[Solved] Accidentally Shut Down Host Computer Before VM, Now Having Major Problems

[dboone1969]

Hello Virtual Box Community,

I've tried to do a search for my issue, but didn't see anything. I will try to be as thourough as possible.

I am currently running Virtual Box 5.0.22 on my host computer which runs Window 10. I upgraded from 5.0.18 after my problems started, but now I can't even go back to the older version.

Ok, so here is my problem. In a rush, I shut down my host computer before I had shut down my virtual machine which was running Win XP at the time. Of course, all the dialogs appeared and VirtualBox shut itself down, followed by the host computer shutting down. When I turned on my computer later that day, I opened up Clementine music player, and every time I clicked on a track in my playlist, it would go into a renaming dialog. Then I noticed that on the Windows 10 taskbar, if I hover over an icon that has a program running, the windows that may have the program running only quickly flash, I cannot select a window to use. Also, when I hover over any file or shortcut, the file/shortcut goes into a rename dialog. Even when I open up Windows Explorer, when I hover over a file, I get a rename dialog. I often have to click away from the file several times just to get the dialog to go away. Now I've noticed that in Firefox, I can't use the shift key to produce a capital letter or other symbol. When I hit the shift key, the program starts toggling the console at the bottom of the browser. Even in VirtualBox itself, when I try to open a file/shortcut, it goes into the rename dialog.

So far, I have re-installed the logitech software that goes with the mouse, disable a function that says it is not working for said mouse, restored Windows 10 to a time when this wasn't an issue. I've searched google looking for the same "renaming" issue with the mouse and with the flashing issue on the taskbar. Nothing has solved the problem. My next idea is to uninstall virtualbox and then re-install it. The only reason that I believe that this issue has anything to do with virtualbox is because of my shutting down my computer while Virtualbox was still running

Anyone run across this problem before? Any suggestions as to what I can/should do before uninstalling/re-installing virtualbox? If I need to provide more info, let me know and I will do the best that I can.

Thanks,


d. boone

[mpack]

You seem to be describing problems with your host. What makes you think this is VirtualBox related?

To be clear: VirtualBox is just an ordinary application running on your host. It has no magic powers to affect other apps. If you were to cut power to the PC while a VM is running (and I'm aware you didn't do anything that serious), then the worst that happens is that you could possibly be left with damage to VM files that were open. It almost never happens, but there is even a remote possibility that this damage could kill your VM. There is no possibility that it could affect the things you mention.

Consider an analogy with Word: if your PC loses power while you have a Word document open, maybe you lost data in that document. There's no possibility that it affects your music tracks.

I'm sure you had other things running as well, so I'm puzzled why you thought VirtualBox was a likely culprit.

[scottgus1]

One possible suggestion: I have had times where the computer acts as if I'm clicking the wrong mouse button, multi-selecting things, etc. when I'm not trying to. Turns out the PC thinks one of the keyboard manipulation keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt) is stuck down. Tapping the keyboard won't un-stick it. I've had to open the on-screen keyboard found on my Windows 7 PC in All Programs, Accessories, Ease of Access, On-screen keyboard. Toggle each of the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys a few times, ending with them all dark, unselected. This has cleared up my issue, might help with yours. (The Windows 10 task bar screen keyboard that the touchscreens use may or may not fix this issue, you might have to dig in for the old on-screen keyboard, it's in there.)

How does this have anything to do with Virtualbox? Just anecdotal personal experience, true, but it only happens on machines I have Virtualbox on. Rarely, and not steady enough for me to pin down a triggering series of steps, so I haven't been able to open a bug ticket. But Virtualbox does redirect keyboard input around, and a key press actually has two events in the guts of the PC: key down and key up. (This can be seen when programming some PC game controllers for keyboard command output.) If Virtualbox or other such key-redirecting software gets interrupted and switched somehow between key down and key up, the two environments will have unexpected keyboard conditions in software, and Shift, Ctrl, or Alt combinations are programmed to do extra things when a mouse is clicked, for example.

[mpack]

Just anecdotal personal experience, true, but it only happens on machines I have Virtualbox on.

Given that the host PC had been shut down and restarted since the last time VirtualBox ran, I don't see what mechanism exists that allows VirtualBox to influence the Win10 taskbar.

[scottgus1]

Some of the behaviors reported with the mouse seem like they could have been caused by a possible keyboard-key & mouse combination. Just a thought, probably wrong.

Maybe he has a stuck key?

[dboone1969]

One possible suggestion: I have had times where the computer acts as if I'm clicking the wrong mouse button, multi-selecting things, etc. when I'm not trying to. Turns out the PC thinks one of the keyboard manipulation keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt) is stuck down. Tapping the keyboard won't un-stick it. I've had to open the on-screen keyboard found on my Windows 7 PC in All Programs, Accessories, Ease of Access, On-screen keyboard. Toggle each of the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys a few times, ending with them all dark, unselected. This has cleared up my issue, might help with yours. (The Windows 10 task bar screen keyboard that the touchscreens use may or may not fix this issue, you might have to dig in for the old on-screen keyboard, it's in there.)

Thanks scottgus1, I will try that now and see what happens. Thanks to all who have replied to this post. I only thought that virtualbox may have something to do with the issue because of the way it was shut down, and possibly some file/script/command was altered because of it. Its almost like when a person can't find their keys and they need to leave the house, and they have to backtrack to find them - "Where is the last place I remember having my keys". In this case it was - "What was the last thing I did before I started having this issue?" And the last thing was shutting down the computer prematurely with virtualbox still running. Not meaning to blame virtualbox, just trying to find a solution to the problem.

Thanks once again. Hopefully it is just the issue that scottgus1 mentioned.

[dboone1969]

Well I tried the possible fix, but it didn't work. But it did help me to figure out what the real issue was. I have another keyboard connected to my computer and there was something on it which kept a key pressed. Once I freed the keyboard, the issue was gone!!!!


Sorry if I wasted anyone's time!!! But thanks for the help!!! Without the suggestion helping me to think in another direction, I wouldn't have found the issue!!

d. boone

[scottgus1]

Maybe he has a stuck key?

Called it!

Glad you got the problem solved. Have fun!