Surface Pro 3 with type cover: The insertion bar occasionally jumps to a random location within previously typed text. I am typing carefully and am avoiding the touchpad, using a Bluetooth mouse. The blinking bar that shows where text will be entered when typing appears to have a mind of its own. Does anyone else experience this phenomena?
type cover insertion bar jumps around
- Thread starter erlewis
- Start date
Nope. As per your comment t about touchpads, that's the only time i have ever seen that. Only thing I could think of would possibly some kind of autocorrect problem.
What are you doing when this occurs. E.g is this within Microsoft office or on some crapily coded forum? I've had many issues when replying on websites etc because they were coded by potatoes
What are you doing when this occurs. E.g is this within Microsoft office or on some crapily coded forum? I've had many issues when replying on websites etc because they were coded by potatoes
Any text entry field on a web page or Word, whatever. Including this very web site which was, I presume, coded by Microsoft Professionals. (Nerds maybe but not likely potatoes) I am certain this is not a web site issue because this problem does not happen when I use my other computers. I can't say if it is a type cover issue for sure because I left the country with my Surface and the new type cover leaving my beloved MS 5000 ergo Bluetooth kb at home, not knowing about this "issue". As you must know, the touch pad only moves the insertion bar when you both move the cursor and left click the touch pad. I am most decidedly NOT clicking the touch pad nor the Bluetooth mouse as I am a two-hand QWERTY touch typist.
I am now guessing that my issue and others issues with the type cover keys not working etc. may have to do with dust etc. in the contacts between the type cover and the Surface. However the type cover has not been removed from the Surface since it arrived. Tomorrow I'll remove the type cover and brush off the contacts. If anything I do eliminates the problem I'll report back.
I can't as yet detect any particular pattern in the occurrence of the problem though on this particular post it has not occurred.
I can say with authority this issue is most annoying when I don't notice it immediately. And it is some times hard to determine where the insertion bar has gone without holding a key down and watching to see where the text starts moving.
The reason I post this is the hope that if this is a systematic issue for others they will chime in and the Big Data machine at Azure headquarters will notice the problem and then MS will be proactive. I also spend a lot of time looking for the pot of gold at the end of rainbows, with equal hopes of success.
I subscribe to a Windows Home Server forum located in England that won't accept any input from me when I use I.E. but works fine with Chrome. A web site dedicated to Windows fans that does not support I.E. Hmm. Maybe it was written by a kidney pie (with apologies to my friend Terry Walsh).
Oops I forgot this is not a MS site. So MS professionals didn't program it after all. erl
I am now guessing that my issue and others issues with the type cover keys not working etc. may have to do with dust etc. in the contacts between the type cover and the Surface. However the type cover has not been removed from the Surface since it arrived. Tomorrow I'll remove the type cover and brush off the contacts. If anything I do eliminates the problem I'll report back.
I can't as yet detect any particular pattern in the occurrence of the problem though on this particular post it has not occurred.
I can say with authority this issue is most annoying when I don't notice it immediately. And it is some times hard to determine where the insertion bar has gone without holding a key down and watching to see where the text starts moving.
The reason I post this is the hope that if this is a systematic issue for others they will chime in and the Big Data machine at Azure headquarters will notice the problem and then MS will be proactive. I also spend a lot of time looking for the pot of gold at the end of rainbows, with equal hopes of success.
I subscribe to a Windows Home Server forum located in England that won't accept any input from me when I use I.E. but works fine with Chrome. A web site dedicated to Windows fans that does not support I.E. Hmm. Maybe it was written by a kidney pie (with apologies to my friend Terry Walsh).
Oops I forgot this is not a MS site. So MS professionals didn't program it after all. erl
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When you move your mouse around you move the cursor. When you right click on the mouse you position the insertion bar where the mouse cursor is resting. after you right click you can move the cursor (mouse pointer) away from the insertion bar. I often move the mouse cursor away from where I am typing after positioning the insertion bar because otherwise it tends to cover up what I am typing and if the programmers stopped to think for a moment they would do this for me automatically. You use the insertion bar whenever you type. Maybe you don't know what to call it, that is what I call it. And you may notice that the insertion bar blinks when your are entering text.
On my Surface the insertion bar will randomly move about in the text spontaneously while I am typing. What terms do you use to distinguish between the mouse cursor ( looks like and arrow head and changes to a large capital "I" when over an enterable text field) and the insertion bar (a blinking vertical bar "|")? They are quite different in look and purpose. You have see them both many times.
On my Surface the insertion bar will randomly move about in the text spontaneously while I am typing. What terms do you use to distinguish between the mouse cursor ( looks like and arrow head and changes to a large capital "I" when over an enterable text field) and the insertion bar (a blinking vertical bar "|")? They are quite different in look and purpose. You have see them both many times.
Update: I got the following suggestion from the Microsoft Community and I have turned off the touchpad. I'll report back in a few days if the insertion bar no longer jumps randomly. If this fixes the problem then it was "operator error".
Hello erlewis
To be sure that there is no interaction with the trackpad, have you tried disabling it entirely, for testing purposes?
It is also possible that interaction with or irregularities in the touchscreen may be causing this. Check out this post and see if you are experiencing something similar.
Best regards
Hello erlewis
To be sure that there is no interaction with the trackpad, have you tried disabling it entirely, for testing purposes?
It is also possible that interaction with or irregularities in the touchscreen may be causing this. Check out this post and see if you are experiencing something similar.
Best regards
I have now used the Surface and type cover for several days after changing the settings to turn off the touchpad when a mouse is connected. I still do occasionally observe the insertion cursor jumping randomly into previously typed text although I don't observe this quite as frequently as before this change. I am extremely careful now when I type so cannot say whether this care or that settings change affects the frequency of occurrence.
I have also observed a new problem that is more vexing. Occasionally a block of previously typed text becomes "selected" highlighted and if I don't notice this before typing another letter, the highlighted block of text disappears. This is what one would expect if the text had been intentionally highlighted. Unfortunately for me these occasions have occurred while typing into web comments sections that do not provide an undo option. Word/Outlook does have undo and it does recover the inadvertently deleted text.
I have not done as much typing the past few days and this obviously reduces the chance for these errors (mine or the hardware/software) to occur.
I have also observed a new problem that is more vexing. Occasionally a block of previously typed text becomes "selected" highlighted and if I don't notice this before typing another letter, the highlighted block of text disappears. This is what one would expect if the text had been intentionally highlighted. Unfortunately for me these occasions have occurred while typing into web comments sections that do not provide an undo option. Word/Outlook does have undo and it does recover the inadvertently deleted text.
I have not done as much typing the past few days and this obviously reduces the chance for these errors (mine or the hardware/software) to occur.
I've had the same problem show up when I'm typing.
Surface 3 with type cover. Randomly when typing a selection of text would highlight and if I didn't notice would get deleted as I continue to type.
When I initially looked at the Control Panel, I couldn't find any options for the Touchpad.
I type with heavy fingers and I knew this was a touchpad sensitivity issue. I've had this same problem with Dell Laptops that place a touchpad where my thumbs hover. With Dell laptops there is typically some sensitivity option.
What I did so far to fix this is:
- Press Start . . . search for Touchpad
- Select Mouse and TouchPad settings.
- Change the touchpad delay to LONG DELAY
- I have also disabled
- allow double tap and drag
- use two finger for right click
- use two finger for drag and scroll
I think this is where you will also find the option to disable the touchpad when a mouse is detected.
I rarely connect a mouse to this device. I'm a strong keyboard shortcut user so rarely use a mouse.
Surface 3 with type cover. Randomly when typing a selection of text would highlight and if I didn't notice would get deleted as I continue to type.
When I initially looked at the Control Panel, I couldn't find any options for the Touchpad.
I type with heavy fingers and I knew this was a touchpad sensitivity issue. I've had this same problem with Dell Laptops that place a touchpad where my thumbs hover. With Dell laptops there is typically some sensitivity option.
What I did so far to fix this is:
- Press Start . . . search for Touchpad
- Select Mouse and TouchPad settings.
- Change the touchpad delay to LONG DELAY
- I have also disabled
- allow double tap and drag
- use two finger for right click
- use two finger for drag and scroll
I think this is where you will also find the option to disable the touchpad when a mouse is detected.
I rarely connect a mouse to this device. I'm a strong keyboard shortcut user so rarely use a mouse.
