keyboard problems with ubuntu guests and 4.3.14

[f456]

After upgrading vbox to 4.3.14, the AltGr key on my keyboard does not work anymore.

vbox: 4.3.14
guest: ubuntu 14.04
host:
win 7 sp1
8GB RAM
intel i7 quadcore

The Hardware keyboard is a German notebook.


Downgrading to vbox 4.3.12 fixes this issue (even with the 4.3.14 Guest additions still installed).



Gentlemen, this is the third major bug in vbox 4.3.14 i experience in mere days.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=62664&p=293346#p293346
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=62684

and i am probably lucky i dont have an AV installed.


I am downgrading to version 4.3.12 for now, but if there is anything i can do to help, let me know.

[Korkman]

Confirming this bug. With 4.3.14 guest additions installed, Alt-Gr seemed to work for first guest boot, but not on reboot. Not working at all with Distro guest additions (4.3.10). My test system: Mint 17 Xcfe. Filing a bug on this.

https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/13216

[socratis]

Add another post from yesterday confirming this by pschneider1968.

[michael]

If either of you are still having this, it would be interesting if you could give the "keylook" tool attached to ticket #12138<1> a try and post the output that it gives when you press AltGr. It would also be great if you could test or re-test what Korkman said about AltGr working before but not after a guest reboot. If possible, it would be good if you could post updates to Korkman's bug ticket rather than to this forum topic.

<1> https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/12138

[Sardtok]

I can confirm this problem. I'm using a Norwegian keyboard. If I switch the keyboard layout on the host OS, I can still use the keyboard as if it was Norwegian on the guest. If I use the Norwegian layout on the host, it seems to add Ctrl to the keys. I haven't used keylook as suggested to check this, but Emacs shows me pressing Ctrl + {, when I press AltGr + 7 for instance. I know that AltGr = Ctrl + Right Alt, but I don't understand why the Ctrl seems to be passed through only if the host OS has a mapping that handles the conversion of characters based on the modifier key, but not if you switch to for instance the US layout on the host (I use the Ja layout as my fallback, but still).

[michaln]

Because for standard layouts, Right Alt is Right Alt. For German and few other layouts, the Right Alt key turns to AltGr which Windows makes into Ctrl + Alt. The problem is that Windows makes it unreasonably difficult to distinguish between pressing AltGr and pressing Alt + Ctrl. Unfortunately VirtualBox needs to.

And by the way, please direct any follow-up reports and information to the bug ticket. That's where it will be read by someone who can do something about it.

[michael]

I can confirm this problem. I'm using a Norwegian keyboard. If I switch the keyboard layout on the host OS, I can still use the keyboard as if it was Norwegian on the guest. If I use the Norwegian layout on the host, it seems to add Ctrl to the keys. I haven't used keylook as suggested to check this, but Emacs shows me pressing Ctrl + {, when I press AltGr + 7 for instance. I know that AltGr = Ctrl + Right Alt, but I don't understand why the Ctrl seems to be passed through only if the host OS has a mapping that handles the conversion of characters based on the modifier key, but not if you switch to for instance the US layout on the host (I use the Ja layout as my fallback, but still).

As Michal said, please post details to ticket #13216. Please also mention which version of Windows you are using on your host, and whether releasing the keyboard capturing (pressing the host key) helps.

<1> https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/13216

[michael]

As Michal said, please post details to ticket #13216. Please also mention which version of Windows you are using on your host, and whether releasing the keyboard capturing (pressing the host key) helps.

<1> https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/13216

Please also give the test build linked to on that ticket a try. I have confirmation from the first user who tried it that it fixed the problem for them.

[juanlvo]

Same problem

Processor: Intel Core i7 870 @ 2.93 Ghz

Physical Ram: 16Gb
Virtual Ram: 8Gb

Physical OS: Win 7 64bits
Virtual OS: Ubuntu 12.04 64bits

Keyboard: French (Switzerland)
German (Switzerland)

[michael]

Same problem

Processor: Intel Core i7 870 @ 2.93 Ghz

Physical Ram: 16Gb
Virtual Ram: 8Gb

Physical OS: Win 7 64bits
Virtual OS: Ubuntu 12.04 64bits

Keyboard: French (Switzerland)
German (Switzerland)

Please do the tests I mentioned and try the test build attached to the bug ticket.

[juanlvo]

Same problem

Processor: Intel Core i7 870 @ 2.93 Ghz

Physical Ram: 16Gb
Virtual Ram: 8Gb

Physical OS: Win 7 64bits
Virtual OS: Ubuntu 12.04 64bits

Keyboard: French (Switzerland)
German (Switzerland)

Please do the tests I mentioned and try the test build attached to the bug ticket.

Thanks Michael, problem fix it

1.. I just install

VirtualBox-4.3.15-95141-Win.exe

2. update guest additions

3. restart ubuntu.

and Voila, problem solve.

Thanks a lot.

[hamelg2]

Hello,

This bug was not definitively fixed, some users continued to suffer from this issue in 4.3.18.
Michael was provided another fix en 4.3.17.
Unfortunately, this issue is back in 4.3.18. I am not alone, others users have updated the ticket #13216.
But, nobody replies ...
If Michael sees my message, he could update the ticket.
Thanks by advance for him.

[michaln]

It just so happens that Michael saw the same kind of problem on his Ubuntu host system (i.e. on real hardware, not in a VM). We are less and less convinced that this is a) a VirtualBox bug, and b) we can do anything about it.

But if anyone has a suggestion why it's only certain Linux guests that have this problem an no other guest OS, we're certainly interested.

[hamelg2]

It just so happens that Michael saw the same kind of problem on his Ubuntu host system (i.e. on real hardware, not in a VM). We are less and less convinced that this is a) a VirtualBox bug, and b) we can do anything about it.

I use xubuntu, archlinux and slackware on physical, I never see this issue. More, this issue is specific to windows host, Linux guest running on Linux host doesn't have this issue.
Michael seems to know where is the problem. he has provided an additional fix in 4.3.17 : see the ticket 13216, comment #49
Why this fix is not present in 4.3.18 ?

[michael]

I think we may be talking about two different problems here - missed key events on a Linux system and AltGr problems when VirtualBox is run on a Windows host. I saw the first of those on physical hardware yesterday, which leads me to conclude that it is not a VirtualBox problem, but possibly easier to trigger in a virtual machine, and am currently working on a fix for the second.