VirtualBox

Opened 10 years ago

Last modified 3 years ago

#12570 new defect

VM window appears off screen; not accessible

Reported by: RodBarnes Owned by:
Component: other Version: VirtualBox 4.3.6
Keywords: Cc:
Guest type: Linux Host type: Windows

Description

Virtual box remembers guest window location and uses it at next start-up for a VM. This is a good thing. However, what it doesn't do is confirm upon start-up that the remembered location is still valid and will display the window off screen and not viewable. Worse, it does not respond to the typical Windows move commands in order to move the window back into viewable space. This leads to not being able to correct the condition and the user is stuck with a window they cannot access.

Specifics: At home, I have an additional monitor that is positioned vertically above my laptop screen and is oriented that way in Windows "Screen Resolution" where one identifies monitors and their relative locations. At the office, I have three external monitors, all side-by-side, and do not use the laptop screen.

I had worked at home and placed the VM window in the "top" monitor in scaled mode. I shut down the guest and then shut-down the host laptop in that condition and went to the office. There, I started the host laptop, opened VirtualBox, and started the guest. Initially, the guest window came up in my main monitor. I then switched it to scaled mode and the window disappeared. Attempts to move it via the Windows Move option from the System menu was not successful.

I ended up having to go into "Screen Resolution" and orienting my monitors to place one of them "above" my main monitor -- thus replicating the condition under which the scaled guest window last appeared. Doing this, I was able to then access the guest window and drag it "down" to the main monitor. I then reverted the monitor orientation to side-by-side and moved the guest window to the monitor on the side.

Certainly not an insurmountable issue but until I thought about trying the re-orienting of my monitors, I was really stuck.

Change History (8)

comment:1 by darkgod555, 10 years ago

For those without wanted to attach another monitor in order to recover the window I present the following solution: Press Host+P to pause the machine, then you can now use Window key+Left to get the window back in your screen.

Version 0, edited 10 years ago by darkgod555 (next)

comment:2 by Peaboy, 8 years ago

This problem still occurs exactly as stated on windows 10 with Virtualbox 5.0.

It is insurmountable if you have multiple workstations where one has dual monitors and the other does not. You can not switch to scale mode at all without the second monitor. The Guest window will always move to the now non-existent second monitor.

workaround mentioned does no work.

comment:3 by Peaboy, 8 years ago

Still occurs, I can't believe this isn't fixed yet.

comment:4 by Peaboy, 8 years ago

Work around: My window was in Scale Mode.

When I ALT-TAB to the VM and use right CTRL-C it exited Scale Mode and relocated the window to my laptop screen. When I re-enter scale mode it disappears to the no longer connected Monitor.

Please fix Scale Mode.

Last edited 8 years ago by Peaboy (previous) (diff)

comment:5 by TimP, 8 years ago

Me too. This is not minor: it makes VirtualBox unusable, the VM is running but I cannot log in to it.

comment:6 by Frank Mehnert, 8 years ago

Which version of VirtualBox are you talking about? There was a related fix in VBox 5.0.18.

comment:7 by snarkophilus, 6 years ago

The same missing window problem just happened to me, but I was using a full screen (Ctrl-F) window instead of a scaled window on an extra monitor at work. Peaboy's method of Ctrl-C did work for me though (yay).

I'm using VirtualBox 5.2.8

comment:8 by tsmith35, 3 years ago

I had to use WindowsKey + Shift + RightArrow to move my VirtualBox back to a visible monitor. Guess the issue is still not fixed after 7 years...

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