my VM shuts down every time i press windows key

[wigiwee]

i have a freshly installed proxmox setup,

Host details :

cpu: amd 5700x

motherboard: gigabyte b550m

proxmox version: 8.4

partitioning system : GPT

vm details:

iso: windows 10 with virtIO drivers

1 usb passthrough via which i connect a wireless keyboard mouse usb device

GPU passthrough to get video output to the monitor

Problem i am facing :

every time i press the start button on the keyboard my vm shuts down, i also tried with ubuntu linux vm the issue persists on linux too,

please let me know if you needs anything like system logs

 

[mariol]

Hello @wigiwee, and welcome to the proxmox community

every time i press the start button on the keyboard my vm shuts down, i also tried with ubuntu linux vm the issue persists on linux too,

By "vm shutts down" you really mean that the VM is being done a clean shutdown, so like an ACPI call? Or does it crash?

Please also post your VM-Config:

qm config <vmid>

 

[wigiwee]

Hello @wigiwee, and welcome to the proxmox community



By "vm shutts down" you really mean that the VM is being done a clean shutdown, so like an ACPI call? Or does it crash?

Please also post your VM-Config:

qm config <vmid>

root@sisyphus:~# qm config 200
agent: 1
bios: ovmf
boot: order=scsi0;ide2;ide0;net0
cores: 4
cpu: x86-64-v2-AES
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-200-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
hostpci0: 0000:05:00,x-vga=1
ide0: local:iso/virtio-win-0.1.271.iso,media=cdrom,size=709474K
ide2: local:iso/Win10_22H2_EnglishInternational_x64v1.iso,media=cdrom,size=5991830K
machine: pc-q35-9.2+pve1
memory: 6144
meta: creation-qemu=9.2.0,ctime=1751956146
name: windows-os
net0: virtio=BC:24:11:4E:BB:8F,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
ostype: win11
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-200-disk-1,cache=writeback,discard=on,iothread=1,size=64G
scsihw: virtio-scsi-single
smbios1: uuid=362e787e-f1d5-440e-a55d-02efd6ff32de
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-200-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0
usb0: host=248a:8367
vmgenid: 58238102-8a8b-4356-baf0-72bb509b8f5f

 

[mariol]

Everything looks normal at your config. Does this also happen when you don't use the Windows key on the PHY keyboard, but instead use the virtual keyboard via the Proxmox console or an RDP/VNC connection?

And have you tried a different keyboard?

Please also answer this question:

By "vm shutts down" you really mean that the VM is being done a clean shutdown, so like an ACPI call? Or does it crash?

Thank you.

 

[wigiwee]

By "vm shutts down" you really mean that the VM is being done a clean shutdown, so like an ACPI call? Or does it crash?

it shuts down gracefully, a clean shut down, not like a crash,
not sure what you mean by ACPI call

And have you tried a different keyboard?

unfortunately i don't have another keyboard with me right now, but my current keyboard is a iball keyboard i bought in 2019, so its not that old to have different scan codes,

Proxmox console or an RDP/VNC connection

the windows key/button works fine there, the problem is only when i am connected via wireless keyboard to host

 

[mariol]

it shuts down gracefully, a clean shut down, not like a crash,
not sure what you mean by ACPI call

Thank you. Yes with ACPI call I mean "press the powerbutton" ...

Please test the difference between USB 2.x and 3.x for the keyboard.

And second test:

Disable for test the option to shutdown the VM via ACPI/Power button inside from Windows.
Systemsettings → Energy Options → Define behavior of the power switch: When pressing the power button, “do nothing”

Does that help?

 

[mariol]

I tried to reproduce it here. Windows Server 2025 / Kubuntu 24.04 with an Nvidia RX A2000 and two different keyboards. The Windows key works normally.

If my suggestions in the previous post do not bring about a change in the situation in the right direction, please post the journal log from Proxmox VE from the time when you press the Windows key and the VM shuts down. It is the simplest to test it with an (K)ubuntu VM, because then you can also provide the journal from there. Maybe then we can see what is happening.

Please adjust date and time.

journalctl --since "2025-10-01 00:00" --until "2025-10-03 16:00" > "$(hostname)-journal.log"