PrintScreen in Windows causes mouse to disappear -> fixed in SVN/upcoming 3.0.6

[Harrison Neal]

Normally, when you use the PrintScreen key in Windows (Shift + PrintScreen on most keyboards), the mouse momentarily disappears then reappears while Windows copies the screenshot to the clipboard. However, when using a Windows XP Guest with Guest Additions in VirtualBox, the mouse disappears but does not immediately reappear (usually until the mouse cursor changes, for example, from the normal cursor to the hourglass). This only occurs when the Guest Additions are installed.

Using VirtualBox 3.0.4 under Ubuntu Jaunty. vbox.log attached.

[Harrison Neal]

vbox.log from Virtual Machine for Ticket #4817

[harmscon]

There are many tickets currently open that share this common symptom, ie the mouse becomes uncontrollable. The ticket numbers are: 4713, 4248, 2603, 4252, 3350, 2575, 4700, 2660, 2682, 4817. The issue goes back through many versions of VirtualBox.

Common themes appears to be: USB mice/device, screen capture to clipboard or just plain becoming erratic after time (memory leak?).

This bug should be upgraded to blocker priority as it is no longer possible to be productive in this unstable environment.

[Harrison Neal]

Just to clarify this particular problem:

I'm not using a USB mouse (and hence I don't have a USB mouse connected directly to the VM). It's a standard PS/2 trackpad built into the laptop.

The mouse cursor disappears, but can still be moved, e.x. I can move the mouse and see the XP-style buttons light up when the mouse is over them (it's just invisible for a short period of time). I can't say if this is or isn't related to some of the bug reports you described - the mouse doesn't become erratic, simply invisible until the cursor on the host changes (as I said, e.x. normal -> hourglass). I've also found the workaround described on Ticket #2660 (moving the mouse in and out of the VM several times) will also fix it. Once it becomes visible again, I've no more problems with it until I do another PrintScreen.

Keep in mind that Windows is making the cursor invisible by some means (I don't know if it simply moves it off screen or replaces it with an invisible cursor icon) and then immediately makes it visible again. Whatever it does, VirtualBox is picking up on making the cursor invisible, but misses Windows making it visible again.

Replying to harmscon:

There are many tickets currently open that share this common symptom, ie the mouse becomes uncontrollable. The ticket numbers are: 4713, 4248, 2603, 4252, 3350, 2575, 4700, 2660, 2682, 4817. The issue goes back through many versions of VirtualBox.

[Michael Thayer]

The issue as reported by hantwister is immediately reproducible for me. Will investigate.

[Michael Thayer]

I believe I have fixed this in SVN.