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I have Windows XP running in VB. All seems OK except I can't access the Device Tab at the top of the screen and neither can I ungrab the mouse using Right Control or any other key in order to leave VB running while I work on my main windows 7 PC and then move back to. VB

Please point the VM log for that VM. Post it as a .zip attachment please. The log file is "VBox.log" which you can find in the "Logs" subfolder of the VM folder. I am not interested in the older backup copies (.log.1, .log.2 etc).

I hope I have found the log file(s) you asked for - let me know if you need others.

Wrong log. Please read and follow my previous instructions.

I think I've found the right file now.

Sounds like you are in scaled mode. Try the (host+C) toggle to see if you are or even full screen (host+F) toggle.

Perryg

You suggest I am in scaled mode and suggest host +C.

I am new to VB and have no idea what you mean by 'host' + C

Please will you explain what this means and is it something I do before or after I boot up XP in VB.

the host key by default is the right control key (unless you change it in the preferences).
holding the host key down while hitting the key C of F would be the test.

perryg

I've actually already tried that combination of keys - in fact I've tried every combination of keys with Control and still my mouse pointer is held within the bounds of the XP window - it cannot reach outside up, down or sideways. I'm not sure if the is important but my mouse is a wireless one that works with VB but there is always another mouse pointer on the XP desktop that doesn't move at all. It almost seems as if I am using the wrong mouse pointer! I have tried installing a wired mouse - but with the same result

You haven't tried to have the guest grab the mouse via USB have you? Normally the mouse has to be shared with the host - the whole notion of mouse integration is made a nonsense if that isn't the case, but adding a USB filter for it will instead cause it to be grabbed by the guest for its exclusive use.

How do I grab the guest mouse?

I have gone into settings and set the USB to work with every USB dvice I could think of - but I haven't seen one that says anything about a grabbing the gurst mouse.

I mean that I hope you have not created a USB filter (using the USB section of the VM settings) to assign the hosts mouse to the guest.

I ran VB and in settings unticked the USB for my logitech wireless mouse. When I then bootedup XP and found that I could then access the device and other settings at the top of the screen. I then installed Guest additions and everything seemed to be OK. As my computer's OS is Windows home 64 bit and the main reason for installing VB was to enable me to use my Palm diary and backup onto the PC which won't work under Windows 7. My delight in getting VB to run properly was short-lived as could no longer sync my diary with the desktop! Eventually I did a system restore within VB to take me back to where the system had been before I started making all the changes. I then uninstalled Palm completely. I then ran VB and unticked Logitech USB mouse. and bootedup XP. I then reinstalled Palm and after a reboot I am now able to sync between the diary and the desktop. I can still access the tabs at the top of the screen in VB (devices etc) but so far I haven't reinstalled Guest additions. When I hit right control+C I can return to my PC desktop and then back to VB.

This is where I think I will stay unless anyone can suggest what advantage there might be in installing Guest additions and if I do how to get my diary to sync with the desktop in VB.

Thanks for all the help.