Modifier keys lost after Workstation 6.5.3 full screen

[298]

This is an old problem, I though it was solved, but after I upgraded WS from 6.5.2 to 6.5.3 it's back: The host, Ubuntu 9.04, looses some modifier keys after switching VMware to full screen (for example, ALT-TAB doesn't work anymore). I observed the same problem on a new install of WS 6.5.3 on another Ubuntu 9.04 machine. Whether I have a set of xkeymap.keycode assignments in .vmware/config or not, doesn't seem to matter. As before, setxkbmap can be used to fix the problem. How can this problem be avoided once and for all?

[298]

It seems that I'm having the problem only when I'm running Compiz. It doesn't show up when I run Metacity.

And to be more precise, it seems that only modifier keys that are used by the window manager, for example ALT-TAB do not work anymore. Modifier keys still work inside an application, for example ALT-F to open a File menu is still ok. xmodmap does not show any changes. The problem can be fixed with setxkbmap.

To reproduce: start VMware, launch a virtual machine, set focus to the VM, press CTRL-ALT-Enter to go full screen, click into the VM, click CTRL-ALT to release the cursor, then click the button to reduce VMWare into a window.

Sometimes it also happens that the control key is stuck in the host. This cannot be unstuck with setxkbmap and I don't know yet how to reproduce this.

[jsa]

To reproduce: start VMware, launch a virtual machine, set focus to the VM, press CTRL-ALT-Enter to go full screen, click into the VM, click ALT-TAB to release the cursor, then click the button to reduce VMWare into a window.

Alt-Tab does not release the cursor. Its not supposed to.

In full screen mode you use the top center dropdown menu, and the select the restore button (next to X on far right).

[298]

Sorry, my mistake, I meant "CTRL-ALT to release the cursor". I corrected my post.

[harikattar]

It's not just compiz, I've also seen it in sawfish. Not sure what's going on exactly, but vmware has issues with focus changes and modifier keys. I never run fullscreen, always in a window, and frequently have this happen when I'm working between a VM and a host window.

It gets old really fast.

[harikattar]

Bumping this - it's vmware in general, not just fullscreen. Moving out of a window leaves the modifier keys in a crazy state requiring setxkbmap 90% of the time. 6.5.1 wasn't anywhere near this bad, maybe 0.1% of the time. I had a post-it note reminding me of the fix since I'd only hit it every other week.

No-one else is having this problem with linux hosts?

[aelmore]

Yes, it periodically happens to me on a Centos 5.2 amd64 system (running vmvware server 2.0.0). setxbkmap + restart windowmaker solves the problem for me.