VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

[jhouse59]

I'm using Kubutu 9.04 jaunty. I'm using VirtualBox version 2.2.2. Can someone tell me how to fix the USB devices from graying out in the VirtualBox? I used the instruction for Ubuntu Hardy Heron. But, that didn't work.

[simonh]

Re: VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

You need to download Guest Additions. You'll find a download link at the bottom of the "devices" button in the Virtualbox window.

[wmrobins]

Re: VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

I have the same issue and I have installed Guest Additions. XP Pro guest on Kubuntu 9.04. It worked fine on version 8.04.

wmrobins

[simonh]

Re: VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

Have you added yourself to the group vboxusers?

[abalone]

Re: VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

I have the same problem, but I thought that was because I'm using the Open Source Edition.

[jhouse59]

Re: VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

You need to download Guest Additions. You'll find a download link at the bottom of the "devices" button in the Virtualbox window.

I did install the Guest Additions. I'd made the machine in another distro and moved it to Kubuntu. I'd even unstalled the old version and installed the newer one.
I even went here http://www.ubuntu-unleashed.com/2008...rdy-heron.html and followed it.
I edited the mountdevsubfs.sh file. It said I'll "see see a block of code that looks 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

I uncommented the last 4 lines above to look 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

Then copied it to the mountdevsubfs.sh file.
Because it wasn't in my file. I don't know if I should have done that or not.

Have you added yourself to the group vboxusers?

Yes I have. I even made a group called "usbusers". Then added myself and root to it.

[jhouse59]

Re: VirtualBox's USB is Grayed out

I think I've found a fix for the problem. Well it worked for me. Found it here http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1155643.
This is the fix someone posted at another forum. Here it is:

1) # sudo gedit /etc/fstab
at the end of the file add this line:
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devgid=46,devmode=664 0 0
(46 is the standard ID group for plugdev in ubuntu 9.04)

2) save the file
3) # sudo mount -a

Thanks to rfs1970 at the Ubuntu Forums.