           : virtualbox                                      
Version        : 6.0.12-lp151.2.9.1                              
Arch           : x86_64                                          
Vendor         : openSUSE                                        
Installed Size : 38.1 MiB                                        
Installed      : Yes                                             
Status         : up-to-date                                      
Source package : virtualbox-6.0.12-lp151.2.9.1.src               
Summary        : VirtualBox is an Emulator                       

Follow instructions from VB docs (yeah, I know, that's against your principles, but they exist for a reason 😋).

"Add every user who needs to access USB devices from a VirtualBox guests to the group vboxusers. Either use the OS user management tools or run the following command as root:"

sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers username

In my case

:~> whoami
waldo

so

# usermod -a -G vboxusers waldo

Log out & log in for changes to take effect (close and re-open terminal will do) and check you've been added to vboxusers group (several ways to do it)

:~> id waldo
uid=1000(waldo) gid=100(users) groups=460(vboxusers),100(users)
:~> cat /etc/group | grep vboxusers
vboxusers:x:460:waldo
:~> groups
users vboxusers

Download and install the extension pack which includes USB2 / USB3 support (must be the same version as the version of VB installed)

:~/Documents/Leap 15.1/VirtualBox> ls | grep extpack
Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.0.12.vbox-extpack

All I've tried is a USB2 stick with a running VM (Leap 15.2 Beta); device shows up in notifications and in file manager as expected.

[#13]

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@TheRoadCrew wrote:

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Follow instructions from VB docs (yeah, I know, that's against your principles, but they exist for a reason 😋).

This is the funniest thing I've read all week +1

[#14]

Reading the manual is an admission of failure. 😁

[#15]

That may be the case for some, but reading the manual makes for a better experience and a true understanding of what you are to achieve.

I am currently reading up on Scalable Vector Graphics as I don't really know much about them, but what I do know is that they will meet my needs for my UI and is why I have read several papers on them so I know I'm doing things the right way.