VirtualBox - USB devices greyed out in Guest OS

Ubuntu 10.04 Host
VirtualBox 4.0.x
Windows 7 Guest

I had this problem previously (on a different OS install) running VirtualBox 3.x with a Windows XP Guest, and steps 1-2 below solved my problem.

This time, running VirtualBox 4.x with a Windows 7 Guest OS, I needed a 3rd step. Guest OS may not have mattered. Shortly after installing the new VirtualBox, I installed the VirtualBox Extension Pack to support USB 2.0 devices.

Following steps 1-2 removed the "greyed out" problem, but the USB devices would not mount and were inaccessible in the Guest OS. I had to open the Guest OS properties and enable the USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller option.


Steps:

1. Add your Ubuntu account to group "vboxusers". Go to System > Administration > Users and Groups - then click "Manage Groups", then double-click "vboxusers" then check/enable your account in there.
   
2. Reboot (or maybe log out/in? - untested)
   
3. Enable USB 2.0 in VirtualBox. Open VirtualBox (not Guest OS), click Settings button for Guest OS. Click USB. Check the Enable USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller box.
   

Rosetta Stone - Profile backup

Backup tracking.db3 to save your profile and progress information.

Windows 2000 or XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Rosetta Stone\tracking.db3

Windows Vista/7:
C:\Program Data\Rosetta Stone\tracking.db3

iPod touch does not mount after iOS 4.2.x upgrade

After upgrading my iPod touch to iOS 4.2.x, it no longer mounted in Ubuntu 10.04.

Following the steps outlined here fixed the problem.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PortableDevices/iPhone#Device does not mount after iOS4.2.x upgrade


1. Add the new repository

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pmcenery/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

2. In synaptic, find libimobiledevice0 and uncheck, check libimobiledevice1

3. Apply changes.

A logout / login or reboot may be necessary to allow the auto-mounting to work.

4. If you still have problems, and get TLS error messages when typing the command 'ifuse /media/iphone' in a terminal, rename the ~/.local/libimobiledevice folder to ~/.local/libimobiledevice.old or delete it.

Getting a new iPod touch to work in Virtualbox

Recently got an iPod touch. From the time I turned it on, the screen instructed me mercilessly to plug the thing into iTunes and wouldn't allow me to do anything else.

So I fired up Windows 7 in Virtualbox. After installing iTunes, I mounted the iPod, it was detected and iTunes opened. When I would try to restore the iPod, iTunes would begin the process, but it would never finish, always bringing up an error that, according to Apple's website was a USB-related issue.

I noticed in Virutalbox that the iPod would unmount during this process (no check mark beside it when right-clicking on USB icon in lower right corner). It would never re-mount, and eventually the USB error would come up.

So, on a long shot, I tried the restore again, this time manually re-mounting the iPod after it was unmounted from Virtualbox.

This time the restore began working. I had to manually re-mount the iPod a few times during the process, and it completed.

Now I've got a fully functional iPod touch that I'm using with gtkpod.