Like most developers, I use VirtualPC for development using different images for each client/configuration. It’s a setup that works well. However, while typing away this morning in Visual Studio, lo-and-behold the Tab key stopped working! You might think that’s not the end of the world, surely a niggle rather than a full blown DEFCON 1 problem but I guarantee if you try to type more than 10 lines of code in Visual Studio without the services of the Tab key you’ll find out how irritating a problem it actually is! No tab = no keyboard control of Intellisense.
Anyways, here’s how you fix it (BTW, I’m using Windows 7 as my host and I suspect this problem is specific to Windows 7 and Vista):
Click the Start button: (Has anybody noticed that the Start button actually has no name anymore?)
In the ‘Search programs and files’ box type: Local Security Policy
Open up the Local Security Policy tool (that should be top of the list of programs)
Select the ‘Software Restriction Policies’ node:
Right click and select New Software Restriction Policies
Right click on Additional Rules, select New Path Rule
In the Path box enter: %appdata%microsoftvritual pcvpckeyboard.dll
Select the ‘Unrestricted’ security level
Click on Ok.
Restart VirtualPC.
Job done.
