Mouse Won't Capture

[GeorgeSelf]

VirtualBox 1.5.6_OSE
Kernel: 2.6.24 - 19 - 386
Ubuntu 8.04 - the Hardy Heron - released in April 2008.

I just installed Ubuntu on my laptop this morning. One of the most important applications I'll need is a VM, so I'm attempting to install VirtualBox. It took some time for me to figure out that I was loading the wrong kernel modules so I kept getting driver error messages when I tried to create a new guest. However, I did get that figured out.

I'm now attempting to install Windows XP in a guest machine. I do alright until I get to a point where I need a mouse. I simply cannot get VirtualBox to capture the mouse.

I noticed that I needed "Guest Additions" installed in order to use the mouse. When I first attempted to install the Guest Additions, it downloaded an ISO file and placed it on my computer. I noticed then that the file was downloaded into my own personal directory, but VirtualBox was looking for it in /usr/share/virtualbox. I changed the owner and moved the file to that directory. That did not help.

I then opened Synaptic and looked for something that might be "guest additions" that I could install. I didn't find that, but did install "Guest Utilities;" but that didn't help.

What happens is when I click the mouse inside the guest window I get a warning message that the mouse will be captured and I can press the host key to uncapture it again. However, the mouse never actually gets captured.

When I click the "Install Guest Additions" under the "Device" menu nothing happens. There is no error message, no success message, no change in anything on the screen. It's almost as if that link were dead.

I've just about run out of ideas, and cannot seem to find anything on point in the forums. What am I missing in trying to get my system to capture the mouse?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

--George

[AllenSco]

I'm having the same problem here. Just installed VB with WinXP as the guest. Wireless usb mouse won't capture and neither will the touchpad (Synaptics). Keyboard is fine and works like it should. I can use the keyboard..but it's a bit clunky to do so. The ONLY reason I installed VB was so I can use a music database software at my workplace (radio station). It will not run under WINE.

Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 with latest updates on a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop. Everything works btw

I should also mention that I'm running VirtualBox-OSE. Any help is appreciated

Thanks!
Allen

[rpleme]

I am having the same problem. I just upgraded to Ubuntu 8.04 and installed the VirtualBox-OSE using Synaptic, but I my mouse don't work on the guest OS.

I think it is because I use a usb mouse, and I can't get usb to work. I've already tried the Troubleshooting in the manual but it hasn't worked for me. When I open Settings, there isn't an USP option to connect my mouse and webcam.

Has anyone an idea about how to solve that? If any other information is needed, I will be more than happy to provide.

Thanks in advance,
Renato

[Sasquatch]

I am having the same problem. I just upgraded to Ubuntu 8.04 and installed the VirtualBox-OSE using Synaptic, but I my mouse don't work on the guest OS.

I think it is because I use a usb mouse, and I can't get usb to work. I've already tried the Troubleshooting in the manual but it hasn't worked for me. When I open Settings, there isn't an USP option to connect my mouse and webcam.

Has anyone an idea about how to solve that? If any other information is needed, I will be more than happy to provide.

Thanks in advance,
Renato

Your USB problem is that you have the OSE version, which does not support USB. Only the PEUL version that is found on this site supports USB. However, it does have anything to do with your mouse problem. If you mount the mouse through the USB option in VB, you will lose the Host mouse until you shut down the guest or unmount it.
By default, the VM should grab the mouse when you click inside the Guest window.

[GeorgeSelf]

For what it's worth, I am not using a USB mouse (I'm the original poster). This is on my laptop and I've tried both a wired mouse and the touch pad; but neither work. I don't think this is a USB issue, but something else. Since it appears that others are having the same problem, could this be a bug in the software?

[Sasquatch]

For what it's worth, I am not using a USB mouse (I'm the original poster). This is on my laptop and I've tried both a wired mouse and the touch pad; but neither work. I don't think this is a USB issue, but something else. Since it appears that others are having the same problem, could this be a bug in the software?

It is possible that it's a bug, but then everyone would have it. Then again, some bugs are hard to trace and reproduce. So far, I've heard about 4 reports of the mouse not being captured by the Guest system.
You could try installing the Guest Additions and see how that works. It's perfectly possible to install them with the keyboard.

[AllenSco]

All is well now with Virtual Box. I d/l the PUEL version and installed it. I now have mouse capture (poss bug in the OSE version?)! After reinstalling WinXP (for this ONE piece of software that I must have for work at my radio station), everything is working smoothly AND surprisingly, it's faster in the VB than when loaded onto the actual system as the main OS. My music database software works flawlessly and I can transfer files over the network to update the other computer's database.

Thanks Virtual Box team...great job! Also, thanks for letting me use MY favorite OS at work. If not for VB, I would have had to stay with Windows because of that ONE piece of software. Using something you enjoy makes it all the better

Allen

[cozmicharlie]

[/quote]
So far, I've heard about 4 reports of the mouse not being captured by the Guest system.
You could try installing the Guest Additions and see how that works. It's perfectly possible to install them with the keyboard.[/quote]

You can make that 5. I did install with the deb from this site and it did not help. I am running Hardy and it just will not capture the mouse. It also shows no usb devices so that must be the problem. I am going to have to do some digging to find out how to get access. It would be nice if something just worked in Ubuntu.

[william.dowling]

Make it six reports. Keyboard capture works for me (Debian package virtualbox-ose 1.6.2-dfsg-3 Linux host, WinXP guest) but the mouse (usb) is not being read.

Slightly offtopic request, but it will help anyone who has this problem and gets to this page by search: Can someone more knowledgeable than I about Windows (that is, anyone over the age of three) say how to use the keyboard to nudge the mouse cursor around? That would be a workaround til I figure out the correct solution, and it may actually help get to the solution.

Thanks. VB is a fantastic piece of software! Kudos to the developers.
Will D

[Sasquatch]

Make it six reports. Keyboard capture works for me (Debian package virtualbox-ose 1.6.2-dfsg-3 Linux host, WinXP guest) but the mouse (usb) is not being read.

Slightly offtopic request, but it will help anyone who has this problem and gets to this page by search: Can someone more knowledgeable than I about Windows (that is, anyone over the age of three) say how to use the keyboard to nudge the mouse cursor around? That would be a workaround til I figure out the correct solution, and it may actually help get to the solution.

Thanks. VB is a fantastic piece of software! Kudos to the developers.
Will D

You're referring to keypad mouse emulation. This is how: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000542.htm
And the very simple google query 'mouse keyboard move': http://www.google.com/search?client=ope ... 8&oe=utf-8

Did anyone try the new 1.6.4 release yet?

[runbei]

Make it seven. VB version from this site installed in Linux Mint (HH 8.04) has the capture problem.

[runbei]

p.s. (Mouse capture not working.) It's not a USB problem for me, as the mouse is hooked to the OS/2 port.

[cozmicharlie]

t
Did anyone try the new 1.6.4 release yet?

Yes I did and I still have the mouse capture problem.

[runbei]

t
Did anyone try the new 1.6.4 release yet?

I found the solution and thought I would post it here for others to see.

Briefly, what worked for me is to go ahead and install XP even though I was unable to use the mouse. I found it was possible to complete all of the installation steps using the Tab and cursor arrow keys.

Once XP was installed, I could run XP and use the Devices toolbar menu to install the Virtual Box Guest Additions. This involves two steps: first mount the Guest Additions .iso file from the Device menu. And then choose the option on the Device menu to install the Guest Additions. When you're done, shut down XP, log out and back in, and you'll be able to use the cursor in the VirtualBox window normally - when you move the cursor into the window you can use the mouse to work with Windows XP as expected.

It's a good idea to consult the VirtualBox manual while completing these steps - especially the part about being sure you have the proper software installed that VirtualBox needs - sorry, I forget what they're called, something like SDK and DKMS?? (I'm running Windows this morning and don't have access to the manual.) This is a simple process that you do in a terminal - the steps are described at the top of the section in the manual on installing the VB Guest Additions.

[cozmicharlie]

I stumbled on to a fix (at least it worked for me). When you click in VBox and the capture dialog comes up you also get an option "do not show this message again" - I checked this and low and behold my mouse worked fine. Would like to hear if this also worked for others.