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Firefox seems to be interfering with the Windows key and VMWare

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Starting on 8/21, whenever Firefox is running I've noticed the following:

  • The OS no longer detects the Windows key. Pressing the key does not bring up the Start menu, Pressing Win-D does not minimize the windows to the desktop, Win-Tab does not bring up the task switcher, etc. This is true for the built-in keyboard, the on-screen keyboard, and an external USB keyboard.
  • VMWare Workstation is unable to Power-on Suspended or Powered-Down virtual machines. A dialog pops up simply stating "Failed to power on . . ." and listing the .vmx file. If I already have a VM running when I start Firefox, Workstation behaves normally, and also registers the press of the Windows key, even though the host OS ignores it.

I've restarted multiple times; the problem persists.

The problem begins about 15 -- 30 s after Firefox starts, and stops about 10 -- 15 s after Firefox closes.

The system exhibited similar behavior with the Obsidian notetaking program. I uninstalled and reinstalled Obsidian, and it stopped for a little while, but it's back to showing the same behavior.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox (restarting between).

I'm running Windows 11 Home (22H2) on an HP laptop w/ 64 GB RAM. Firefox V116.0.3. VMWare Workstation 16 Pro (16.2.5 build-20904516).

Starting on 8/21, whenever Firefox is running I've noticed the following: * The OS no longer detects the Windows key. Pressing the key does not bring up the Start menu, Pressing Win-D does not minimize the windows to the desktop, Win-Tab does not bring up the task switcher, etc. This is true for the built-in keyboard, the on-screen keyboard, and an external USB keyboard. * VMWare Workstation is unable to Power-on Suspended or Powered-Down virtual machines. A dialog pops up simply stating "Failed to power on . . ." and listing the .vmx file. If I already have a VM running when I start Firefox, Workstation behaves normally, and also registers the press of the Windows key, even though the host OS ignores it. I've restarted multiple times; the problem persists. The problem begins about 15 -- 30 s after Firefox starts, and stops about 10 -- 15 s after Firefox closes. The system exhibited similar behavior with the Obsidian notetaking program. I uninstalled and reinstalled Obsidian, and it stopped for a little while, but it's back to showing the same behavior. I've uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox (restarting between). I'm running Windows 11 Home (22H2) on an HP laptop w/ 64 GB RAM. Firefox V116.0.3. VMWare Workstation 16 Pro (16.2.5 build-20904516).

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Followup: Problem went away after using System Restore to revert to a few days before the problem first appeared. That worked for about 4 days, then the problems= returned, exactly as before -- Win key blocked when using Firefox (v116.0.3) or the Obsidian note taking app, and also blocked the startup for virtual machines in VMWare Workstation Pro 16.

Updating to Firefox V117.0 fixed the problem for a few hours, but ultimately the problem returned again.

Modified by smrogue31+mozilla