Cursor Not Displaying As Expected

[Steve Hayter]

Same problem as reported in https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/15665 ~2 years ago.

When the host cursor overlays the VM cursor, it's displayed as "noise" (see attached).

Tried all the recommendations in Ticket #15665; seems as though that issue was fixed in code.

Thanks, Steve

[Steve Hayter]

Picture of host cursor overlaying guest cursor

[Steve Hayter]

[shayter@trinity ~]$ more /etc/redhat-release Fedora release 28 (Twenty Eight) [shayter@trinity ~]$

[Steve Hayter]

Current VBox.log file

[Socratis]

This is most definitely caused by the video drivers on your host. And you have 3D acceleration disabled BTW.

For future reference, the proper way to get a complete "VBox.log" is:

1. Start the VM from cold-boot (not from a paused or saved state) / Observe error / Shutdown the VM (force close it if you have to).
2. With the VM completely shut down (not paused or saved), right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager and select "Show Log".
3. Save only the first "VBox.log", ZIP it and attach it to your response.

You didn't follow this procedure, so I can't tell what version of Guest Additions you have installed on your guest, if any.

---

00:00:02.896342 [/Devices/hpet/0/Config/] (level 4)
00:00:02.896342   ICH9 <integer> = 0x0000000000000001 (1)

Care to explain why you chose an experimental feature that is supposed to be used only with OSX guests? Do you mind hovering over the control and reading the tooltip? Please stick to the template defaults, with the exception of the number of CPUs, RAM, VRAM and HD size.

---

Finally, it's usually better and faster, if issues get first addressed in the ​VirtualBox forums. More than 95% of the issues are resolved over there, which keeps the developers focusing on the bug fixes and enhancements, and there is no need for another ticket to keep track of. A lot more eyes in the forums...

[Steve Hayter]

Thanks for the quick reply.

• I'm using the most current guest additions on the most current release
  • VBox 5.2.16 r123759 (Qt5.6.2)
  • VBox_GAs_5.2.16
• 3D acceleration is disabled because of a recommendation in the forums.
  • Chrome will not work for me using my current configuration with 3D mode enabled.
  • Video performance is abysmal in Gnome3 with 3D acceleration enabled.
• ICH9 provides better performance (was also recommended via the forums due to other issues I was experiencing) but it's not a show stopper.
• Enabling 3D acceleration resolves the overlay problem, but renders the VM GUI virtually unusable.
• Disabling 3D acceleration returns the VM to normal operation.
• Switching to PIIX3 has no impact on the artifacting issue (as one would expect).

I apologize regarding the VBox log; I've only ever provided the full log before and wasn't aware there was a specific procedure.

While I appreciate you must receive a vast number of inane requests on a daily basis, please note I'm not a casual user. I've been a personal and business user of the product for ~10 years. I currently run an average of 15 VBox VMs on Linux, Windows and Mac platforms at any given time (in addition to ~300 KVM VMs and ~925 VMware VMs). Also note that the exact issue I'm currently seeing was reported as a bug previously and fixed in code, so the statement it's a driver issue seems unfounded; searching the forums directed me to ticket 15665, previously acknowledged as a defect and fixed.

---
Steve
Sr. Linux Systems Engineer, CCNE, MCSE, SCSA, CNE

[Socratis]

Replying to shayter:

3D acceleration is disabled because of a recommendation in the forums.

Interesting. Usually I'd tell you to disable hardware acceleration in Gnome and in Chrome. And video? It doesn't use 3D acceleration, it uses 2D acceleration, but I can't possibly know the all the ways that software works completely.

ICH9 provides better performance (was also recommended via the forums due to other issues I was experiencing) but it's not a show stopper.

ICH9 support is experimental. I don't think that anybody that's worth their salt would suggest that you use ICH9 for anything other than OSX guests.

[Steve Hayter]

Video plays normally, even when the GUI is incredibly sluggish.

Not sure what to say re: ICH9. Perhaps someone can weigh in as to how it could possibly improve/impact performance on non-OSX guests, but it does (noticeably) improve performance on this particular Fedora 28 VM; I checked and I've not enabled for any of the dozen other VMs (they're servers, however, and don't have X installed).

With regards to this specific problem:

• I received a new Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard combo this morning. As soon as I unplugged the old Dell mouse (MS116t), the artifact disappeared.
• Installing the new USB receiver did not cause it to reappear.
• Reinstalling the Dell mouse caused it to reappear.
• Having both installed causes it to appear.
• Removing the Dell mouse permanently resolves the issue.

Don't know if that's useful in any way, but as far as I'm concerned it's no longer a problem.

Steve

[Socratis]

So it was a driver problem with your host's hardware? Wow, really interesting. Glad you got it going.

[janitor]

Thanks for the update.