Win 10 Ent guest on Mac OS/X | mouse control inside VM

[johnny_canuck]

Every 2 years (which is the frequency with which I teach one of the classes I'm responsible for), I have to take the ~50% of the students in the class with Mac laptops, and install Windows inside a VM -- since 95% of the very technical software I (and most of my profession) uses has no native Mac version. In years past, this was no problem at all (last time was VB and Win 7 -- now, trying with Win 10).

Sat down with a student today to try to install Win 10 Ent in a VM, using latest VirtualBox (6.1.32) with associated extension pack. Set up the VM, and once I started the VM and the Windows install, didn't take long to realize something(s) had changed: the Windows install screen was 'tiny' on the Mac laptop (*maybe 3 inches x 2 inches*). I'm guessing this is some sort of artefact of a Retina-resolution screen on the Mac? Who knows [if there is a way around this, let me know...]...at any rate, I put on my reading glasses, then managed to answer the usual install questions (even remembered to turn off networking so I didn't get prompted to create a MS account -- local account is more than enough). Got Windows 10 Ent installed inside VB.

Did a final reboot of Windows, and then the problem(s) statreted -- I *tried* to install the Guest Additions (since in past I needed to do this as the only way I could find to get Windwos to run in full screen on a Mac). Tried, but failed. Accessed GA in the CD drive OK, but when I double-click the appropriate .exe to get things started, Windows pops up a window asking me to confirm that I want to make changes to the system. This is normal. But, for the life of me, couldn't get the cursor inside the VM to actually be able to select/press 'yes'. In fact, largely lost control of the cursor inside the VM entirely. Tried every trick I knew, and nada...once the window popped up asking me to authorize changes to the system (needed to install Guest Additions), the VM basically became unusable, since I lost control of the mouse.

Any suggestions/pointers to the obvious?

[scottgus1]

*maybe 3 inches x 2 inches*). I'm guessing this is some sort of artefact of a Retina-resolution screen on the Mac?

Seems reasonable. Try setting the VM's Display settings, Screen tab, Scaling factor to 200%. It may make the screen bigger and easier to see on those atom-size Retina pixels. Set back to 100% after Guest Additions are installed.

The mouse control problem is probably because of the Guest Additions not being installed (though the USB-Tablet-emulating mouse should have a way around that). As a workaround, the UAC permissions box can be controlled with the arrow keys and Enter on the keyboard.

Be sure you are not changing the mouse type from USB Tablet. Windows 10 also likes 2 processors, and max out the VM's video RAM.

Also, see the lower right corner of the VM's window for the Host key (probably one of the Command keys), which will release the mouse if it got captured inside the VM before GAs are installed and you can't get it out again.

[johnny_canuck]

*maybe 3 inches x 2 inches*). I'm guessing this is some sort of artefact of a Retina-resolution screen on the Mac?

Seems reasonable. Try setting the VM's Display settings, Screen tab, Scaling factor to 200%. It may make the screen bigger and easier to see on those atom-size Retina pixels. Set back to 100% after Guest Additions are installed.

Thanks -- worth a try next time I try things...

The mouse control problem is probably because of the Guest Additions not being installed (though the USB-Tablet-emulating mouse should have a way around that). As a workaround, the UAC permissions box can be controlled with the arrow keys and Enter on the keyboard.

You'd think, but nope. In fact, tried that. Tried arrow keys, enter, tab key -- pretty well everything I know that allows you to navigate without relying on a mouse. Nothing worked.

Be sure you are not changing the mouse type from USB Tablet. Windows 10 also likes 2 processors, and max out the VM's video RAM.

Made no changes to the default -- left in USB tablet mode. 2 Processer, full VRAM, and 4 MB of RAM for the guest itself.

Also, see the lower right corner of the VM's window for the Host key (probably one of the Command keys), which will release the mouse if it got captured inside the VM before GAs are installed and you can't get it out again.

Indeed - left control. But, still wouldn't give me control back within the VM. I basically had to hard shutdown VirtualBox, just to shutdown the Windows guest.

[scottgus1]

You'd think, but nope. In fact, tried that. Tried arrow keys, enter, tab key -- pretty well everything I know that allows you to navigate without relying on a mouse. Nothing worked.

That's really eclectic. Stumps me.

Next time it happens, please post a VM log:

Start the VM from full power off, not save-state. Run until you see the problem happen, then shut down the VM from within the VM OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.

Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show Log. Save the far left tab's log, zip the log file, and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

[johnny_canuck]

You'd think, but nope. In fact, tried that. Tried arrow keys, enter, tab key -- pretty well everything I know that allows you to navigate without relying on a mouse. Nothing worked.

That's really eclectic. Stumps me.

Next time it happens, please post a VM log:

Start the VM from full power off, not save-state. Run until you see the problem happen, then shut down the VM from within the VM OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.

Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show Log. Save the far left tab's log, zip the log file, and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

Thanks -- will do (once I figure out how to do 'right-click' on a Mac). I've had great success (in past) getting Windows to run as a guest under OS/X using VirtualBox, so I was surprised to have this many hassles this time. I blame OS/X. [I shudder in loathing when confronted with a student carry a Mac laptop into my office. I resist telling them to get a 'real computer', or some such.]
I've had no problems ever using VB on my Linux hosts (knock wood).

[johnny_canuck]

So, had the student come in a second time. On this attempt, we managed to get VB installed, with extension pack. Did a Win 10 Pro install, local account only, and managed to get the guest additions installed. So, promising...

But, as soon as I try to install a program in the VM, the UAC pops up, and I am completely unable to change from the default (no) to yes. Mouse, keyboard - nada works. In fact, I completely lose the keyboard entirely, and have to hard shutdown the VM to get control back.

I did grab a log file, as suggested. Attached.

This is seriously puzzling to me. I've never had a problem with Windows on *any* host before, including OS/X-based Macs. But, this is the first time in 2 years I've tried getting things working on a Mac, so...

Any help appreciated.