Storage management software ... in less than two minutes
To share a locally-attached USB device over RDP and connect to it from a remote desktop, you should take these simple steps: Download USB Network Gate on your Mac and install it. Launch the program and go to the Local USB Devices tab. You will see the list of devices that are physically connected to your Mac. 1) Macs don't have a BIOS. The use EFI (or OpenFirmware for PowerPC Macs) 2) On Intel Macs USB booting is always available, but only if there are EFI drivers for the device. It sounds like your pendrive won't work. There is no easy way round this.
If there's one thing that frustrates VirtualBox users more than anything, it's that USB doesn't work out of the box. No matter how much we'd all like this to to be the case, with every new iteration, the developers continue to keep USB out of the long list of things that just work.
Why would you want or need USB working with VirtualBox? What if you want to backup data to an external drive, or transfer data between virtual machines that aren't on the same subnet? For such instances, having the ability to easily share data via USB could make VirtualBox a significantly easier VM solution.
For those that need USB working on VirtualBox, I'm going to walk you through the process of getting this working. I'll be demonstrating on VirtualBox 5.2 running on an Elementary OS host (based on Ubuntu). The process isn't really challenging, you just have to know what to look for.
SEE: Special report: The cloud v. data center decision (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
With that said, let's take care of this.
Installing the latest version of VirtualBox
The first thing we want to do is make sure to install the latest version of VirtualBox. To do this, remove the current version with the command:
Once that completes, add the necessary repository with the command:
Where UBUNTU-RELEASE is the version of Ubuntu you are using. If you're unsure which version of Ubuntu you have installed, issue the command lsb_release -a.
Next, download and install the signature key for the repository with the command:
Now we can install the latest release with the following commands:
Install the Extension Pack
The first thing that must be done is the installation of the VirtualBox Extension Pack. There is a catch here. The open source Extension Pack only supports USB 1.0. If you need USB 2.0 or 3.0 support, you must install the closed source version, released by Oracle. To get the Oracle version, head over to the Downloads page and download the file for All supported platforms. Once that has downloaded, open up VirtualBox and do the following:
How To Enable Usb On Pc
- Click File | Preferences
- Click the Extension tab and then click the + button (Figure A)
- Navigate to where you saved the Extension Pack
- Select the Extension Pack and click Open
- When prompted, click the Install button
- Scroll through the EULA and then click I Agree
- Type your sudo password
- Allow the installation to complete
Figure A
vboxuser
There is one final step for this. In order for VirtualBox to have access to the USB subsystem, the user running VirtualBox must belong to the vboxuser group. To do this, open up a terminal and issue the following command:
Where USERNAME is the name of the user.
Once the command runs, logout and log back int.
Activate USB support
Open up VirtualBox, right-click on the virtual machine that needs access to USB, and click Settings. In the VM settings window, click USB. You should see that USB is now available. Click on the + button under USB Device Filters to add a new device (Figure B).
Figure B
When you start up that VM, it will now have access to the USB device. If you need to give it access to more than one USB device, go back into the Settings window of the VM, click on USB, and add the next device. Repeat that until the VM has access to all necessary USB devices (Figure C).
Figure C
A bit more usable now
Congratulations, VirtualBox is a bit more usable now. You no longer have to jump through hoops to get data from an external device to your VMs (or vice versa). Your data center will thank you for it.
Data Center Trends Newsletter
DevOps, virtualization, the hybrid cloud, storage, and operational efficiency are just some of the data center topics we'll highlight. Delivered Mondays and Wednesdays
Sign up today Also see
- VirtualBox: Everything the pros need to know (TechRepublic)
- How to connect to a VirtualBox VM desktop remotely (TechRepublic)
- How to manually install the VirtualBox extension pack (TechRepublic)
- How to resize a VirtualBox VM from the command line (TechRepublic)
- How to run Windows 10 on your Mac (ZDNet)
Sep 14, 2021 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Do you own an Apple Mac computer and you noticed after a while that the USB accessories have been disabled? Don’t be perturbed because in this article we will show you how to enable USB accessories and get it working again.
If USB accessories are disabled, you will no longer be able to access saved data in your flash drive. A disabled accessory may be caused by an ignorant mistake on your part or a system malfunction. Regardless of whose fault it is, a disabled accessory won’t serve your interest in any way. Bearing this in mind, with the aid of the system management controller (SMC) you can enable USB accessories in your Mac computer once again.
About the SMC does and Why You Need IT?
Here are some of the functions performed by the SMC
- Activating power button when pressed
- Responds to opening and closing lids in MC notebooks
- Manages battery power
- Thermal management
- SMS (Sudden Motion Sensor)
- Light sensing (Ambient)
- Keyboard backlight
- SIL (Status indicator management)
- Video external source selector
How so you know when you need an SMC reset?
- When your Mac computer operating system is running at a very high speed even when it is not performing many tasks at once
- Inconsistent keyboard backlight
- Inconsistent indicator light
- Unresponsive ambient light
- When it doesn’t respond to closings and openings
- Unexpected sleep or shutdown modes
- Improper charge
- Slow response to commands
- Failing to recognize the external drive
- Doesn’t respond when you press the power button
Before you reset the SMC
Before you decide to reset your Max system to resolve a disabled USB accessory try all these steps first
- Press down the power until it shuts down
- Tap the command option then the Escape option to quit unresponsive applications
- Put Mac in sleep mode by clicking the Apple menu then click sleep. Once the system is asleep wake it up again
- Restart Mac by clicking Apple Menu
- Shut down Mac by clicking Apple menu then tap the power button again to switch it back on
If Mac is having Power issues follow these simple steps
- Unplug adapter for a minute then plug it again
- Click Apple menu to shut down
- After shutdown remove battery then re-insert it again
- Press the power button to turn the power back on again
If the accessory is still not enabled you may need to reset the system. Follow these steps
Reset on MacBook notebooks
To reset Macbook, check if the battery can be removed. If the battery can’t be removed just
- Click Apple menu and shut the system down
- After the shutdown holds down the Shift + control option on the built-in keyboard and presses the power button at the same time. Hold all keys for 10 seconds. If your Macbook is a Pro the touch ID is also the power button.
- Release keys held down
- Press power key to turn Mac on again
If the battery is removable
- Shut system down
- Remove the battery
- Hold down the power key for about 5 seconds
- Fix battery back
- Press power key to turn the system back on
If the failed USB accessory is the USB port, you can also get the solutions to USB Port issues on Mac.
How to reset Mac desktop computers SMC
For Mac Pro, Mini, Xserve, and iMac follow these steps
- Click menu then shut down
- With for a few seconds
- Plug cable back to a power source
- Wait for some seconds then press the power key
If your system is an Xserve computer and it has failed to respond shut it down using commands.
How to reset SMC in Macs with Apple T2 Security Chip
- Click Menu then shut down
- After shut down hold down power for 10 seconds
- Release the button and wait for some seconds
- Press power key again to turn Mac back on
If this doesn’t work do this
- Choose menu then shut down
- Unplug power cable
- Wait for some seconds
- Plug cable back to a power source
- Wait for five seconds then switch Mac on
Mac notebook with the T2 chip
- Choose the menu and shut down
- After shutting down the press and hold the power key for about 10 seconds
- Release the key and wait for some few seconds
- Press power key to time Mac on
If this step does not work follow these steps
- Choose the menu and shut Mac down
- After shutdown press, the Shift key left option key and left control key. Hold them down for 7 seconds. While these keys are held down hold down the power key for 7 seconds also
- Release all keys at once. Wait for a while
- Press the power button to turn Mac on
All the steps listed are very effective tips you can use to enable your USB Accessories on your Max Computer. It may take you some time but try to follow all the steps just as they are listed and you can be sure that your Mac system will work as well as before again.
Recoverit Data Recovery is a must-have tool for those who are eager for recovering lost, deleted, formatted, damaged, or even virus-infected Mac data back. Restore Kaspersky files.
Final Tips: Recover Deleted or Lost Files on Mac
What's Wrong with Mac
How To Enable Usb Webcam
- Recover Your Mac
- Fix Your Mac
- Delete Your Mac
- Learn Mac Hacks