No USB devices inside Virtualbox (Windows) guest VM since last update

Wini-Buh

I have two PCs with Solus Budgie (latest updates installed). One is a PC with a Intel CPU (older model) the other has an AMD CPU (newer one).
Since the last update (week 6, 2024) it seems that on any of my Windows guests VMs, I don't have access to any of the connected USB devices (mostly I use JTAG emulators).
I also tried to access USB memory sticks, a FTDI USB-UART cable, etc. (in other words USB devices I'm 100% sure that they worked in the past). No of them could be accessed from inside the VM.
I'm quite sure this is since the latest kernel update, because I use a VM with a Win10 guest on every workday, for embedded software development.

Kernel version: 6.6.16-273.current
Virtualbox version: 7.0.14_Solus r161095

Does someone else has observed this behaviour too ?

nolan

did you try this? https://help.getsol.us/docs/user/software/virtualization/virtualbox#usb-controller

Wini-Buh

nolan

Yes, I checked that already. That's not the problem. The fact, I have the problem on all my PCs and a Notebook with all my VMs, I guess it's a Problem that has been introduced with the latest update.

Wini-Buh

Still no USB devices available inside the Virtualbox (Windows) guest VMs after today's update (week 6). Having the problem on several different Solus Budgie installations. The VMs worked all well before the update around the week 4 or 5.

BuzzPCSOS

This is a hunch. I has issues updating VirtualBox Guest Additions after to V7.0.14. Could not access a lot of external drives, usb ports and mouse capture was really ratty.
This is a copy of my own instructions, made after update of guest additions from within VirtualBox program just stopped working.

VIRTUALBOX GUEST ADDITIONS WILL NOT UPDATE.
Get version number for VirtualBox (7.0.14 latest update on Solus)
Go to:
https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox
Open folder for version number.
Download, mount in VB and run as a CD - VBoxGuestAdditions.iso

I hope that fixes everything for you. Sometimes a reboot of your virtual machine and another run of Guest additions is required to iron everything out. Don't know why but it worked for me on two machines one running Budgie and the other on Plasma. Good luck.

Edit. It should be the 52M ISO

Staudey

BuzzPCSOS So you're saying the virtualbox-guest-additions-iso package doesn't work for you?

BuzzPCSOS

Staudey it didn't download from a request inside of the VirtualBox program, something about an invalid certificate. Figured it must have been something I had broken and just found a way to make everything work again for me.
Running it as an attached CD drive and installing from there worked fine.
TBH I only encountered the issue on my Plasma machine directly after the update to 7.0.14
There was plenty of Virtual box forum chatter about Virtual box Guest Additions not installing so guessed (perhaps wrongly) that the fault was theirs, not mine.
Only updated guest additions on my Budgie machine today and did not bother trying to download from within the program as I already had the ISO downloaded and knew how to set it up quite painlessly.

Wini-Buh

@BuzzPCSOS That's not the solution for me. Both the virtualbox-guest-additions-iso package and the ISO from the Virtualbox home page are binary identical.

@Staudey Do you have any idea what's the problem ? I also have opened an issue on the Dev Tracker.

Axios

Wini-Buh If you run it with sudo does it work?

BuzzPCSOS

Wini-Buh I can confirm that something has changed with Virtual box regarding USBs.
I can still access them by mounting them as Storage in settings but not via USB settings. It can see my USB devices and I get the option to add them but that is as far as it goes.

Axios

BuzzPCSOS I was going get into virtualbox awhile back put it on my mac ran it just see if it would run never used it went to use it and it crashed on start up..go figure (So I deleted it..)
Guess my point is with all the issues you see online and all wonder if it even a worth while software.
Just the issues online with usb issues is crazy.
Not saying VM is bad just virtualbox

Wini-Buh

BuzzPCSOS Thank you very much for confirming the USB problem.

I was hoping that @Staudey could help. I have no idea how long a ticket takes to be processed in the issue tracker and I need the VMs for my daily work (embedded software development).

BuzzPCSOS

Axios Fair. There are only very few things that I use windows for. Mostly just for document scanning on a machine not supported in Linux so mostly once in a blue moon. I like that I can just switch off internet access on a virtual machine while still having access to full internet features on the host PC. That way I can run old Windows OSs to use hardware that is no longer supported by current versions without needing to worry about security.
I thought we were all supposed to be saving the planet but chip manufacturers seem to see things differently.

Axios

BuzzPCSOS I know what ya mean I run Dos stuff from win7
Thinking about trying it from linux (Like I need something else to do)

BuzzPCSOS

Wini-Buh Not sure if it would also make USB connected devices like printers and scanners fail too.
Did not try that side of it.
I have skimmed a few troubleshooting guides on the VirtualBox forum regarding this issue.
As a result I have tried:-
Reloading vboxusers credentials and restarting the host PC.
Downloading VirtualBox Extension Pack 7.0.14 and installing it to the host PC.
Restarting the virtual PC.
Restarting the host PC.
Unless I have missed something (likely) the only thing left to try is uninstalling the program and then reinstalling. I am guessing that /home/username/.config/VirtualBox/ would need to be deleted as well. I am going to avoid doing that for the time being as my setup is running rather well apart from the USB issue and maybe another solution will emerge.
If it is any consolation the lost USB issue for version 7.0.14 seems to be being noticed on a number of other distros so it is unlikely to be just a Solus problem.

alfisya

Wini-Buh I have no idea how long a ticket takes to be processed in the issue tracker and I need the VMs for my daily work

The staffs will get back to you as soon as they can. They are preoccupied though right now with python upgrade, and critical mesa problem. If you really need a fix right now, maybe a new VM Or even different OS would help you right now. Or maybe you can rollback(eopkg hs and then sudo eopkg hs -t xxx) untill the problem disappear. Did you have snapshot of your VM? Maybe you can recover that? None of this is ideal I imagine but you gotta what you gotta do. Cheers!

Wini-Buh

BuzzPCSOS Thank you for your answer. I tried a lot things... Uninstall and install of the whole Virtualbox stuff. Deleting the ~/.config/VirtualBox . I also uninstalled the whole Solus VirtualBox packages and installed the original packages from the VirtualBox download side... Also tried to going back to the previous VirtualBox version. All with the same result. Next I' will tryout the developer snapshot, because I read a posting, that there a USB problem is solved. If that doesn't helps, then I will switch to VMWare temporary.

Wini-Buh

alfisya Will invest another evening, and if that not brings any solution, I switch temporary to VMWare until the problem is solved (have already some knowledge with it).

BuzzPCSOS

Wini-Buh If you only need to access the contents of a USB VirtualBox will let you mount it in the Storage settings.
Good luck

mouse_AUS

I also need this function. I use VM's for windows apps that I must use and some of those require a USB device which I can see but now are all greyed out. I did work before just not sure which update broke it. Is there an easy way to roll back the kernel as I would of thought that would be where the issue is