Cursor Jumps Around

[clemgrad85]

When typing on my SP2 using the Type Cover, the cursor will often either jump to another location and I'm suddenly typing in the middle of the previous paragraph or who knows where, or, it will highlight several lines and if I don't realize it quickly it deletes those lines with the next key strike. I wonder if my hand hits the mouse pad which causes it to move? Is there a way to turn the mouse pad off? I rarely use the built in mouse pad. Thanks for any suggestions on this.

On a side note, has anyone found a really good Bluetooth keyboard that works well with the SP2 other than the MS Type Cover? That would solve the above mentioned issue as well.

 

[xmecx]

Swipe in from the right.... settings..... pc and devices..... mouse and touchpad. You can change the touchpad off delay at the bottom.

 

[clemgrad85]

FYI, apparently you can only disable the mouse touchpad if you have the keyboard connected to the SP2. I use the Type Cover almost exclusively with the wireless adapter and to turn off the touchpad mouse is not an option. So, I'm guessing my only option is to get a separate Bluetooth keyboard and only use the Type Cover when needing the keyboard physically attached to the SP2. Is this what others believe to be true?

Grrrrrr.....the stupid keyboard just erased two whole lines while I was typing this. I can only guess I some how hit the touchpad area with either the palms of my hands or the sides of my thumbs. Or, does the cursor just jump around a good bit? Anyway, looking at the Logitech Bluetooth K810 as an option. Has anyone had any experience with that keyboard?

 

[InspectHerGadget]

When typing on my SP2 using the Type Cover, the cursor will often either jump to another location and I'm suddenly typing in the middle of the previous paragraph or who knows where, or, it will highlight several lines and if I don't realize it quickly it deletes those lines with the next key strike. I wonder if my hand hits the mouse pad which causes it to move? Is there a way to turn the mouse pad off? I rarely use the built in mouse pad. Thanks for any suggestions on this.

On a side note, has anyone found a really good Bluetooth keyboard that works well with the SP2 other than the MS Type Cover? That would solve the above mentioned issue as well.

This losing of text happens with all the Surfaces I've used the RT, 2, Pro 2/3. I think it is a windows feature and happens with Windows laptops too.

It doesn't happen with MacBooks and my theory is Apple have some timing in there where it recognises that touching a keyboard combination for a fraction of a second while typing is almost certainly unintended and it doesn't respond to it.

My 2 cents on that.

Yes, it is bloody annoying but honestly you just have to live with it and use the 'undo' when it happens.

 

[Morgan]

This sounds a lot like what I experienced with my Surface Pro 3. However, the latest firmware update seems to have fixed this problem.

 

[InspectHerGadget]

This sounds a lot like what I experienced with my Surface Pro 3. However, the latest firmware update seems to have fixed this problem.

It has been something that has been around for YEARS and on laptops and all flavours of the Surface. I had it happen today on my SP2. It never happens on my MBA.

I'd be stunned if they suddenly fixed this as this is an OS issue, nothing to do with the Surface. My wife complains of this on the Surface 2 as well. It happened on the SP3 etc...

Anyway, I will be interested if it really has been fixed although that fix should also affect the Sp2 also, I would think.

It simply requires not allowing keyboard commands including arrows and paging to be active while actually typing. It is very easy to accidentally brush keys while typing and this is what causes it.

 

[Morgan]

I believe the last firmware update was for the Surface Pro 3 only. But maybe there will be similar firmware updates for the other Surface models in the near future.

 

[InspectHerGadget]

I believe the last firmware update was for the Surface Pro 3 only. But maybe there will be similar firmware updates for the other Surface models in the near future.

It doesn't happen all the time. I'll believe it if these problems just disappear in the weeks ahead for SP3 users. I mean you can go a period without the problem happening. It really depends on how accurately you touch type. If you're really good it happens less often as you're not accidentally hitting other keys.

 

[InspectHerGadget]

The other fix I'm waiting for which again would probably affect all Surface users is the waiting in modern IE when you go back through web pages. You get stuck waiting for the page to refresh so often I just give up and go to a new tab. It doesn't do it on the desktop version.

In the past week I've complained about both the jumping issue and the IE tabbing back issue (another old one everyone is aware of) these issues using metro IE. You go to the Settings while in IE Metro and then 'Report Website Problems'. I did this once for a formatting issue for a website and within a week it had been fixed. I have no idea if this was coincidence but it was an ongoing issue for me but this stuff all goes back to Microsoft and they act on it.

Who knows maybe it is something easy to fix and they've finally nailed it

 

[javispedro]

So are you using the MS Bluetooth adapter? I've always suspected it sucks. Can you do the "swiping from the side" gestures with the adapter?

If you can't, then, as I suspected, the adapter is crap and the touchpad is not entering "precision touchpad" mode. In this "nonprecision" mode Windows sees the touchpad basically as a dumb mouse. You're depending on the type cover's firmware for all enhanced features such as gestures (including tap and drag!) , palm rejection, right click emulation... And the firmware sucks. Tap and drag is not implemented at all in the type v2 cover for example.
This is how Linux users currently must use the Type Cover...

By the way firmware upgrades will also only work when the type cover is physically plugged in. So if you've not done so since the last windows update, just plug it in and reboot.

 

[clemgrad85]

So are you using the MS Bluetooth adapter? I've always suspected it sucks. Can you do the "swiping from the side" gestures with the adapter?

If you can't, then, as I suspected, the adapter is crap and the touchpad is not entering "precision touchpad" mode. In this "nonprecision" mode Windows sees the touchpad basically as a dumb mouse. You're depending on the type cover's firmware for all enhanced features such as gestures (including tap and drag!) , palm rejection, right click emulation... And the firmware sucks. Tap and drag is not implemented at all in the type v2 cover for example.
This is how Linux users currently must use the Type Cover...

By the way firmware upgrades will also only work when the type cover is physically plugged in. So if you've not done so since the last windows update, just plug it in and reboot.

Yes, always attached the keyboard when doing updates. So, if this is an issue with the OS, no need to spend money on a new Bluetooth keyboard, huh?

I tried to swipe from the sides and it doesn't seem to work via the adapter. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

 

[InspectHerGadget]

I was typing an email today on the SP2 and a number of times in the email it would just randomly put the cursor elsewhere in the email I was typing. It also did it when I was setting up a new contact in the People application.

My wife commented 'that happens all the time on my Surface 2'.

You also get the one where an entire block of text will suddenly disappear which is something I've lived with ever since I had the surface.

Some of this must be Surface specific and related to issues in the Type covers. The SP3 when I had it did the same thing.