Re: modifier keys stop working [second try]

[Steve Kleene <skdeb@syrano.acb.uc.edu>]

On Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:34:48 -0400, I wrote:

> I am repeatedly losing modifier-key function.
>
> I run an up-to-date Lenny system and use the window manager fvwm (2.5.26-1)
> so that I can mostly work from the command line.  I also have a virtual XP
> machine (VM, VMware 1.06).
>
> If I use the VM for a few minutes (usually Photoshop, sometimes Acrobat), I
> find that SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT no longer modify what I enter in the Linux
> window.  For example, CTRL-c, ALT-c, and SHIFT-c all just send `c'.

On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:06:30 -0700, Andrew Sackville-West
<andrew@farwestbilliards.com> replied:

> look into xmodmap. get the output of xmodmap both before and after the
> problem. set up an .xmodmaprc file and then run it whenever you have a
> problem with the VM borking them.

I tried this without success.  First I ran xmodmap in sane mode and then in
sick mode.  As expected, all the modifier key entries had become blank, e.g.

  shift       Shift_L (0x32),  Shift_R (0x3e)

was now

  shift

Next I made a shell file with lines of this sort (all from xmodmap -pke):

  xmodmap -e "keycode  50 = Shift_L"

I ran this after re-entering sick mode.  Some lines (e.g. the one above) ran
without error, but others generated errors such as:

  xmodmap:  unable to open file 'keycode 109 = Control_R' for reading

In either case, the modifier keys still did nothing.  I guess I will just
have to get used to running startx again.  I vaguely recall that in my
Win4Lin days the VM screwed up some of the shortcuts I defined for fvwm.

Thanks.