Any VBox 4.3 guest VMs just stuck in full screen mode => Fixed in SVN

[imanilov1982]

Host: x64 Ubuntu v13.04 with installed "virtualbox-4.3_4.3.0-89960~Ubuntu~raring_amd64.deb" Guest_1: Xubuntu v12.04.3 Guest_2: Windows XP Problem: I can't minimize any guest VM which is switched in full screen mode by pressing "Minimize" button it the menu bar. VM just blink and stay full screened. So I can't access to the host PC screen. :( --- Any other VirtualBox v4.1.x, v4.2.x doesn't have this bug! Please, fix it in the v4.3.x bunch.

[Dsen]

Which *menu bar* do you mean? Ubuntu native one or mini tool-bar of fullscreen mode?

[imanilov1982]

I mean the VirtualBox's menu bar which is pulled down when I put mouse pointer to the top-center of my screen. "Minimize" button is the third button from right of this menu=> "[_]" So when my guest VM is running in full screen mode I can't minimize it by pressing minimize button. And this is only VirtualBox 4.3 bug! VirtualBox 4.2.18 and any other previous VirtualBox 4.xx bunch works fine with minimize from full screen mode.

[Dsen]

Could you please clarify which is the desktop manager are you using (gnome, kde, xfce)? I was not able to determine from that little screen-shot piece attached.

Also, is this VM which you observing that bug in is multi-head? I mean do you have more than one guest-screen configured or it is just one?

[imanilov1982]

I'm using 64-bit Ubuntu 13.04 with Cinnamon 2.0.11 as desktop manager. I have two VMs. The 1'st is Xubuntu 12.04.3, the 2'nd is Windows XP with SP3. With ANY 4.2.x VirtualBox I have no problems with VMs. Bunch 4.3.x of VirtualBox also has overburn my host CPU upto 96 Celsius degree.

PS: You can see "Vbox 4.3.X minimizing bug" at the small video(11Mb) here: ​http://zalil.ru/34801162 or ​http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/6173300/file.html

PPS: 4.3.4 has the same bug!

[Feng Yu]

I have the same issue when I updated virtualbox form 4.2 to 4.3. I use Linuxmint 15 and cinnamon DE. I can't minimize any vms when switch to full screen. When I click the minimize button, the vm will first minimized and suddenly fill the window, it's still full screen.

But version 4.2 doesn't have this problem.

[imanilov1982]

VirtualBox v4.3_4.3.4-91027~Ubuntu~raring_amd64 - problem still the same! :-\

[Feng Yu]

Replying to imanilov1982:

VirtualBox v4.3_4.3.4-91027~Ubuntu~raring_amd64 - problem still the same! :-\

I can't believe that the same problem appear all over the 4.3 version!

[Frank Mehnert]

Replying to Feng Yu:

I can't believe that the same problem appear all over the 4.3 version!

If you can't believe this so why didn't you fix it in the meantime? The VirtualBox source code is freely available.

[Frank Mehnert]

Deleted the last comment. It's just off-topic.

[Frank Mehnert]

And a few more words: We are really working hard to fix as many bugs as possible and to keep our users happy. Complaints and rants like the above don't help us at all. VirtualBox is a complex piece of software and like every software, it has bugs. Some bugs are easier to fix, some bugs have a higher priority because they might impact security issues or host / guest crashes. Some bugs might affect a lot of users. If we cannot reproduce a bug it means that we probably have the wrong test case or that the user does something wrong.

I've read in other tickets that VBox 4.3.x on hosts with Cinnamon desktops might have some problems. We will investigate this but there is not any ETA for a fix. Because currently there are more important problems to fix. They might not affect you but nevertheless we have our priorities.

And I mean it like I said: The source code of VirtualBox is freely available. Code contributions will increase the probability that a VirtualBox bug is fixed or/and a new feature is implemented.

[neuromancer]

Replying to frank: I have the same problem. I'm using Virtualbox 4.3 with LinuxMint 16 as a host and Windows XP as the guest. I can't minimize the guest when its at fullscreen.

And a few more words: We are really working hard to fix as many bugs as possible and to keep our users happy. Complaints and rants like the above don't help us at all. VirtualBox is a complex piece of software and like every software, it has bugs. Some bugs are easier to fix, some bugs have a higher priority because they might impact security issues or host / guest crashes. Some bugs might affect a lot of users. If we cannot reproduce a bug it means that we probably have the wrong test case or that the user does something wrong.

I've read in other tickets that VBox 4.3.x on hosts with Cinnamon desktops might have some problems. We will investigate this but there is not any ETA for a fix. Because currently there are more important problems to fix. They might not affect you but nevertheless we have our priorities.

And I mean it like I said: The source code of VirtualBox is freely available. Code contributions will increase the probability that a VirtualBox bug is fixed or/and a new feature is implemented.

[fniessen]

It is the same here with Mint 16 and VB 4.2.20 (r90983) but in 4.2.18 (r88780) minimizing a fullscreen window works. It seems that (backport?) changes between r88780 and r90983 are introducing this error into the 4.2 line.

[imanilov1982]

Problem with minimization in the VBox 4.3.x is related to Cinnamon version. With Mint15 (with Cinnamon 1.8.x) I have no problem with minimization from full screen. But with Min16 or any Ubuntu with Cinnamon v2.x - this problem 100% present. So I think that programmers just have to take minimization procedure from VBox 4.2.18 and put it in the 4.3.x version. That's it.

[drizad]

I have to confirm that this bug exist.

Using Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon version, Virtualbox 4.3 and Windows 7 as the guest. The bug did not exist before in Linux Mint 14 with Mate, provided the desktop effect is disabled. In Linux Mint 16, disabling desktop effect did not help resolving the bug.

[fniessen]

Bug still exists in 4.3.6. Following the r-numbers of the deb packages the behavior occurs between r88780 (4.2.18 9/6/2013) and r89960 (4.3.0 10/15/2013). I have build virtualbox from source and can confirm that build-window too.

Unfortunally I don't know what the r-numbers referencing to, so https://www.virtualbox.org/timeline wouldn't help me.

I try to search in the code differences between 4.2.18 and 4.2.20 to find the reason for that beavior.

Any hints on the r-numbers would help me too.
EDIT 2:
The problematic part of the code is in src/VBox/Frontends/VirtualBox/src/runtime

Minimizing a fullscreenwindow is trigering the function UIMachineWindow::handleScreenGeometryChange() by sltHandleHostScreenGeometryChange()

Here the function UIMachineWindowFullscreen::showInNecessaryMode() is called which will then call showFullScreen()

The call of this function will revoke minimizing of the window.
HTH

[Frank Mehnert]

The actual fix is in r50060. And here is a test build for Ubuntu Raring / Saucy 64-bit. Could you confirm that the problem is fixed for you?

[fniessen]

Problem is fixed; works like a charm. Thank you

[imanilov1982]

Yes, problem is fixed! Thank you! PS: Please do not forget to include this fix into the next VBox biuld.

[Frank Mehnert]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, the fix will be part of the next 4.3.x maintenance release.

[isecore]

I can also confirm that this test build fixed the issue 100% for me as well. Thanks for all the work!

[isecore]

Seems I spoke a bit too soon. It works flawlessly with the VM guest in single-monitor mode.

However, in multi-display mode (with two or more monitors connected to the guest VM) it will display flaky behavior now and again. This is mostly apparent in how Cinnamon and VirtualBox will "fight" about the topmost placement of the Cinnamon-taskbar. This causes 90% CPU usage from the host machine as well as extremely sluggish performance in the guest while the Cinnamon taskbar flashes front and back. Also it's impossible to exit fullscreen mode and cannot call down the top VM menu to disable fullscreen.

Host is Linux Mint 15 with the relevant Cinnamon.

[Frank Mehnert]

Could you test ​VBox 4.3.8 RC1?

[Frank Mehnert]

Fix is part of VBox 4.3.8.

[H.Lo]

Just installed v4.3.8 r92456 and having the same issue; Host OS: Ubuntu 13.10; Guest OS: Win7

[taidoka]

VirtualBox 4.3.12 issue (with Cinnamon) again - Can't minimize VM in Fullscreen mode Hardware: Thinkpad T61 T9300 8GB Ram
Chipset: Intel GM965/GL960 integrated graphics controller
Host: LM 13 64 Bit recent kernel
DM: Cinnamon 2.0.14
VM: Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Running guest OS with 3d acceleration

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Initially behaviour is fine. But when I start opening an application within the VM it gets stuck. I can neither switch to another workspace nor can I minimize the VM.
It seems that the source code has been rewritten. Thus I can't apply the change described here https://www.virtualbox.org/changeset/50060/vbox and compile latest VirtualBox from source.

Thanks for any help, taidoka

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Solved the issue by restarting the whole system. Sorry for any inconvenience. The issue appeared due to a corrupt system startup.

[Feng Yu]

Virtualbox 5.0 appeared this bug again.

OS: Ubuntu 14.04 Guest OS: windows 8.1

Could not minimize the full screen mode.