How to: Make the USB Ports Working in VirtualBox using Kubuntu Hardy Heron
Weather you’re running Windows XP or other Linux distro as a guest OS in VirtualBox on a Kubuntu Hardy Heron PC, you would still love to have the option to plug your favorite USB devices in right? Me too.
After having Virtualbox installed in my PC couple of days ago, I ran through that problem about USB devices. My guest OS, Windows XP and Ubuntu is not detecting both my A4 Tech Webcam and my USB Game pad. I thought all I need is just a simple restart to get it going but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s a good thing that our friendly google is around, so it just took me a couple of mins to get the USB ports working on both guest OS.
Enough said, let’s get started. This is actually a modified version from arsgeek.com on how he made the USB ports mounted in Windows XP. Windows XP is the guest OS in his Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon. I did not open my Kterminal window using these steps. I’m trying to avoid typing any commands from the terminal as much as possible.
- Let’s create a usb group first. Click on K Menu > System Settings > Users and Groups > click on the administrator mode button and type your password in > Click on the Group Tab > Click the New button at the bottom > and type ‘ usbusers ‘ (without the quotes) for the group name.
- Then look for your name/PC name on the list from the left side and click add > push ok and close the System Settings window.
- Open your Dolphin File Manager Go to Root > Click Open as Root on the right side, type your password and go to etc > udev > rules.d > and do a right click on 40-permissions.rules and open it via Kate or Kwrite and add the group usbusers in between the SUBSYSTEM code and GOTO. It will look something like this: (don’t forget to save the changes)
# USB Serial Converters
SUBSYSTEM==”usb_device”, GROUP=”usbusers”, GOTO=”usb_serial_start”
- Go back to Dolphin File Manager > Go to folder etc > then init.d > right click on mountdevsubfs.sh and use a text editor. (in my case I use either Kate or Kwrite). Look for this:
#
# Magic to make /proc/bus/usb work
#
#mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs
#domount usbfs“”/dev/bus/usb/.usbfs-obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644
#ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices
#mount –rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb
- Uncomment the last 4 lines to make it like this:
#
# Magic to make /proc/bus/usb work
#
mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs
domount usbfs“”/dev/bus/usb/.usbfs-obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644
ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices
mount –rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb
- Once you’re done. Click save.
- Go back to your Dolphin File Manager, go back to etc > then look for fstab, do a right click and open it with Kate or Kwrite. Add this line at the bottom and save:
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devgid=46,devmode=664 0 0
ALright! That’s it! All you need to do is fire up your virtualbox, load your guest OS and before you switch to seamless mode, go to Devices > and click the USB device that you would like to enable.
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# USB
SUBSYSTEM==”usb_device”, GROUP=”usbusers”, GOTO=”usb_start_…”
I don’t have such a line in my #USB section, all I have is
# USB
SUBSYSTEMS==”ieee1394″, GROUP=”plugdev”
SUBSYSTEMS==”mmc”, GROUP=”plugdev”
SUBSYSTEMS==”pcmcia”, GROUP=”plugdev”
LABEL=”block_end”
a bit further I have
# USB serial converters
SUBSYSTEM==”usb_device”, GOTO=”usb_serial_start”
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ENV{DEVTYPE}==”usb_device”, GOTO=”usb_serial_start”
GOTO=”usb_serial_end”
LABEL=”usb_serial_start”
ATTRS{idVendor}==”0403″, ATTRS{idProduct}==”6001″, \
MODE=”0660″, GROUP=”dialout”
LABEL=”usb_serial_end”
so where do i put the GROUP=”usbusers” ?