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samstern
Contributor
Contributor

ws 5.5.4 on xp host with Vista ultimate guest - Must click welcome screen

All,

I have a 32-bit xp sp2 host running a Vista Ultimate (32 bit) guest. When I reboot the guest, I must click the login screen with my mouse to login to guest system. I find this odd as the proper version of VMware tools (44386) is installed.

How can I get the Guest system to recognize the mouse has moved over the VMware screen and thus allow keyboard keystrokes to goto the guest? This is the guest works once I login so it seems to effect the welcome screen

TIA

Sam S.

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RDPetruska
Leadership
Leadership

Well, this is the default behavior. You can change it so that mouse and keyboard grab happens on keypress as well as mouse click if you want. Go into the Workstation Preferences screen and enable grab on keypress.

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samstern
Contributor
Contributor

Hmm. I'm not certain. If it's the default behavior, why does this behavior not occur on XP or if the welcome screen is bypassed? IS the WS service not running when the welcome screen displayed?

Sam S.

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RDPetruska
Leadership
Leadership

I guess I don't understand your question. When you power on ANY guest, in order for it to have focus for the keyboard and mouse (i.e., "grab"), you MUST click the mouse into the window, or press a key - IF you have that option enabled. The default setting is "grab keyboard and mouse input on mouse click" = on, and "grab keyboard and mouse input on key press" = off. (See Screenshot... menu Edit>Preferences>Input tab)

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samstern
Contributor
Contributor

My apologies for not being clearer. Using the default options (Grab input on Mouse click, do not grab input on Key press) perform the following tasks:

(Taken from a larger set of instructions for a test plan)

1) Install vista. Enter username ans password when prompted.

2) Reboot as needed. Note the need now to click the window to make input or click a button.

3) Install Vmware tools.

4) Reboot.

5) Power Down.

6) Snapshot

7) Power up

😎 wait and take an action in the host system that makes vmware window loose focus (an im or check your email, ssh, etc...)

9) alt-tab or click the taskbar to bring window to front.

10) Click window to login. \*THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS, note the double window activation*

7) login

😎 after login, click another non vmware window

9) now alt-tab back

10) type on keyboard or move mouse over window. note that input occurs on a single activation of the vmware window. \*THIS IS HOW I AM EXPECTING THE WELCOME SCREEN TO WORK*

Note the difference in user interaction. it almost seems that the vmware tools are not running when the welcome screen is showing but they are running after login (providing smooth integration of host mouse pointer and guest mouse pointer).

Is that a more explicit explanation?

Sam S.

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