Mouse click lost after a while

Discussions about using Linux guests in VirtualBox.
AALLeeXX
Posts: 63
Joined: 1. Apr 2016, 15:52
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux Ubuntu
Location: Japan

Mouse click lost after a while

Post by AALLeeXX »

Hi,

I'm not sure this is the right place to discuss this, but this happens in Ubuntu (14.04 and 16.04) guest on OS X host.
After using VB for a while, expanding to full screen or windowed, moving the VB window and resizing it, it often happens the mouse click even is not available any-more in Ubuntu applications (clicking just make nothing, does not change the focus, cannot move a window, etc...). Strangely however, it is still available for the Ubuntu top menu bar, but only here. This allows me to restart regularly (even I cannot close most of the applications). The dock on the left side does not get the click either.
Is it a known problem ? Is there something I can do to help about that ?

Thanks for any info and hints,

Alexandre
kus
Posts: 11
Joined: 15. Sep 2014, 20:48

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by kus »

I get the same issue, too, and have been unsuccessful in restoring mouse functionality once the mouse stops working. I'm generally forced to shut down the VM "hard", the virtual equivalent of yanking power on the machine :shock: ... Here are the things I've tried, observed, and looked for (in hopes that this helps):
  1. The issue happens randomly, usually after many hours of normal operation. Mouse integration (leaving the VM and then switching back into the VM) might be involved, as it seems that only when returning the mouse from the host to the guest does the problem rear its ugly head
  2. The mouse cursor continues to change styles (visually) from the host to the guest, but xev reports neither motion, nor button events from the mouse (various other events are reported); in another guest, running concurrently, I see plenty of motion and click events reported by xev.
  3. The mouse continues to work in other guests, so the problem is isolated to the affected guest
  4. Moving the mouse out of the guest and back in does not fix the issue
  5. Switching mouse integration off and on again does not fix the issue
  6. Suspending/restoring the guest does not fix the issue
  7. Switching to seamless mode (and back) does not fix the issue
  8. dmesg and /var/log/messages provide no clues (I looked in vain for anything involving 'usb' and 'mouse')
  9. The various copies of /usr/bin/VBoxClient continue to run (I compared the processes with those in another guest)
  10. The flavor of the Linux guest does not seem to be an issue, I've observed this issue with at least CentOS7, RHEL7, and Ubuntu
  11. This has happened in the 4.x as well as 5.x version of VirtualBox; currently running 5.0.26 Windows Host (Linux guests)
  12. GuestAdditions (latest) are installed in all cases
socratis
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Posts: 27330
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
Location: Greece

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by socratis »

Pretty good detective work so far. There is one thing missing: the VBox.log for the affected VM. Try the following:
  1. Start the VM. Not from a saved or suspended state. Clean start.
  2. Observe the problem. I realize that it doesn't happen all the time, so some patience is required.
  3. Shut down the VM. Not suspended, not paused. Shut down. If you can't shut it down by normal means, close the VM window and select "Power off".
  4. Right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager. Select "Show Log..."
  5. Save it (just the first log), ZIP it and attach it in your response (see the "Upload attachment" at the bottom of the form).
And please post the detailed host and guest versions.
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
kus
Posts: 11
Joined: 15. Sep 2014, 20:48

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by kus »

Thanks for the fast reply, socratis. I didn't even realize that I could grab the log that way. The next time I run into this issue, I will shutdown the "unmoused VM", zip up the log, and post it here for further analysis (hopefully leading toward a permanent solution).

BUT ... I just found (from another thread) this ticket: https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/14903 which mentions (at the very end) a workable solution: Kill the VboxClient process that has a --draganddrop command line flag. There are actually two running, just like there are two running for the clipboard, display, and seamless. I had to kill both of the 'draganddrop' related processes, but then instantly the mouse cursor was back in operation!! :D

Note: The "/usr/bin/VBoxClient --draganddrop" has not restarted, it remains "gone", but the mouse, buttons, wheel, etc. continue to work exactly as they should.
socratis
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Posts: 27330
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
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Location: Greece

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by socratis »

I was aware of that issue, but none of you mentioned DnD, so it didn't even cross my mind. Hmm, there may be more to that DnD client from what is seems.

But, please do capture that log next time it happens. It may reveal a hanged process (I hope) that can lead the devs to figuring out a solution...
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
AALLeeXX
Posts: 63
Joined: 1. Apr 2016, 15:52
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux Ubuntu
Location: Japan

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by AALLeeXX »

Hello Socratis,

Thank you for your help and advices. I finally got it again just now, but not sure it will be as you expect as the VM was suspended several times from its start.
Here however the logfile I got.
About me I did not mention DnD becasue it does not seems related to it in my case.
Host OS X 10.11.6
Guet Ubuntu 16.04 6bits.

Any other info needed, just let me know in case I can provide...

Thanks,

Alexandre
Attachments
Ubuntu 16.04 64 bits TLS-2016-08-09-23-10-24.log.zip
(30.44 KiB) Downloaded 378 times
AALLeeXX
Posts: 63
Joined: 1. Apr 2016, 15:52
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux Ubuntu
Location: Japan

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by AALLeeXX »

Got it again just after I restarted...
Tried the solution from previous kus thread - killing

Code: Select all

/usr/bin/VBoxClient --draganddrop
- and this fixed it.
Better than nothing - avoid reboot or shutdown.

My case seems lightly different from #14743 since the guest receive partly receive the click (top menu bar of Ubuntu) but other part do not get it at all...
Another point in my case, just unlogging and relog (no reboot or shutdown) also restored the click properly in Ubuntu (the guest).
Very close to #14743 but not sure it's the same exactly...
socratis
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Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by socratis »

Before I even opened your log, "I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity". And then I saw that:
00:00:01.425095 GUI: UIMachineLogicFullscreen::sltHandleNativeFullscreenWillEnter: Machine-window #0 will enter native fullscreen
Questions:
  • Are you running Seamless/FullScreen?
  • Does it happen when you're not?
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
AALLeeXX
Posts: 63
Joined: 1. Apr 2016, 15:52
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux Ubuntu
Location: Japan

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by AALLeeXX »

Hi,
Not sure what is called seamless here. the VM was not full screen, it was windowed.
During the log capture, I forgot, but I may have used it full screen and windowed alternatively. But at the time the click got lost, it was windowed.
AALLeeXX
Posts: 63
Joined: 1. Apr 2016, 15:52
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux Ubuntu
Location: Japan

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by AALLeeXX »

Hi,

Just found a case it is failing again, but this time cannot recover even by killing the drag and drop process.
The VM is full screen, and Ubuntu desktop is in a mode it shows the 4 reduced desktops in the full desk (workspace switcher) - from here I'm supposed to select one of them which will then maximize.
But, here, I cannot select any of the 4 "mini" desks, the click is ignored in all desks, and, unlike in my previous port, it is also ignored in the Ubuntu top bar (where I usually shutdown the session). Seems much worse than before.
Also, in one of these tiny desks, I could kill the drag and drop processes but this make no difference, the mouse click is still ignored everywhere.
I just have to reboot - violently :((
Did not finally...instead I closed applications one by one, switched between full screen mode and windowed mode, and when closing (alt+f4) one of them - not sure anymore, maybe gedit, the desktop returned normal.. and clicks work !
After that I finished closing applications one by one , but one terminal was still not responsive. I shutdown in that context, and here I attach the log. Hoping this will help..
Thanks

Alexandre
Attachments
Ubuntu 16.04 64 bits TLS-2016-09-12-22-44-18.log.zip
(38.03 KiB) Downloaded 340 times
ElStano
Posts: 1
Joined: 25. Oct 2016, 17:15

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by ElStano »

after running this command, there was a window that was spanning across the whole screen
xwininfo -tree -root
the window was 0xe00001 "VBoxClientWndDnD": () 1360x768+0+0 +0+0

after I killed the window, mouse returned to normal
0xe00001 "VBoxClientWndDnD": () 1360x768+0+0 +0+0

however, shared clipboard got disabled
this is the ticket on virtualbox dot org
/ticket/14903
socratis
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Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by socratis »

Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
bluegroper
Posts: 50
Joined: 22. Dec 2008, 08:14
Primary OS: FreeBSD
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Windozes, Linuxes, BSD's
Location: Would rather be swimming.

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by bluegroper »

I hope its ok to join this thread.
Seems I might have same (or very similar) problem.
[Edit. I just realised this section of the forum is for Linux (not windoze) guests. Sorry if that offends anybuddy.]

Host is CentOS-6.8
Guest is Windoze-7
VBox is 5.1.14
Using latest extension pack and guest additions.
DnD is disabled. Maybe I should enable DnD and see whether pain persists ?
Guest is running fullscreen with dual monitors. Mouse clicks absent from guest OS on both monitors.
After a while, the mouse click is lost, only from the guest OS. Mouse still works in host.
I was also thinking the mouse is a USB device.
So I tried each of the USB 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 controllers. Same problem in all.

Next time this problem appears, I'll try to grab the log, zip, and post it here.

Edit. Some possibly relevant notes linked here so I can find 'em again later.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/MouseInput
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/14743
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/14903 (try killing the DnD process/es, If any exist)
tonezone
Posts: 1
Joined: 16. Oct 2019, 17:47

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by tonezone »

It has been a long time since the last post in this thread, but I think I have relevant information.

I have a Windows host and Ubuntu 18.04 Guest.

After reading that the problem is related to drag and drop, I recalled that the mouse stopped working in Ubuntu shortly after I had dragged a file from Ubuntu to Windows. I then grabbed a file from Windows and dragged it into Ubuntu, and it restored mouse functionality!!!! I will try this again if the same problem occurs.

The problem occurred a second time when I grabbed a window in Ubuntu and moved it around. Once again dragging a file from Windows to Ubuntu fixed the problem.
kuschky
Posts: 1
Joined: 25. Nov 2019, 11:32

Re: Mouse click lost after a while

Post by kuschky »

I'm fighting with this issue for a very long time but find this thread just today. The hint to kill the "VBoxClient --dragabddrop" processes helps me for the first. Now I added a keyboard shortcut to execute it :D

Until reading this thread my solution was to click in the virtualbox menu "Machine/ACPI Shutdown". This was opening in my Kubuntu guest the PowerDown screen where I selected "Log out". This does not powerdown the machine and brings the cursor back. But I need to open all applications again.

Maybe this information helps in some other host/guest combinations

Would be great if the problem will be fixed some day.
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