Keyboard keys get swapped

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Mac OS X hosts.
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frY
Posts: 1
Joined: 24. Sep 2007, 22:10

Keyboard keys get swapped

Post by frY »

Hi,

I've got a problem with the current beta of vBox.

Guest OS: Win XP
Keyboard: German Layout

Problem:
The < key gets always swapped with the ^ key.

Any idea how to fix that?
Hope that will be fixed in upcomming releases.
Timo
Posts: 2
Joined: 6. Oct 2008, 10:06

Post by Timo »

Same problem here. It's a Windows XP image that has been originally installed with Virtual Box 2.0.2 under a Ubuntu based host. Now I transfered the VDI image file to my Mac. There I have exactly this problem. Are in the VDI image some host based settings saved that might caused this? Should I try to reinstall Windows XP under Virtual Box on the Mac?
If this problem is well known, does anyone know when it will be fixed?

Cheers
Timo
michaln
Oracle Corporation
Posts: 2973
Joined: 19. Dec 2007, 15:45
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Any and all
Contact:

Re: Keyboard keys get swapped

Post by michaln »

A test build with a fix for the swapped keys is now available at http://www.virtualbox.org/download/test ... 64-OSX.dmg . Please report whether that fixes the problem. Users who did not encounter the swapped keys are encouraged to test as well, to make sure we didn't accidentally break something else. There are too many variables involved for us to comprehensively test every possible case.
shuggins
Posts: 2
Joined: 29. Jan 2010, 15:18
Primary OS: Ubuntu 8.10
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Windows XP, Ubuntu

Re: Keyboard keys get swapped

Post by shuggins »

Hi,

I have a Mac with a French Keyboard.

I have tested 3.2.11 after having installed VB Guest Additions on a Windows XP VM.

The following switches still exist:

The key over the Tab on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: @ Upper: #
In the Windows VM I get Lower: ² Upper: Nothing (same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key with the number 6 on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: § Upper: 6
In the Windows VM I get Lower: - Upper: 6 (same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key with the number 8 on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: ! Upper: 8
In the Windows VM I get Lower: _ Upper: 8 (same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key before the Backspace on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: - Upper: _
In the Windows VM I get Lower: = Upper: + (same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key on the top row next to the Enter key on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: $ Upper: * Alt: €
In the Windows VM I get Lower: $ Upper: £ Alt: nothing (nearly the same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key on the bottom row next to the Enter key on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: ` Upper: £
In the Windows VM I get Lower: * Upper: µ Alt: nothing (same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key on the row next to the Right-Shift key on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: = Upper: +
In the Windows VM I get Lower: ! Upper: § Alt: nothing (same as a PC French Keyboard)

The key on the bottom row of the numeric keypad on the French Mac Keyboard contains Lower: , Upper: .
In the Windows VM I get Lower: nothing Upper: nothing

I'm not sure whether this is exhaustive but I hope it helps.

Cheers,

Steve
michaln
Oracle Corporation
Posts: 2973
Joined: 19. Dec 2007, 15:45
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Any and all
Contact:

Re: Keyboard keys get swapped

Post by michaln »

Steve,

What you observe is not a VirtualBox bug. It's not a bug at all, unless the 'bug' is either using a PC keyboard layout (in a guest) with a Mac keyboard, or the fact that Mac keyboards are different from PC keyboards. Unless told otherwise, a Windows, Linux, etc. guest expects a PC keyboard layout. You can thank Apple for mangling the French keyboard layout - they didn't do that for the US and German layouts, those match between Macs and PCs.

For reference, compare http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2841 . The expected default behavior in most guests (actually just about any guest except OS X Server) is using the layouts shown on the Wikipedia page.

Technically, there is no way to deliver information about keycap labels to the guest. In fact even the host OS typically can't tell what the keyboard layout is, it must be told by the user. Keypresses can only be passed in the form of scan codes or USB HID usage codes; both assign a code to a key based on where it's located on a keyboard, regardless of the label on the key. It is the guest's job to assign meanings to the codes.

This issue with non-matching keyboard layouts is completely unrelated to the swapped keys problem.
shuggins
Posts: 2
Joined: 29. Jan 2010, 15:18
Primary OS: Ubuntu 8.10
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Windows XP, Ubuntu

Re: Keyboard keys get swapped

Post by shuggins »

Hi michaln,

OK, as we say in England: the penny's finally dropped!

Thanks very much for your help.

If anyone has the same problem, I found a French Mac Keyboard mapping to install in the Windows VM along with instructions at this URL: http://www.stateofmind.fr/confluence/di ... lavier+Mac. It worked OK for me.

Cheers,

Steve
EkDor
Posts: 1
Joined: 15. Nov 2013, 16:44

Re: Keyboard keys get swapped

Post by EkDor »

I have noticed I have @ and " swapped.

Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64), running on VirtualBox v4.3.2 r90405 Mac version, running on a mid 2011 iMac, using English United Kingdom Extended layout with Australian Language settings.
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