Keyboard issue in using console from vSphere Client

[rwolter]

While using a console on a virtual machine using the vSphere Client, I can't use my keyboard on my PC anymore. Everytime I try using my keyboard, it switches back in the console session. The vmware tools are installed in the vm. Can anybody fix this prob.

thx,

Ralf

[AndreTheGiant]

Which kind of VM?

A Linux box?

Andre

**if you found this or any other answer useful please consider allocating points for helpful or correct answers

[kenner]

I saw this too, on one specific XP Pro machine. I thought it was something wierd with that particular machine. I'm glad to see that somebody else is seeing it.

[rwolter]

Hi Andre,

its a virtuall machine running Windows XP SP3 on a vSphere4 Server.

[rwolter]

Hi kenner,

in my case it´s a Windows XP SP3 guest too.

[AndreTheGiant]

The vmware tools are installed in the vm.

Are also up to date?

Andre

**if you found this or any other answer useful please consider allocating points for helpful or correct answers

[rwolter]

VMWaretools are installed and up to date, too

[rbos3]

Hi there,

Maybe a stupid question but are you sure your mouse pointer is outside the console window? When using the VMware Tools you don't need to use CTRL+Alt as you know so maybe your pointer is still inside the console view.

Hope this helps!

[rwolter]

Hi rbos3,

yes, the mousepointer is outside. the switching back in the console occurs also when the console is minimized and trying to work in other applications.

[fedkad]

I have the same problem. The only way to free the keyboad is to press CtrlAltDel, but since this is also captured by the Console it restarts the virtual machine also.

Are we the only ones having this problem????

[rwolter]

Hi fedkad,

since there are that few answers, it may be our fault. So, i switched back to ESX 3.5 and got no probs. I´ll wait for the fixes from VMWare. I hope, that will last not that long. The support from VMWare didn´t answer yet,also.

[kenner]

since there are that few answers, it may be our fault.

I have it too, but only from one machine and not the second. The

configuration of both are identical. There's definitely something wrong.

[rtkirton]

I have this same issue as well. I have not tested it on any other system, but on my laptop here at the office, when I attempt to type anything when a console session is up, it will switch focus to the console session. The only way to get out is either CTRL-ALT-DEL (and that doesn't really help because once you apply focus to the console window, the problem occurs again) or you shut down the console window.

This also happens when you have two or more console windows open. The last console window that was opened will grab the focus from the other console windows.

This behavior is very irritating. I'm going to try reinstalling the vSphere client and see if that fixes the issue. The one I installed was from VMWare's website. I'm going to try the one from ESXi 4.0 system.

[rtkirton]

Okay...it doesn't matter if the VMWare tools are installed or not, same behavior. It's doing it for both Linux and Windows. The moment you click on an object in the console window, the keyboard is locked to that screen. Any attempt to type anywhere else automatically brings the focus back to the console window. The only way to get control of the keyboard is to close the console window. I uninstalled all components of VMware on my machine and installed a fresh copy of vSphere Client...same problem.

Any suggestions would certainly be appreciated.

[rtkirton]

A friend and collegue of mine installed vSphere at home...ended up with the same problem as I did where the keyboard would not release from a console session. He thinks he may have figured out the problem.

He says the process known as sfcbd (which he says is a hardware monitoring process) appears to be the culprit. When he shut down that process, the console started behaving normally. He also mentioned that he was reading this issue also happened in version 3 and that version was patched to fix this.

Someone may want to try that and see if they are able to duplicate the results. I got fed up over that and the system losing VMs that I reverted back to version 3.

[ElBarbaro]

To retrieve control of the mouse and keyboard press Ctr-Alt

(not Ctr-Alt-Del, just Ctr-Alt)

[kenner]

To retrieve control of the mouse and keyboard press Ctr-Alt

(not Ctr-Alt-Del, just Ctr-Alt)

This thread is about cases where that doesn't work and where focus comes

back to that window after typing anything.

[mbell98]

I've been having the same problem on one of my XP machines (a laptop) but do not have the problem on another XP machine. I could not find that process "sfcpd" on either the workstation or server. Where does it normally run?

I never had this problem with 3.5. Pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL does get the client to release the keyboard but has the unwanted affect of sending that key sequence to both the VM and client PC.

[thingy]

I too have come across this issue.

It seems to be affecting only one PC and so it looks like a configuration problem.

Is there any documentation on cleaning up after uninstalling vSphere client on a machine?

[AndreTheGiant]

Is there any documentation on cleaning up after uninstalling vSphere client on a machine?

I think no.

You can simply remove folder and registry keys (if still present).

Andre