Kali2+Xfce, Keyboard stops working

I'm using Kali 2.0+Xfce, and I've just lost the keyboard. By "lost" I mean that all keys are being ignored, even Ctrl+Alt+F1. I didn't do anything unusual, just using Burp. If I log out and log in again, the keyboard will work again.

I'm looking for a way to get the keyboard back in case I cannot afford to log out the next time I lose the keyboard.

I can use Xfce's "Switch User" menu, and in the login screen the keyboard is working. If I log back into my session, it's not working anymore. From the login screen I can use Ctrl+Alt+F1 and log in as root - the keyboard is working there too. It's just in the Xfce session where the keyboard has stopped working.

I'm running Kali in VMware Workstation and I can run commands by pasting them into my Xfce session. Is there any command/tool I could try to resuscitate the keyboard?

Quote:

---

uname -a:
Linux kali2 4.0.0-kali1-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.0.4-1+kali2 (2015-06-03) x86_64 GNU/Linux

lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host bridge (rev 01)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX AGP bridge (rev 01)
00:07.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ISA (rev 08)
00:07.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:07.3 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:07.7 System peripheral: VMware Virtual Machine Communication Interface (rev 10)
00:0f.0 VGA compatible controller: VMware SVGA II Adapter
00:10.0 SCSI storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic 53c1030 PCI-X Fusion-MPT Dual Ultra320 SCSI (rev 01)
00:11.0 PCI bridge: VMware PCI bridge (rev 02)
00:15.0 PCI bridge: VMware PCI Express Root Port (rev 01)
[...]
00:18.7 PCI bridge: VMware PCI Express Root Port (rev 01)
02:00.0 USB controller: VMware USB1.1 UHCI Controller
02:01.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82545EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (Copper) (rev 01)
02:02.0 Multimedia audio controller: Ensoniq ES1371 / Creative Labs CT2518 [AudioPCI-97] (rev 02)
02:03.0 USB controller: VMware USB2 EHCI Controller


lsusb
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0e0f:0002 VMware, Inc. Virtual USB Hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0e0f:0003 VMware, Inc. Virtual Mouse
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

---

Alright, cause and solution below.

Cause:
I must have kept the Shift key pressed for about 10 seconds. By default, this enables the "Slow Keys" setting, which means that keys have to be pressed for a while until it registers. The default delay is 0, which is a value that cannot be set via the GUI, and Xfce does not handle it well - instead of no delay, there's quite a long delay. The keyboard is not dead, we just have to press each key for 1-2 seconds. Speaking of the GUI, here's the

Solution:
The window to change the "Slow Keys" setting can be accessed via "Applications Menu - Settings - Accessibility - Keyboard tab". (There's another bug here; the box is unchecked even when "Slow Keys" have been activated as described above, so it will have to be checked and unchecked.)

Alternatively, the Shift key can be kept down for 10 seconds or so, that should disable "Slow Keys".

Hope this helps some future reader.