Problem with keys appearing to be stuck when typing on SP2 TC2 or on-screen keyboard

[horseflesh]

My Surface 2 Pro has started doing something pretty weird.

Sometimes, when I am typing on my Type Cover 2, I'll suddenly see activity as if I was also holding down CTRL or maybe ALT. For example, if I started typing "for" in this post I'd see the "find" box pop up, as if I pressed Ctrl-F.

I'm not positive it is a stuck Ctrl key, though--still trying to work out which key(s) it is.

Here's the weird thing. You'd think it was the cover at fault, right? Driver problem, or maybe an actual stuck key? Well if I remove the TC2 and summon the Win8 on-screen keyboard, the problem persists! You just can't type normally, it's like a modifier key is being held down too.

I tried summoning the "Ease of Access" on-screen keyboard because it shows you what keys are pressed on any attached physical keyboard--nothing was lit up.

Switching to the desktop seems to clear the condition.

I tried a 2-finger restart for kicks and it didn't prevent the condition from coming back.

So far I have only seen this in Chrome and Office 2013, but that's just what I have been using for the last couple of days.

I have not installed any new software lately except for USB drivers for a cell phone. I'm going to try purging them, of course, but does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[GoodBytes]

No, It's a Windows bug, never been fixed since ages. I had it happened to me rarely since I could remember.. probably since XP.
Usually hitting every of "those " keys (Shift, Ctrl and Alt) on both sides of the keyboard solves the problem.
If you cant' fix it, just restart the system, but usually the above method solves it.

Sometimes something triggers some accessibility feature in Windows. To diminish the chances of this bug from occurring, I just go through the entire panel of Accessibility and just make sure EVERYTHING is disabled.

 

[jollywombat]

I noted this on my SP2 as well, however I have doubts that it is directly a windows bug. Windows has has the "sticky Keys" since Windows XP, notably with the Shift Keys being held or depressed a certain amount of times in a period of time.

The SP2 however has this happen with Shift, alt, and CTRL keys that I have seen when the key is depressed for greater than four seconds on the Type Cover. None of my other systems experience this issue

I have a macro setup that requires shift or control as its modifier to be held down while using the mouse scroll wheel to cause a very fast cycle of actions. I have this on five systems currently, two windows 7 systems, and three Windows 8.1 systems, one of those being the SP2. After reading around the web and seeing a number of the same issue I assumed it was just a bug/feature of the SP2 and just live with it and know at the end of holding down the modifier key to depress it again when done to deactivate it.

 

[Philtastic]

Yeah, known issue since at least December and hasn't been fixed. It's really annoying but can be circumvented by just tapping the key again after you've held it for awhile.

 

[jrapdx]

It's an annoying problem that's bit me pretty often. Being a lousy typist probably has something to do with it. The TC2 is also a pretty cramped keyboard making it easier to hit unfortunate key combinations.

Sometimes I can "unstick" it by using Fn+LeftShift or Alt or Ctrl. BTW it's a handy trick to know: Fn+Caps switches the top row of keys to F1-12 and Windows functions with Fn+F1-12 (reverse of the default setup).

Probably all this stuff is documented somewhere, but not sure where that is...

 

[horseflesh]

Well, at least I am not crazy, thanks for the info!

In my case I don't think I was holding any keys down for a longer than a normal shift keystroke... I'll pay more attention next time to see if I can develop a better repro.

 

[horseflesh]

I hit this issue again while playing games on my SP2, but I found a workaround that I wanted to share.

Sticking Keys Workaround - Microsoft Community

Since they do advertise the Surface Pro as a game-friendly device, they really ought to fix this. Many games require you to hold down keys for long periods of time, which inevitably triggers this bug.

 

[jollywombat]

Good to know, thanks Horseflesh

 

[BakedZnake]

Hi, sorry for hijacking this thread, but since you guys have the type cover 2, is it worth getting since it is like £120+? I have a bluetooth keyboard, light weight but typing on it sucks and the touchpad is awful. What are your typing experience with the Type cover 2? Are there many bugs associated with using it with the surface pro 2? thanks in advance

 

[horseflesh]

There are some common problems with the TC2, such as the bug mentioned in this thread. The bug wrecks keyboard games and the workaround does delete some Windows features.

The trackpad is widely regarded as horrible.

The typing experience on the TC2 is tolerable, but not awesome.

It's overpriced and buggy, but many folks have one because you can't do with no keyboard at all, and the form factor is great. I certainly can't recommend it whole-heartedly. If typing on your BT keyboard truly sucks the TC2 is probably an upgrade... but man, I would buy it from a place with a good return policy if you don't like it.

 

[Philtastic]

I had been using the workaround that others had mentioned in this and other threads where you disable the "Microsoft Input Configuration Device". After today's update, however, I decided to re-enable it, and it appears that the key sticking issue is fixed! I went into both Word and Notepad and held down keys for 4-10 seconds and they no longer stick, including the shift key. To make sure that the device was actually re-enabled, I checked by tap and dragging and that feature is enabled. I haven't rebooted after re-enabling the device so this may need more time to verify but I am cautiously optimistic.

 

[horseflesh]

So SP2 got updates today too? Cool!

Can you verify what version of the "Microsoft Input Configuration Device" you have now?