Enable USB devices in VirtualBox (Ubuntu Intrepid)

Posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 12:05 pm

Firstly, we need to enable the current user to use VirtualBox. Go to System -> Administration -> Users and Groups. Click Unlock and insert your password. Select your username and click “Properties”. Go to User Privileges tab, tick “Use VirtualBox” and click OK.
 

 
Open terminal, and type this command

$ grep vbox /etc/group

Example of the output should be vboxusers:x:<gid>:yourusername
 
Take note of the <gid> value. Next, edit mountkernfs.sh

$ sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mountkernfs.sh

 
Insert this line after domount proc “” /proc proc -onodev,noexec,nosuid. Make sure to replace <gid> with the value that you get earlier.

domount usbfs “” /proc/bus/usb usbdevfs -onoexec,nosuid,nodev,devgid=<gid>,devmode=664

 
Reboot.
 
Run VirtualBox and your guest OS. Click Devices -> USB Devices and select the USB devices that you want to use in the guest OS.
 

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4 comments

 1 
Bob:

Great write up, saved it to my foxmarks and printed to pdf files. Saved me alot of hassle.

January 10th, 2009 at 8:10 am
 2 
Andrea:

Great post, thanks a lot! :)

May 27th, 2009 at 5:28 am
 3 

Great,very useful post!Thanks

September 3rd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
 4 
Stephen:

There is no vboxusers group.

December 5th, 2009 at 9:49 pm

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