Accessing Thumb Drive via VirtualBox on Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide

VirtualBox allows users to set up a virtual machine and access various devices, including thumb drives or external storage devices. However, configuring Hyper-V USB passthrough can be a bit challenging, especially when working with Linux as the host operating system. In this article, we will explore how to access your thumb drive via VirtualBox on Linux.

The main challenge in accessing a thumb drive through Hyper-V USB passthrough is that Windows identifies the device as a 'Mass Storage Device' before it can be connected in Hyper-V USB passthrough mode. This means that only one component can communicate with a USB device at any given time, and the Windows disk subsystem brokers I/O for all USB storage devices.

To add Hyper-V passthrough support for your USB drives, you will need to configure VirtualBox to recognize your thumb drive as a separate device. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

1. Open VirtualBox and navigate to the Settings of your virtual machine.

2. Click on 'USB' and select the thumb drive from the list of available USB devices.

3. In the 'USB Settings' window, click on the 'Advanced' tab and select the option that says 'Passthrough' under the 'Controller' dropdown menu.

4. Make sure that the 'Enable USB passthrough' checkbox is selected, and then click on 'OK' to save your changes.

Once you have configured VirtualBox to recognize your thumb drive as a separate device, you can access it from within your virtual machine. To do this, simply insert the thumb drive into the virtual machine's USB port or select it from the list of available devices in the 'USB Settings' window.

That's it! With these simple steps, you should be able to access your thumb drive via VirtualBox on Linux. Remember that Hyper-V USB passthrough can only work with devices that are recognized by Windows as a 'Mass Storage Device'.

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