Mouse capture dysfunctional in VirtualBox and with Emulators on lubuntu 18.04 as Guest OS

Lubuntu Support
1

I am running lubuntu:

lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:	Ubuntu
Description:	Ubuntu 18.04.5 LTS
Release:	18.04
Codename:	bionic

as Guest OS under VirtualBox

VirtualBox Graphical User Interface Version 6.1.16_Ubuntu r140961

with guest addition installed.

And within this VM I have the same problem both with VICE (x64, the C64 emulator) and FS-UAE, the Amiga emulator.

In both cases, the mouse is not captured correctly. In VICE (for example, trying out GEOS) the mouse pointer does not move at all (I have tried several solutions found in the internet), in FS-UAE it behaves erratic: Seemingly x and y axis are exchanged and it is far too fast, i.e. it jumps wide distances from tiny mouse movements.

It seems to me that this is either a VirtualBox-Problem or a Lubuntu-Problem. I cannot tell.

I have searched for answers, and found one similar problem under another Distro concerning the DosBox.

https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/dosbox-not-capturing-mouse-movements-4175639921/

that does not provide a solution to me, and a list of mouse problems in Ubuntu, but not exactly this problem, here:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/tagged/mouse-pointer?tab=newest&page=3&pagesize=15

Perhaps relevant (?) in this contex: Currently, this VirtualBOX does not support USB higher than USB 1.1 (i.e. it cannot start the guest OS if one configures, e.g., USB2.0). This will hopefully disappear with the next update, and I do not know whether this failure is connected to this fact.

So here is the question: Does anybody have experience or even a solution with dysfunctional mouse capture unter Lubuntu (especially 18.04) in a VirtualBox (especially 6.1) or any VM environment?

Thanks in advance!

PS: Strangely, the second Link I have given does not preview correctly in the text. It should be:

“https://askubuntu.com/questions/tagged/mouse-pointer?tab=newest&page=3&pagesize=15”

1 Like
2

Have you installed the guest additions in your virtualized Lubuntu? That’d be my first step.

3

Thanks a lot, but yes, I have the guest additions installed.

4

VirtualBox to has full usb access need to be started using sudo in command line

2 Likes
5

@aug7744 Thanks, that is a very valuable hint! Didn’t know. I usually start it from the “System Tools” menu, and since it never asks for a sudo password, it presumably runs as user. Question is, will it then find all my VMs? But that is another issue, and solvable. I can try that once, and see whether it solves my problem.

6

when starting using sudo virtualbox will use another path to configuration thus starting virtualbox not using sudo not will show the created machines.
always is better starting with sudo

7

No! Please read the manual first! It is available online under Oracle® VM VirtualBox®

If Virtualbox is installed correctly, there is absolutely no need to run it with elevated privileges!

2 Likes
8

I had installed “correctly” VirtualBox and even thus not had full usb access.
You are saying about installing using apt-get ? If yes is an old version.
I had installed using the deb from virtualbox download site and installing correctly.
Have anothers softwares that need to run sudo to has full usb access.

10

Sorry this may not have good a complete answer.

Lubuntu 18.04 is now end-of-life