Yet another hardware problem....

[nipponham]

SP3 just suddenly stopped recognizing my type cover. It was working one minute then kaput the next. I was with online support for nearly two hours and we went through everything one by one. The very last thing I did was a refresh and it's still no good. The backlight on the keyboard works so it doesn't seem to be an electrical problem. MS diagnosed the problem to be with the SP3 hardware and suggests I exchange it for a new one. Just when I'm off on a business trip starting next Monday...

 

[GreyFox7]

Really? Do you have two keyboards? How could they determine one or the other is the problem with only one? Is there some diagnostic program that shows key presses are detected.

 

[nipponham]

I only have one keyboard but they did a remote diagnostic and said "strong possibility" of it being a SP3 problem and not a keyboard problem. I wish I had another keyboard nearby to check just in case.

 

[GreyFox7]

I only have one keyboard but they did a remote diagnostic and said "strong possibility" of it being a SP3 problem and not a keyboard problem. I wish I had another keyboard nearby to check just in case.

Any stores nearby you could try it and see??? Best Buy, Wall Mart, etc? Any Surface keyboard should work to test they are not unique to a specific model.

 

[nipponham]

Good idea. No MS stores in Japan yet, but there is a big electronics store near the train station. I will try it out over the weekend. Until then, I will have to use SP3 as tablet only

 

[GreyFox7]

Look at the six contacts on you Surface are they clean and not depressed, they should be flush.
(or they may need an application of xanex or Prozac).

Look at your keyboard connector, is the block that holds the pins flat and not bowed or warped? The contacts (pins) clean and not depressed?

Try cleaning with a soft cloth and isopropyl alcohol. If that doesn't work try Scotch orally.

. I assume they had you do these...

 

[ctitanic]

SP3 just suddenly stopped recognizing my type cover. It was working one minute then kaput the next. I was with online support for nearly two hours and we went through everything one by one. The very last thing I did was a refresh and it's still no good. The backlight on the keyboard works so it doesn't seem to be an electrical problem. MS diagnosed the problem to be with the SP3 hardware and suggests I exchange it for a new one. Just when I'm off on a business trip starting next Monday...

If you did a refresh and that did not fix it then you need to exchange it. I don't know now but in the past there was an exchange method where they rushed another device in a box that you had to use to return yours. But they have to put a charge for the price of the SP3 in your credit card, the cancel the charge once they receive yours. Ask for that if you still have time.

 

[nipponham]

. I assume they had you do these...

No, they did not have me do that but I did check and clean on my own. I'm sure I pretty much covered everything and did the refresh as a last resort.

 

[nipponham]

If you did a refresh and that did not fix it then you need to exchange it. I don't know now but in the past there was an exchange method where they rushed another device in a box that you had to use to return yours. But they have to put a charge for the price of the SP3 in your credit card, the cancel the charge once they receive yours. Ask for that if you still have time.

Thank you for your advice ctitanic. I am in Japan and I don't know if that offer that service but I will check first thing in the morning seeing that it's night time here. Cheers.

 

[nipponham]

Well, you won't believe what I'm using to write this post. As a last ditch effort, I did the two-button shut down (again) to see if there would be any change and lo and behold, SP3 started recognizing the keyboard again! I did this before on my own when the problem started, and even had the CSR tell me to do it again when I was online with them. On my own it didn't work, but when the CSR told me to do it again, it worked. I thought that solved the problem but when they told me to reboot the machine to make sure the settings stick, it stopped recognizing the keyboard again. That's when they told me to do a refresh.

It was the first two-buttons shut down after the refresh so maybe that's what finally solved it, but you'd think it shouldn't be this complicated and buggy. In the meantime, I'm going to watch keyboard behaviour for a while and pray I don't have this problem again. Now I have to make time somewhere to customize my machine the way I originally had it

 

[kundas1]

its funny but I do find these keyboards temperamental, just last nite I opened a can of 7UP near my keyboard and 1 little drop landed on my trackpad and so I wiped it quickly and then for the rest of the nite my keyboard was acting up (trackpad stopped responding to my touches and keybaord froze several times)... JUST FROM A TINY DROP OF 7UP! and I'm not exaggerating when I say a tiny drop! I was so miffed! I was thinking to myself "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

 

[nipponham]

Well, I might have spoken too soon. I detached the keyboard for a while and when I reattached it, SP3 stopped recognizing it again. No matter how many reboots or two-button shut downs I do, the keyboard is not recognized. And I don't feel like doing a refresh again...