Desktop stops accepting input from mouse, keyboard, touchpad, or touchscreen, but topbar and dock still accept input

[PJSingh5000]

The desktop area stops accepting inputs from the mouse, keyboard, trackpad, and touchscreen.

However, gnome session is not frozen, because I can still interact with the topbar and the Ubuntu Dock using the pointer or keyboard.

I can move the pointer using the trackpad, or attached mouse, but clicking or typing in windows on the desktop area has no effect.

What I can not do:
- I can not close windows using the window buttons.
- I can not move windows.
- I can not bring windows to the foreground.
- I can not click on any dialog buttons.
- I can not type in any test areas (such as in gedit).

What I can do:
- I can start the activities view by clicking on Activities in the top left corner.
- I can launch programs from the dock and from the applications button.
- I can also interact with the notifications area or the indicator icons at the right of the topbar.
- I can type and search for applications after entering the Activities overview.

Logging-out and loggin-in does not resolve the problem.
- Note that GDM accepts mouse and keyboard inputs.
- After logging back into the desktop, I can not interact with the desktop area, as before.

Restating is the only way to regain ability to interact with the windows and desktop area.

I experience this issue on my laptop running Ubuntu 17.10, but I have not had this issue on my desktop running Ubuntu 17.10.

Additional Information (Laptop):
  2017 HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop - 15t touch
  GeForce MX150
  Using xserver-xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu3 amd64
  Using Nvidia binary driver version 384.90
  $ lsb_release -rd
  Description: Ubuntu 17.10
  Release: 17.10
  $ gnome-shell --version
  GNOME Shell 3.26.1
  $ mutter --version
  mutter 3.26.1

Note: My desktop (which does not have this issue) is also running Ubuntu 17.10, has an Nvidia card, and is using the proprietary driver with xorg.

I'm not sure if mutter is responsible for handling mouse/keyboard inputs separately from GDM, extensions, and the topbar, so I opened this bug against gnome-shell.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: gnome-shell 3.26.1-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-16.19-generic 4.13.4
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Sun Nov 5 14:19:45 2017
DisplayManager: gdm3
GsettingsChanges:
 b'org.gnome.shell' b'had-bluetooth-devices-setup' b'true'
 b'org.gnome.shell' b'app-picker-view' b'uint32 1'
 b'org.gnome.shell' b'favorite-apps' b"['google-chrome.desktop', 'chrome-eppojlglocelodeimnohnlnionkobfln-Default.desktop', 'org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop', 'org.gnome.gedit.desktop', 'org.gnome.Terminal.desktop', 'libreoffice-writer.desktop', 'libreoffice-calc.desktop', 'org.gnome.Software.desktop', 'gnome-system-monitor.desktop']"
 b'org.gnome.desktop.interface' b'gtk-im-module' b"'gtk-im-context-simple'"
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-11-03 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 17.10.0 2017.10.23 amd64 "Custom Artful Aardvark"
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-shell
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. This particular bug has already been reported and is a duplicate of bug 1181666, so it is being marked as such. Please look at the other bug report to see if there is any missing information that you can provide, or to see if there is a workaround for the bug. Additionally, any further discussion regarding the bug should occur in the other report. Feel free to continue to report any other bugs you may find.

[jMyles (justin-justinholmes)]

The description of bug #1181666 appears to include an ability to use ordinary keyboard shortcuts (such as Alt-F2). This one does not. I am indeed having this issue, but I am not able to use Alt-F2. Is this sufficient to distinguish these issues?

[Mike Willems (mikewdev)]

Hi Justin, did you ever find a resolution to this? I'm on 18.04 experiencing the exact same issue.

[Mike Willems (mikewdev)]

And, ftr, I agree that the duplicate status is wrong!

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Even if the original reporter agrees that the duplicate status is wrong, then this bug would still be closed because 17.10 is past end-of-life.

So if you experience ongoing problems and think they are different to bug 1181666 then please open a new bug by running:

  ubuntu-bug gnome-shell

[Schweitzer Laszlo (u9800)]

Hello all,

Today I encountered almost the same issue. The situation happens right after I launch an instance of windows7 vm from virtualbox 6. I can move my mouse pointer, but not able to click on anything, both inside and outside vm. In the end, I used keyboard to shutdown the vm, and the desktop started to respond to my mouse again.