Ubuntu hosted by Microsoft Virtual PC - ALT-GR key seized as escape character
 

Hello
I am currently hosting Ubuntu on Microsoft Virtual PC - never mind the reasons for this -

I have installed Ubuntu successfully on the virtualisation software but the problem is this. The Ubuntu virtual machine takes over the ALT-GR key to use to escape the virtual machine and return to the host.

¿Why is this a problem? - I am in Spain, and use a Spanish keyboard layout. And the ALT-GR key is very important (muy importante). Here are some of the characters that it accesses: @ | {} []. So I can't send an email, concatenate in Oracle, program in "C" [or do whatever square brackets can help with].

Does anyone have any ideas how I can
[EITHER] select a different candidate for the breakout key in the Ubuntu virtual machine ||''|| [OR] find a different way of accessing @ | {} [] that does not use ALT-GR, bit preserves the rest of my Spanish keyboard layout {Because I look @ my keyboard sometimes}

Thanks

Tell us the result of this command:Look here for more details: http://cygwin.com/ml/cygwin-xfree/2004-03/msg00420.html

Feedback to suggestion
 

My inference was that the line you suggest should be run at the terminal, so I did. It did not produce an error, but also it did not give me back ALT-GR functionality.

I read the linked document and found it quite difficult to understand what the person who wrote it was talking about, or how it related to my problem, but this is not a critiscism of the author, it is more a reflection of my level of knowledge of Linux / Unix type systems.

I do appreciate your taking the trouble to make this suggestion, though. Thanks

I'm also running both desktop and server versions of Ubuntu 7.10 in virtual pc on xp. However, the key combo I use to give control of the pointer back to xp is the right Alt key and enter.

Try that and see if it works.

jc

Oh... I thought that right now your Alt-Gr key acts like "Esc" key, so I told you to re-map it. May be it is a different problem, in which case I don't know the answer, and you may stop reading this post. But if I am correct, you can read further:


Each key, when pressed, produces a signal.
Your system should understand this signal, and what it is supposed to mean.

For example, when you press a key right next to capslock, a unique signal is sent to the computer, and your system (X server), should understand that it means you are pressing 'a'. Then it should do what it is supposed to do when it gets a signal for 'a', like if you are in an editor, it should type a "a" character.

There are two cases of your problem:
1) When you press the right-Alt key, some signal is sent, but right now your computer doesn't understand it as Alt-Gr, but as Escape key.
2) Your computer does understand it as Alt-Gr, but it is supposed to act like "Esc" character. In this case I don't know what to do.

But if your case is 1st one, please do one thing:
Type "xmodmap" in a terminal, and give us the output.

Hi!

I haven't heard from you, so I am assuming your problem was solved. In case it wasn't, try this:
1. Open a editor and type in this: and then save it as ".xmodmap" in your home directory.
2. Open a terminal and type: 3. Try using AltGr in this terminal window (ex, press AltGr+e). It should work!
4. Now give this command: 5. Logout and login.

Voila!