How can Guest Additions be enabled in my VM if I have not installed them?

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cuckoo
Posts: 4
Joined: 28. Jul 2022, 14:01

How can Guest Additions be enabled in my VM if I have not installed them?

Post by cuckoo »

I have a Windows VM and I have never installed Guest Additions in it. Yet mouse integration is ON and if you hover over the icon it says very clearly that Guest Additions must be installed for mouse integration to be enabled. Again, I have never installed Guest Additions so what is going on? I have read the Guest Additions chapter of the User Manual but haven't found anything which could clarify this. Please I hope someone can help me out and tell me what's going on since I'm trying to build a sandbox environment and if Guest Additions have been somehow installed, this could a huge issue for me.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: How can Guest Additions be enabled in my VM if I have not installed them?

Post by scottgus1 »

Virtualbox has a 'USB Tablet' mouse that is usable on many modern OS's. This kind of 'mouse' enables Mouse-Integration-style capability in the VM without requiring Guest Additions.

You can check in the Windows list of installed programs for Guest Additions, or in the running processes in Task Manager.
cuckoo
Posts: 4
Joined: 28. Jul 2022, 14:01

Re: How can Guest Additions be enabled in my VM if I have not installed them?

Post by cuckoo »

scottgus1 wrote:Virtualbox has a 'USB Tablet' mouse that is usable on many modern OS's. This kind of 'mouse' enables Mouse-Integration-style capability in the VM without requiring Guest Additions.

You can check in the Windows list of installed programs for Guest Additions, or in the running processes in Task Manager.
Thank you very much scottgus1, how may check this USB Tablet and find out more about it? Can it also count as a virtualisation trace for my sandbox, and therefore, eliminate/edit it?
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: How can Guest Additions be enabled in my VM if I have not installed them?

Post by scottgus1 »

The VM's System settings, Motherboard tab, Pointing Device dropdown will pick the mouse type. Since the 'tablet' is a simulated USB device, it should be exclusively controlled by the VM, since USB cannot be shared.

If you're really worried, a basic PS/2 mouse is available also, which will not have Mouse Integration if no Guest Additions are installed. You'll need to tap the Host Key to get the mouse out of the VM.
cuckoo
Posts: 4
Joined: 28. Jul 2022, 14:01

Re: How can Guest Additions be enabled in my VM if I have not installed them?

Post by cuckoo »

scottgus1 wrote:The VM's System settings, Motherboard tab, Pointing Device dropdown will pick the mouse type. Since the 'tablet' is a simulated USB device, it should be exclusively controlled by the VM, since USB cannot be shared.

If you're really worried, a basic PS/2 mouse is available also, which will not have Mouse Integration if no Guest Additions are installed. You'll need to tap the Host Key to get the mouse out of the VM.
@scottgus1 even after going into Properties -> System -> Pointing Device and choosing PS/2 Mouse, the mouse capture is still ON. Is there a way for me then to change this somehow?
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