Sun Microsystems VERSION 3.1.0_BETA2 user manual Changing removable media

1 First steps

there are three candidates as to who receives keyboard input: the host operating sys- tem, VirtualBox, or the guest operating system. Who of these three receives keypresses depends on a number of factors, including the key itself.

•Host operating systems reserve certain key combinations for themselves. For example, it is impossible to enter the Ctrl+Alt+Delete combination if you want to reboot the guest operating system in your virtual machine, because this key combination is usually hard-wired into the host OS (both Windows and Linux intercept this), and pressing this key combination will therefore reboot your host.

Also, on Linux and Solairs hosts, which use the X Window System, the key com- bination Ctrl+Alt+Backspace normally resets the X server (to restart the entire graphical user interface in case it got stuck). As the X server intercepts this com- bination, pressing it will usually restart your host graphical user interface (and kill all running programs, including VirtualBox, in the process).

Third, on Linux hosts supporting virtual terminals, the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Fx (where Fx is one of the function keys from F1 to F12) normally allows to switch between virtual terminals. As with Ctrl+Alt+Delete, these combinations are intercepted by the host operating system and therefore always switch terminals on the host.

If, instead, you want to send these key combinations to the guest operating sys- tem in the virtual machine, you will need to use one of the following methods:

–Use the items in the “Machine” menu of the virtual machine window. There you will find “Insert Ctrl+Alt+Delete” and “Ctrl+Alt+Backspace”; the lat- ter will only have an effect with Linux or Solaris guests, however.

–Press special key combinations with the Host key (normally the right Con- trol key), which VirtualBox will then translate for the virtual machine:

∗Host key + Del to send Ctrl+Alt+Del (to reboot the guest);

∗Host key + Backspace to send Ctrl+Alt+Backspace (to restart the graphical user interface of a Linux or Solaris guest);

∗Host key + F1 (or other function keys) to simulate Ctrl+Alt+F1 (or other function keys, i.e. to switch between virtual terminals in a Linux guest).

•For some other keyboard combinations such as Alt-Tab(to switch between open windows), VirtualBox allows you to configure whether these combinations will affect the host or the guest, if a virtual machine currently has the focus. This is a global setting for all virtual machines and can be found under “File” -> “Preferences” -> “Input” -> “Auto-capture keyboard”.

1.7.2 Changing removable media

While a virtual machine is running, you can change removable media in the “Devices” menu of the VM’s window. Here you can select in detail what VirtualBox presents to your VM as a CD, DVD, or floppy.

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