Geek Question - Virtual Box

[crokett]

Does anyone know if Virtual Box allows the guest OS direct access to HW or does it depend on the Host OS driver? I am wondering if I can get around no Linux support for my USB printer by hosting an XP VM on my Linux box and sharing the printer from there.

[knobcreekman]

Yes it will.. I have to run windows vb on my mac to support various devices

[woodturner]

Does anyone know if Virtual Box allows the guest OS direct access to HW or does it depend on the Host OS driver? I am wondering if I can get around no Linux support for my USB printer by hosting an XP VM on my Linux box and sharing the printer from there.

Virtual Box will allow guest OS's to access hardware, but it is via drivers in Virtual Box. I think what you are proposing will work, but I have not tried it. I have done it the other way - accessed linux disks on a Vista host machine.

[pierhogunn2]

if that doesn't work, how about ebaying an old jet-direct box, and sticking it out on your router?

[Cubsfan]

You can, but I think you have to buy the full version to get generic usb support:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Editions

[Alex Franke]

Yes, VirtualBox is great -- I use it often.

Note that the "full version" (closed source) is also free for personal use -- you don't have to buy anything.

[dbhost]

Not to cast aspersions on the JetDirect idea... But I have a JetDirect, and I had at one time an HP all in one machine that had no XP support (probably does by now), the only way I could get it to play happy on XP was to run a generic driver for an HP Color InkJet printer, but no two way out of the scanner or anything on XP. Oddly enough, Linux worked great...

That was back when XP first came out, that machine is long gone.

[crokett]

Well I got it working after miuch fits and starts, including having to figure out that by default apt-get install of virtual box installs the ope-source edition with no USB support. I learned a great deal about what is possible with Virtual Box though. Oh and I am posting this from inside the virtual XP machine while I am remote controlling it from my laptop.