Connecting Kindle to VirtualBox Guest?

tashk · 04-18-2014, 05:20 PM

Is any of you using a Kindle PW2 with the guest OS of a VirtualBox VM?

When I connect my Kindle via USB, the Kindle is not attached to the guest OS even though I have set up the USB filter.

I just wanted to ask if it's working for somebody else before I spend more time on this.

Thanks!

garyyoung · 04-18-2014, 06:51 PM

I don't usually use Calibre inside my VM (Windows 7 guest; Kubuntu 14.04 host), but I just tried it with my Kindle PW1 (sorry, I don't have a PW2) and it worked fine. I'm not sure what you mean by the "USB filter," but in my case I had to select the dropdown menu Devices > USB Devices and then check the box next to "Amazon Kindle." It took a couple of minutes for Calibre to recognize that the Kindle was attached and another couple of minutes to generate a list of titles on the device (much longer than when I run Calibre in Kubuntu), but still it worked.

tashk · 04-18-2014, 08:29 PM

Thanks for letting me know it can work. This motivated me to investigate the issue further and I've found the solution

By USB filter I meant the USB Device Filter in the VM settings. It allows for devices to be automatically connected/forwarded to the guest once they have been connected to the host.

If somebody is having the same problem (on a Windows host):

I had to install the VirtualBox Extension Pack from https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads on my host system, then enable the option "Enable USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller" in the VM settings (in the USB menu). Before installing the Extension Pack, shut down the guest OS. First of all, you will not be able to enable the option while the VM is in Saved state so you'll have to restart it anyway, and second, it made my Saved state unresumable (is that a word?) and in the end I had to discard my Saved state in order to access the VM again.

04-18-2014, 05:20 PM	#1
tashk Hello, I'd like to know w Posts: 22 Karma: 69062 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kindle 4 NT, Paperwhite 2013	Connecting Kindle to VirtualBox Guest? Is any of you using a Kindle PW2 with the guest OS of a VirtualBox VM? When I connect my Kindle via USB, the Kindle is not attached to the guest OS even though I have set up the USB filter. I just wanted to ask if it's working for somebody else before I spend more time on this. Thanks!

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04-18-2014, 06:51 PM	#2
garyyoung Member Posts: 16 Karma: 59042 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kindle Voyage, PW1	I don't usually use Calibre inside my VM (Windows 7 guest; Kubuntu 14.04 host), but I just tried it with my Kindle PW1 (sorry, I don't have a PW2) and it worked fine. I'm not sure what you mean by the "USB filter," but in my case I had to select the dropdown menu Devices > USB Devices and then check the box next to "Amazon Kindle." It took a couple of minutes for Calibre to recognize that the Kindle was attached and another couple of minutes to generate a list of titles on the device (much longer than when I run Calibre in Kubuntu), but still it worked.

04-18-2014, 08:29 PM	#3
tashk Hello, I'd like to know w Posts: 22 Karma: 69062 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kindle 4 NT, Paperwhite 2013	Thanks for letting me know it can work. This motivated me to investigate the issue further and I've found the solution By USB filter I meant the USB Device Filter in the VM settings. It allows for devices to be automatically connected/forwarded to the guest once they have been connected to the host. If somebody is having the same problem (on a Windows host): I had to install the VirtualBox Extension Pack from https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads on my host system, then enable the option "Enable USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller" in the VM settings (in the USB menu). Before installing the Extension Pack, shut down the guest OS. First of all, you will not be able to enable the option while the VM is in Saved state so you'll have to restart it anyway, and second, it made my Saved state unresumable (is that a word?) and in the end I had to discard my Saved state in order to access the VM again.

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