Mouse randomly stops working

Discussions about using Linux guests in VirtualBox.
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kfank
Posts: 3
Joined: 23. May 2023, 02:15

Mouse randomly stops working

Post by kfank »

{mod note: split from 2018 topic with this name}

I've also had this issue for years with Ubuntu guest through various versions of VB and guest. Currently I have

Host: Windows 10
Guest: Ubuntu 22.04
VirtualBox: 7.0.2

When this occurs I turn off (or is it on?) mouse integration and then the guest captures the mouse and I have control again. But this is annoying because I am constantly having to toggle the mouse between the guest and host using the right control key. The only way I have found to get integration working again is by restarting the VM, but this is nearly always very inconvenient as I am usually deep in the middle of something with multiple terminal sessions running. I've attached the VB log file from when this last happened to me. Is there any additional info I can gather when this occurs that would help get to the bottom of this? Is there at least a way to restart the mouse integration process/binding to get this working again without restarting the VM?
Attachments
VB_log.zip
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Last edited by mpack on 23. May 2023, 11:54, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: See note
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Mouse randomly stops working

Post by scottgus1 »

7.0.2 is older and buggy. 7.0.8 has had more bugs found, try upgrading Virtualbox and Guest Additions.

Is your Ubuntu OS using X or Wayland? If Wayland, is XWayland installed?

A possible test: try using the PS/2 mouse in the VM's System settings, Motherboard tab, Pointing Device.
kfank
Posts: 3
Joined: 23. May 2023, 02:15

Re: Mouse randomly stops working

Post by kfank »

@scottgus1: Setting mouse to PS/2 appears to have done the trick. (It was originally set to USB tablet. I don't know how it got that way since there is no tablet, nor why I didn't see that before.) I haven't had a failure in nearly 2 months. Thanks!
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Mouse randomly stops working

Post by scottgus1 »

Glad you're up and running!

USB Tablet is a default pointing device Virtualbox uses on some OS types to get Mouse-Integration-like behavior in VMs that don't have Guest Additions in them yet. Usually, USB Tablet works just fine in these VMs, even though there is no actual tablet and the host uses a mouse.

Switching to PS/2 is a forum-discovered workaround for some mouse glitches. No one knows why the tablet stops working and the PS/2 mouse gets through, or if it's something in the VM's OS that stops working with the tablet but continues to work with the mouse.
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