USB issue with VirtualBox

ElectroMark

Member
Member
Messages
14
Hi,

I'm italian, so sorry for my poor english.

Scenario as following
Host: Windows 8
Virtualizer: Oracle VirtualBox with extension pack installed
Guest: Windows XP Professional SP3 (fully upgraded)

Issue
Can't view my external HDD, connected via USB, in the guest system

I spent tens of hours consulting forums, view youtube tutorials, but I got no solutions
In the guest system I can view the list of the attached USB device and I can "caputure" the external HDD device but no message like "New hardware found, starting installation" appears, so I can't view any new unit in the Guest's Device List.
Note that I always connect the external HDD having the focus on the Guest system.
Furthermore, the Host recognize the external HDD device and is still actitive/usable in the Host's Device List: it seems that the Host does not "realease" the USB device.
It seems the problem depends on the Host USB driver.

Is there a particular procedure to follow?
Any suggestion will be very appreciated

Thanks in advance
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
http://www.eightforums.com/member.php?u=2830Hopachi,

thank you for the suggestion: unfortunately, the link you post is one of the lot I'd read before submit my question in this forum.
I can understand the there isn't a "fully support" for the USB devices (by the way, nothing is perfect), but in my case there is neither a "partially support": it simply won't work, no as the VirtualBox user manual describe, and no as explained in some solutions found in the web!

I really wish to kwon someone that had my some problem (or very similar) and...
- solve it

or

- find that this is an official bug in the Oracle VirtualBox v 4.2.6
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
Hopachi,

thank you for the suggestion: unfortunately, the link you post is one of the lot I'd read before submit my question in this forum.
I can understand the there isn't a "fully support" for the USB devices (by the way, nothing is perfect), but in my case there is neither a "partially support": it simply won't work, no as the VirtualBox user manual describe, and no as explained in some solutions found in the web!

I really wish to kwon someone that had my some problem (or very similar) and...
- solve it

or

- find that this is an official bug in the Oracle VirtualBox v 4.2.6

If you've read the VBox manual, it says that some USB devices are not properly recognized and therefore they don't work. Mine also doesn't work at all.

There is no solution for the moment because you simply plug it in and add it to a VM; and if it doesn't work you either don't use it, use another USB device or you use another virtualization program.

I also wish that someone can solve my problem as well... but by reading enough about it it seems we need to wait until VirtualBox developers put this on the priority list (I guess not for now) and solve it.

For full usb support you can try VMware Player if you like. All devices work there.

But a bit more on the problem:
Does the usb device work on the host after you've started VirtualBox?
- My sandisk USB doesn't work not even on the host, doesn't show up on my computer and keeps blinking the LED light. After I close VirtualBox and re-insert it then it works again: this is a known VirtualBox issue and there is no fix for now.

I hope you find more about this issue and maybe a workaround. :)

Regards
Hopachi
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
There is no solution for the moment because you simply plug it in and add it to a VM; and if it doesn't work you either don't use it, use another USB device or you use another virtualization program.

OK, I'll try with another USB device(s).

I also wish that someone can solve my problem as well...

I don't need someone that can solve my problem(s), I just need someone that can tell me what is the actual status and the real source of the problem. Since that, I can belive that the issue is only mine, and I have insufficient skill to solve the problem.

but by reading enough about it it seems we need to wait until VirtualBox developers put this on the priority list (I guess not for now) and solve it.

I search also in the Oracle VirtualBox trouble ticket management: it seems that this issue go back and forth. But now there is no ticket about, so I conviced myself that the problem was only mine. I also try to access the VirtualBox official forum, but it require that the user must have an "Oralce account": the subscription procedure require that I give information like "Organization" (where I work): but (if) I'll use VirtualBox, it will be only for private (not for the "Organization"), so I can't specify details like that, and I can't obtain an Oralce account.


For full usb support you can try VMware Player if you like. All devices work there.

Before using VirtualBox, I tried to use VMware, but I had some problem with the internet connection: the solution was to create a bridge between the Host net connection and the net connection exposed by the Guest. I tried to make that in the host (Windows 8) and it drammatically crash during the "Preparing Bridge..." activity (I tried more than one time, crashing everytime and, to the end, I must reinstall Windows 8 from zero).

But a bit more on the problem:
Does the usb device work on the host after you've started VirtualBox?
- My sandisk USB doesn't work not even on the host, doesn't show up on my computer and keeps blinking the LED light. After I close VirtualBox and re-insert it then it works again: this is a known VirtualBox issue and there is no fix for now.

Yes Hopachi, the HDD connection via USB is always visible and usable in the Host (in my very first post I wrote "Furthermore, the Host recognize the external HDD device and is still actitive/usable in the Host's Device List: it seems that the Host does not "realease" the USB device.")
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
Only for notice: I try a little USB 4GB flash memory and it don't work too :(.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
VMWare: There's no need for a bridged connection. The default NAT method works perfectly with version 5 of Player here.

For VirtualBox the host needs to release the USB. Are there any errors?
Try to eject the device on the host but leave it connected. Then add it to VirtualBox (also create a device filter for it in the USB section).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
VMware: does the NAT method allows Guest(s) to use a MAC address different form that used in the Host?

VirtualBox: most likely, I make some mistake in the procedure:
1) Starting the Host, with no USB device connected (except for the mouse)
2) Check the USB configuration for the Guest machine: there is two USB device configured
a) the external HDD
b) the flash USB 4 GB memory
Both were added using "specific device" and reviewed putting blank all fields except "vendor" and "product"; for both, the "Remote" attribute was set to "Any"
3) Starting the Guest system
4) Check for the available USB devices: the list show only the items "USB optical mouse" and "Unknown device"
5) Connect the external USB HDD to the Host
6) The host detect the connected device and show it as "F:" unit in the Devices list
7) Again, check for the available USB devices in the Guest system: now I find three items
a) the USB optical mouse
b) the "Sunplus Innovation Technology USB to Serial-ATA bridge
c) the "Unknown device"
Standing the mouse pointer on the b) item, the USB device manager show me the related properties: the status is "Captured", but no new logical HDD unit appears in the Guest Devices list.
8) From the Host system, I eject the USB external HDD
9) OK, device ejected: no more "F:" unit is visible in the Host Devices list
10) Go to the Guest system to view the current USB devices list: nothing change from the point 7) and no new unit appear in the Guest Devices list.
What should I do at this point?

Thank for your support

P.S.
a) Even if I phisically disconnect the USB external HDD from the Host, the USB Devices listed by the Guest does not change from the point 7)
b) When I configured the USB devices list for the Host, I do as follow for each one:
1) Add the single device, having it connected
2) Eject the device
3) Reboot the Host
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
VMware: does the NAT method allows Guest(s) to use a MAC address different form that used in the Host?
I think so:
network.png

And you can even setup the bridged one with the virtual network editor:
network-editor.png
See here how to get this working:
http://www.eightforums.com/virtuali...-network-editor-vmware-player.html#post199112

I make some mistake in the procedure:
1) Starting the Host, with no USB device connected (except for the mouse)
2) Check the USB configuration for the Guest machine: there is two USB device configured
a) the external HDD
b) the flash USB 4 GB memory
Both were added using "specific device" and reviewed putting blank all fields except "vendor" and "product"; for both, the "Remote" attribute was set to "Any"
3) Starting the Guest system
4) Check for the available USB devices: the list show only the items "USB optical mouse" and "Unknown device"
5) Connect the external USB HDD to the Host
6) The host detect the connected device and show it as "F:" unit in the Devices list
7) Again, check for the available USB devices in the Guest system: now I find three items
a) the USB optical mouse
b) the "Sunplus Innovation Technology USB to Serial-ATA bridge
c) the "Unknown device"
Standing the mouse pointer on the b) item, the USB device manager show me the related properties: the status is "Captured", but no new logical HDD unit appears in the Guest Devices list.
8) From the Host system, I eject the USB external HDD
9) OK, device ejected: no more "F:" unit is visible in the Host Devices list
10) Go to the Guest system to view the current USB devices list: nothing change from the point 7) and no new unit appear in the Guest Devices list.
What should I do at this point?
Try to restart VirtualBox: close all its instances and windows.... the procedure should work, all you described is good and should work fine IF THE DEVICE IS SUPPORTED in the first place. I don't want to repeat this again. Sorry for that.

Trying with less devices connected should simplify things as some devices can be noted as "unknown".

Try to make a USB filter for the needed device in VirtualBox before using it in the VM (see VM settings, USB settings with the device connected).

Thank for your support

P.S.
a) Even if I phisically disconnect the USB external HDD from the Host, the USB Devices listed by the Guest does not change from the point 7)
b) When I configured the USB devices list for the Host, I do as follow for each one:
1) Add the single device, having it connected
2) Eject the device
3) Reboot the Host

That's why I recommend the restart of VirtualBox to refresh the device list if possible.
You did fine, that's why I think this relates to a known issue.

Good to test or to find out:
This issue might be even reproducible on a VirtualBox install on Linux or Mac OS X and that would definitely confirm it and you wouldn't have to search again since it wouldn't be Windows related, just a VirtualBox known issue. Your PC works fine in my opinion.

I never dug this far for my problem because the Sandisk doesn't work at all in the VBox VM and some printers I tested also work only for the half (print and no scan or scan and no print).

Cheers
Hopachi
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Thank you for the infos related to VMWare.

You wrote
Try to restart VirtualBox: close all its instances and windows....
This simply means to restart the procedure from point 2): I guess the result can't change.

Trying with less devices connected should simplify things as some devices can be noted as "unknown".
The Host hardware have only two USB ports: one of them is occupied by the USB mouse and the other is used to connect the External HDD or the USB pen drive.
Good to test or to find out:
This issue might be even reproducible on a VirtualBox install on Linux or Mac OS X and that would definitely confirm it and you wouldn't have to search again since it wouldn't be Windows related, just a VirtualBox known issue.
Unfortunately, I have no Linux or MAC and don't know anybody that have these OS installed.

I can't wait for new Oralce Virtual Box release or patch and I can't be sure that this can solve the issue.
I'm seriously thinking to completly remove Oralce Virtual Box and retry with VMware!

Thanks for your support.

Please don't mark this thread as "solved": chose VMware to avoid VirtualBox issue is not a real solution!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
Same issue with VMware (different message but same issue). Using VMware is not the solution! I'm really desperated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
You're welcome.

Actually VirtualBox 4.2.8 was released. You can give it a try.

For VMWare, go with Player if you want a free product. USB works fine.

Cheers
Hopachi
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Same issue with VMware (different message but same issue). Using VMware is not the solution! I'm really desperated.

What is the message?
Can you post a screenshot...

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Actually VirtualBox 4.2.8 was released. You can give it a try.

I've read the change log from 4.2.6 to 4.2.8: there is no fix related to USB issue. As just mentioned, there is no ticket open about this.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS F55A
    CPU
    Intel Penthium B980
    Memory
    4 GB
Let's not throw ElectroMark off the bus quite yet.

I have a Win8 host with an XP guest. Everything was working two days ago just fine. The guest could see my USB devices, I could map COM1 on my guest to COM4 on my host, and I could print from my guest machine.

That all changed when I attempted to:

  1. Investigate why the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager (2) (as shown in the host's Task Manager) was consuming 75% of the CPU at all times;
  2. Troubleshoot why a daily production data upload to a remote appliance via a USB Modem attached to a host USB port was taking 23% longer than it did when the entire process was working on a much slower stand-alone PC running XP (this is an hour long upload...23% is a lot of time); and,
  3. Use the task scheduler on the host to automatically invoke VM VirtualBox and an instance of the XP VM whenever the host machine was rebooted.

Since fiddling around with the three items above, I can no longer map COM1 to COM4 using the serial configuration setup without getting the following error:

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Win XP.
NamedPipe#0 failed to create named pipe COM4 (VERR_INVALID_NAME).
Result Code:
E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component:
Console
Interface:
IConsole {db7ab4ca-2a3f-4183-9243-c1208da92392}

My guest machine cannot see the printer, and it cannot connect to the USB Modem.

I suspect that all three things may have a common root cause. However, my primary focus is the need to restore connectivity to the USB Modem. The daily upload is critical.

I have read all the VBox documentation I can get my hands on. I have read forums on the printer issue, the Serial Port issue, and the USB issue until I am beginning to mix them up. I have now invested over 30 hours in testing conflicting theories, statements, configurations, and networking, serial, and USB configurations. I still cannot get back to where things worked two days ago.

In my attempts to restore the COM port connectivity, I gave up at trying to map COM1 to COM3 at one point and attempted, instead, to try and connect to the modem directly via the virtual USB port. That is when I discovered problems with this method as well. In the original configuration (> two days ago) I only had the "Enable USB Controller" checked. I used no filters. I had not checked whether the USB modem showed up in the hardware device list within Control Panel or not (I had no need, since the COM port mapping was working just fine), so I have no real baseline regarding the USB issue. In my testing to try to restore functionality, I have added a USB device filter and the device list shows the USB modem connected to the host just like ElectroMark said. However, my result is the same as his; once the guest is running, I can't find the modem anywhere from within the guest OS.

Things that I did that may have had an impact:
  • I attempted to Invoke the Guest XP VM at Host startup via Task Scheduler with the following command:
"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" startvm "WIN XP"

However, I screwed up a couple of times when I didn't remember the correct syntax. Accordingly, I had invoked the commands:

"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" vmstart "WIN XP"
"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" /vmstart "WIN XP"
"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" /startvm "WIN XP"

and possibly others before I realized my mistakes and gave up altogether for the time being.​

  • I turned off McAfee's firewall and antivirus services on the Host; this did not help. I have restored the two functions.

Things that I have done to troubleshoot (including all of testing discussed above):


  • I have reinstalled the USB modem drivers on both the host OS and the guest OS; this did not help.
  • I have moved the USB modem to a different USB port
  • I have renamed the USB modem port to COM3
  • I have tried every configuration of networking and Serial Port mapping I can think of.
  • I upgraded VM VirtualBox from version 4.2.6 to version 4.2.12 r84980

Things that happened along the way that may have had an impact:


  • While troubleshooting, the automated Dell update process kicked off, popped a bunch of windows on the screen, then, eventually said successful update. This was after I had problems with the modem connection, however.

The bottom line is that everything worked just fine two days ago, I am now experiencing the same things as ElectroMark, I am having the same luck in resolving the problem as ElectroMark, and I am sure there is a solution.

Could it be something in the Host's registry?
Could it be a firewall issue?
Could it be something wrong with DHCP? (I'm a bit out of my element here.)

I would rebuild the entire VM world from scratch except that it takes about 10 hours per day for a week to get everything loaded so the production application runs correctly. I just finished putting it all together about two weeks ago and had not yet backed it all up before this problem. (Now you can rag on me!)

Any new ideas or direction would help.

--Tenacious

P.S. By the way, the Oracle VM VirutalBox Manager (2) App in the Host's Task Manager now shows as 15% CPU utilization. I have no idea what caused this change. It had been running 75% and higher constantly for weeks.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 660s
Hello Tenacious,

That seems to be a frustrating situation. I'm no expert but I'll try to help.

Just some ideas I like to share:

If you upgraded or downgraded the VBox version, make sure you upgrade or downgrade the Additions as well to match the current version.

Did you tried a system restore if possible? To go back 2 days ago and see it the host settings are back before Scheduled Tasks in VirtualBox took place.

When the executable uses 75% CPU on the host (I believe you look in Task Manager on the host) If there is a VM running, you should also look in the Task Manager in the guest as well to see precisely what program from the guest is causing this. If it uses CPU with no VM's running than that wouldn't be considered as normal. In this case maybe is this high CPU related with the USB modem problems with VirtualBox.

I've tried 4.2.12 but it crashed (stopped working) a few times and I went back to my good 'ol 4.2.4 OSE version which is the most superior at the moment regarding Windows 8 (QT interface is fixed among some other stuff stable in 4.2.4). I consider this stable since it never crashed to me. I'm not sure if the crashes on 4.2.12 were due to outdated VM Additions but that was annoying not being able to update those.

Turning off antivirus is not a good idea but you should exclude the VM's folder from scans since virtual disks are enclosed, hidden from the host system and are usually very large which can slow antivirus scans.

USB's are tricky in VBox, some devices don't work at all (Sandisk USB 32GB?...) If the modem worked once it should work again, it's a matter of finding the cause on the host or guest so there are many places to look for (system restore should be easier but this time I think is useful to turn off McAfee).

Cheers!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Thank you for your reply. I tried some of the items plus removed and reinstalled the USB Modem. At this stage, the CPU usage is still quite acceptable and I am now able to connect to the USB modem. However, I have to manually initiate the connection each time I load the guest machine. I do this by selecting Devices>USB Devices (in the upper left corner of the Guest machine) then left clicking on the USB Modem I want attached to the guest machine. (By clicking Devices>USB Devices I can see each of the USB devices available.)

This allows me to use the modem but if I reboot the guest machine, the attachment must be manually reestablished. Is there a way to ensure that any USB device that is seen as available can automatically be attached when booting the guest OS? (I tried using filters but that didn't seem to do it.)

Also, I still cannot make an association between the guest serial port (COM1) and the host serial port (COM4) like I was doing before. That method allowed me to use the modem without having to manually attach things. (I suppose that is because the setup configuration of the guest OS explicitly calls out the association.)

At this stage, I am able to keep things running in production; however, I am not real comfortable that everything is working as well as it was a few days back.

--Tenacious

P.S. I still cannot see the network printer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 660s
Back
Top