virtualbox.org

I have a Linux Host (Ubuntu 14.04) with a WIndows 7 guest. I'm running Virtualbox 4.3.18. For some reason the ctrl key is not recognized over in the guest. For example if I have notepad open and I wanted to highlight and copy a region using ctrl-c it would just erase it and replace it with a c. Ditto ctrl-v. It is like I'm not even holding the ctrl key down. Doesn't matter whether it is left-ctrl or right-ctrl.

Thoughts?

The default host key - the one that passes keyboard control out of the guest and back to the host without mouse clicks - is the right Ctrl key. When using this key the left key should still work. Unique that both of your Ctrl keys are not working.

I wonder if the issue would change if you temporarily change your host key to another key on the keyboard, like an F# key or Pause/Break. If your Ctrl key start working again, then try switching the host key back to right-Ctrl. If the issue comes back, then you've found a bug.

Thanks. I'll give that a shot when I get home.

Reassigning the host key didn't seem to do anything. The host key got reassigned just fine, but the Ctrl key still does nothing.

One other suggestion before I'm out of ideas. Version 4.3.18 is on the tail end of a string of versions that the developers have been trying to fix a security hole someone found. The last version that was pretty solid in the 4.3 strain was 4.3.12. I'd try uninstalling 4.3.18, extension pack, guest additions, etc., and install 4.3.12 & ext-pack & GAs. Your guests should be unaffected by this un/re-install, but make backups, just in case.

If the issue goes away, maybe 4.3.18 has a bug. If it doesn't go away, then there may be something unique to your setup. Unresponsive Ctrl's aren't a common problem that I've read of.

left ctrl+c should work in a Windows 7 guest, Ubuntu host. what keyboard are you using?

Left ctrl-c should work but it doesn't. I have 4.3.18 installed on two other Ubuntu boxes all running 14.04 with a Windows 7 guest and its only my home machine that has the problem. I'm using a generic HP keyboard. Oddly enough as cheap as keyboards are, I don't have another to test with at the moment. I'll bring another home tomorrow.

As discussed in other forums, the problem seems to be related to the mouse configuration option of "Show position of pointer when the Control key is pressed". The info regarding older Ubuntu versions was that you had to deactivate this function to allow the Ctrl key to work properly in the Windows guest system. I just want to update the info on this, considering Ubuntu 18.04 and VirtualBox 5.2.10. In this system, to access this configuration you have to install the gnome-tweak-tool. After opening the Tweaks menu, you go Keyboard & Mouse, and look at the Mouse configurations. The Pointer location was disabled in my system (which was a fresh install of Ubuntu 18). But my problem seems to persist regardless of this configuration. The weird part is that if I have the Windows guest in full screen, my Ctrl does not work properly. But if I leave my virtualbox screen smaller (being able to seem my Ubuntu desktop in the back, then the ctrl key works properly on the Windows guest. Not sure what is going on.