SD card readers and VMs - MacOS

[nauga]

I'm running a Win10 VM on a MacOS (Big Sur) host using VirtualBox. Can anyone tell me HITF I get the VM to recognize the SD Card reader? I have no issue with other USB peripherals, just the card reader. There's plenty of "guidance" available online, but as expected much of it conflicts/contradicts and nothing has worked so far. Anyone got any suggestions, preferrably ones they have applied and found to work?

Nauga,
and his house of cards

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

I like to be helpful but I have no clue so I asked chat GPT to answer the question but in the style of a junkie hoping to get a lil sumpin sumpin from you in exchange for the technical support.
That way it would seem less likely that I googled it and more likely that I have had this problem before but then got heavy into meth or something.


Aight, listen up, bro, I’ve been bangin’ my head against the wall with this same crap, but I finally got it sorted, so here’s the deal, step by step, no BS. You help me out after? Cool? Cool.

1. Make Sure Your Mac’s Playin’ Nice
   First thing—check if your Mac even sees the damn SD card reader. Pop in a card and see if it shows up in Finder or Disk Utility. If it don’t, the problem’s not VirtualBox—it’s your Mac being a diva. Fix that first.
2. Get VirtualBox to Stop Being Stupid
   
   • Fire up VirtualBox, click your Windows VM, hit Settings, then USB.
   • Turn on USB support. Pick USB 3.0, ’cause anything less is trash.
   • Add a filter for the SD reader:
     • Plug it in, click that little + button, and pick your SD reader from the list. If it ain’t there, smash something (but not your computer).
3. Download That Extension Pack Thing
   You can’t do USB stuff without the VirtualBox Extension Pack, man. Google it, download it, install it, restart VirtualBox, then restart the VM. No shortcuts here—just do it.
4. Drivers Are Probably Screwed
   Once you’re in the VM, open Device Manager (type it in the search bar). Look for your SD reader under "USB controllers" or "Disk drives." Got a yellow triangle? Yeah, that means it’s busted. Right-click it, update the driver, let Windows do its magic. If it still sucks, we’re talkin’ manual install, but let’s not go there unless we have to.
5. Mac Won’t Let Go of the Card? Eject It!
   If your Mac’s hoggin’ the SD card, VirtualBox can’t grab it. Go into Finder or Disk Utility, hit eject, then plug it back in and try again in the VM. Works 9 outta 10 times, promise.
6. Plan B: Share the Card as a Folder
   Alright, if VirtualBox just won’t behave, here’s the workaround:
   
   • In VirtualBox, go to Settings > Shared Folders.
   • Add the SD card’s location (like /Volumes/SDCard) and make sure you check "Auto-mount."
   • Now you can grab it as a shared folder inside Windows. Boom, done.
7. If All Else Fails, Go Nuclear
   
   • If it’s an internal reader, you might need to mess with PCI passthrough, but that’s some deep, scary-level stuff.
   • Or, use a USB-over-network tool like VirtualHere to cheat the system. Yeah, it’s dirty, but it works.

Now get that thing workin’, and hey, if you got anything to spare, like, y’know, just hit me up. Good luck, man. Don’t let the tech gods win this one!

 

[nauga]

...I finally got it sorted, so here’s the deal, step by step, no BS.

They say it be like that but it don't be. Looks like it might be something to do with permissions on the card reader (not the cards themselves) that still block even when running the VM as root. Not sure if host side or VM side. Still digging.

Nauga,
peripherally

 

[masloki]

90% sure it is a host pass thru permissions issue. Mac’s have become spectacularly cantankerous about peripherals and app access. If I gave any further crud, I’d try it out for giggles, but I’m currently ignoring a telemetry api problem so that’s where my focus isn’t.

 

[nauga]

90% sure it is a host pass thru permissions issue. Mac’s have become spectacularly cantankerous about peripherals and app access.

And there you have it. I changed the raw device permissions to match those of the VM and it works now. That's a new on on me - thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Nauga,
finally on the axis with access

 

[GeorgeC]

This is an answer to a question you didn't ask, but since moving from my 2012/2015 macbook pros to the M1/M2 airs, I've had a two usb oddities happen in recent memory. In both cases, it involved a storage device that would show up on the bus but not actually mount. One was a usb-a thumb drive that I eventually gave up on. The other was an external ssd that I expected would negotiate/handshake and Just Work with any usb-c cable, but ended up requiring whatever special usb 33 1/3 monster cable.