[Bug 195982] Re: Shift key (and caps lock) stop working when using VMWare

[Bryce Harrington]

** Description changed:

- After a day or so of running the shift key mysteriously stops working as
- does the cap lock. In other words I cannot enter shifted characters of
- any kind. The keyboard is connected to a KVM and all other systems
- respond to it properly. In additional any VMWare sessions I have open
- respond correctly. So I have the condition where all non-vmware
- applications in Ubuntu Hardy (all updates applied as of 2008-02-26 at
- 12:43 UTC) fail to recognize the shift key BUT applications within an
- active (a paused/restarted session also works) VMWare sessions running
- DO recognize the key.
+ [Problem]
+ VMWare's keyboard mapping is imperfect, sometimes resulting in certain keys stopping functionality when running under VMWare, requiring the user to setup their configuration settings manually in VMWare.  For a detailed explanation see the following article:
+ 
+ http://www.vmware.com/support/ws55/doc/ws_devices_keymap_linux_longer.html
+ 
+ [Original Report]
+ After a day or so of running the shift key mysteriously stops working as does the cap lock. In other words I cannot enter shifted characters of any kind. The keyboard is connected to a KVM and all other systems respond to it properly. In additional any VMWare sessions I have open respond correctly. So I have the condition where all non-vmware applications in Ubuntu Hardy (all updates applied as of 2008-02-26 at 12:43 UTC) fail to recognize the shift key BUT applications within an active (a paused/restarted session also works) VMWare sessions running DO recognize the key.
  
  When this condition occurs ALL applications (except those within a
  VMWare session) are also unstable and will usually crash within a few
  keystrokes.If I continue to operate in this mode. I cannot pinpoint
  what, if any, application triggers this. It has always happened while
  working within terminal/browser/vmware sessions and NOT when opening a
  new application. It could be related to the KVM switch, but none of my
  other systems (2 Mandriva, 1 Windows) are affected by this.
  
  This bug has been present on my system for a number of days across daily
  updates and reboots (if the update requested it) and I think since I
  installed Hardy Alpha 1.
  
  A work around: log off and back on. A reboot/restart does not appear to
  be needed.
  
  Error logs show some unusual activity.
  
  --- MARK ----
  ...
  ... kernel ... rtc lost 7 interrupts ...
  --- MARK ---
  ....
  
  Plus some segfaults indicating which application crashed as I tried to
  type into it (mouse works fine).
  
  System: HP dv9743cl (which otherwise works lovely)
  Ubuntu: Hardy 8.04 (from lsb-release)
  
  ----
  TEST CASE:
  1. Click inside the VM and                                                                                                     
  2. Hold any of the Ctrl, Alt and/or shift keys while releasing the keyboard/mouse to the host OS (which you obviously do when you press Crtl-Alt to revert back to windowed mode, as the cursor is then released from the VM). 
  
  WORKAROUND:
  After this happens to recover your keyboard execute 'setxkbmap' in a terminal

-- 
Shift key (and caps lock) stop working when using VMWare
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/195982
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