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Tip: Using the keyboard to access useful functionality in Windows Virtual PC

  • Articolo

When you use a Virtual Machine (VM) created using Windows® Virtual PC (WVPC), following keyboard shortcuts would be very useful to make life simple without using the mouse:

Press this key

To do this

CTRL+ALT+Left Arrow

Release the mouse from the virtual machine’s (VM) window (required only when the integration features are not installed or are disabled). You can also use this shortcut to release the keyboard and move focus to the toolbar on the VM’s window.

CTRL+ALT+END

Send the CTRL+ALT+DEL command to a VM. This shortcut is also available while running virtual applications, when the focus is on such an application.

Windows logo key +UP Arrow

Switch from window mode to full-screen mode.

CTRL+ALT+PAUSE BREAK

Switch from full-screen mode to window mode.

ALT+F4

Close a VM.

CTRL+ALT +Plus key

Capture a print screen of the VM display output.

CTRL+ALT +Minus key

Capture a print screen of the window in the VM that has focus.

TAB + Right Arrow

Move to the Help menu from other menus on the VM toolbar. Before you can use this shortcut, you would need to press CTRL+ALT+Left Arrow to bring the focus on to the VM’s window.

TAB + Left arrow

Move from the Help menu to other menus on the VM toolbar. Before you can use this shortcut, you would need to press CTRL+ALT+Left Arrow to bring the focus on to the VM’s window.

ALT+B

Open the USB menu of the VM window. Before you can use this shortcut, you would need to press CTRL+ALT+Left Arrow to bring the focus on to the VM’s window.

ALT+P

Make the VM to go to a Sleep state. Before you can use this shortcut, you would need to press CTRL+ALT+Left Arrow to bring the focus on to the VM’s window.

ALT+U

Wake up the VM from sleep state.

Check out Windows XP Mode RTM Build today, and let us know what you think, either via the comments section here, or sharing your feedback on the WVPC and Windows XP Mode Forum on Technet here.

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Windows Virtual PC,Windows XP Mode,Application Compatibility,Windows Upgrade,VPC,VHD,VM,Virtual Machine,Virtualization,Keyboard,Shortcut,Hot key

Rahul Razdan

Program Manager

Microsoft Virtualization Team

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    @ Dominique Gratpain
  1. Windows + DOWN arrow is the key used by Windows7, hence if you have a Win7 guest it will be stuck. You can change the setting for VM for keyboard and always give it to Host
  2. Tools menu is removed in fullscreen so that no other window comes on top of working VM

  • Anonymous
    November 05, 2009
    Can't try. Machine got no virtualization support.

  • Anonymous
    November 15, 2009
    Two remarks :

  1. Switch from window mode to full-screen mode :  Windows logo key +UP Arrow Ok it is good but : Switch from full-screen mode to window mode : CTRL+ALT+PAUSE BREAK Why not to use :  Windows logo key +DOWN Arrow Perharps  Windows logo key +DOWN Arrow  is already use by another purpose but in this case don't use the  Windows logo key +UP Arrow for the first function. Sometimes (and even often) I think Microsoft' guys don't know ergonomic and you don't think to users and to people who must explain to users.
  2. in Windows mode, the menu have : Action – USB – Tools – Ctrl+Alt+Suppr in full screen mode, the menu have : Action – USB – Ctrl+Alt+Suppr Where is the choose  Tools ?
  • Anonymous
    November 16, 2009
    I forgot to precise that I use Win7 Pro with Windows XP mode (with Virtual PC as installed with the download of Windows XP mode). The two problems I wrote are true when I am in Windows XP mode.
  1. on the desktop in full-screen mode, the focus change between icons with Windows logo key +DOWN Arrow. To go on Windows mode, I need to do CTRL+ALT+PAUSE BREAK. Sorry but I think that it is not ergonomic.
  2. in full screen there is already a pinned toolbar on top with Action – USB – Ctrl+Alt+Suppr  but without Tools. There is no interest to remove here Tools. Yesterday I was in full screen and I need to use Tools then I spend many times to find it.

  • Anonymous
    December 05, 2009
    How do I access the start menu using the keyboard from within a windowed Windows Virtual PC VM? Citrix sure can do this when connected remotely to a Citrix terminal server as well as VMware Workstation.

  • Anonymous
    January 28, 2010
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 05, 2010
    Moreover, why F1 key pressed in guest Windows OS calls out both help for guest OS application and Windows Virtual PC?

  • Anonymous
    June 29, 2010
    I have the same question as Ismail Dakrory - Ctrl-Alt-Left arrow turns the screen 90 degrees left if you have Intel graphics... is there any way to change this key combination?

  • Anonymous
    August 05, 2010
    @Mark Wilson: You can disable or change the Ctrl-Alt-Left shortcut in the display driver settings so it won't conflict with Virtual PC any more.

  • Anonymous
    December 12, 2010
    And if i don't want to change it in the grahic driver ? Seriously, vpc2007 was more customizable... that's a shame.

  • Anonymous
    April 24, 2011
    How can I change the ctrl-alt-leftarrow shortcut to something else? I need those for another program which I can't change and it conflicts.

  • Anonymous
    July 19, 2011
    But... CTRL+ALT+LEFT ARROW rotates the screen.

  • Anonymous
    September 26, 2011
    Has anyone figured out how to escape a vm when CTRL+ALT+LEFT ARROW rotates the screen and doesn't actually escape?

  • Anonymous
    October 24, 2011
    for vm player CNTRL+ALT+SHIFT+ARROW KEY to escape from vmware CTRL+ALT+PAUSE BREAK TO MAKE IT FULL SCREEM

  • Anonymous
    October 20, 2012
    I don't have a pause/break key on my laptop. How do i switch to window mode?

  • Anonymous
    February 03, 2013
    The comment has been removed