Surface Pro 8 with a Signature Keyboard

Question

I recently purchased a SP 8 with a Signature Keyboard. When I power the SP 8 on the Signature Keyboard does nothing. I have to detach and re-attach the keyboard to get it to function. On my other Surfaces the keyboard/type cover always works on power on.

Answer 1

Thank you for posting your inquiry here in Microsoft Community, JimMcS_54.

I'm sorry to hear that the type cover stops working upon start up. Please perform the methods below:

• Run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and check for remaining Windows updates on the settings. Go to Settings> Update & Security > Windows Update.
• Force the device to restart/turn off. Press the power button for 15 to 20 seconds while the device is turn on.
• Run the System File Checker.
• Check for driver errors. Go to device manager > expand keyboard > check if there's a yellow exclamation point.
• Refresh the type cover driver. Go to device manage > Expand keyboard > Right-click the Surface Type cover driver then choose uninstall > Restart the device
• Check if the issue persists on the UEFI settings. Boot to the UEFI settings. Go to settings > Update & Security > Under Advanced Start up , click on Restart Now, once you're on the UEFI settings, Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Click on Command Prompt > Type "notepad" > on the notepad, test the keys of the keyboard and see if it works or not while on the UEFI.

Let me know how this goes so we can further assist just in case the methods above did not work.

Answer 2

Hello, thanks for the quick reply. I followed your instructions yesterday except for the UEFI settings. I followed those this morning. The System file checker found no issues. In Device Manager/Keyboard there were no drivers named Surface Type Cover. There were four instances of "Surface Button HID Keyboard Device", none with a yellow exclamation point. I uninstalled those four drivers and restarted the SP8. After startup the Surface Signature Keyboard worked and the 4 drivers had been reinstalled. Over the course of time since yesterday I have powered the SP8 off and on a number of times and sometimes the keyboard worked right from the start and other times I had to detach the connection and reattach it. When I do that after a second or so the mouse cursor appears and the keyboard works as it should.

This morning I followed the instructions to boot to the UEFI settings. After booting up the keyboard worked. When I got to the command prompt I could use the type cover to type notepad and the keys worked fine while being tested. Over the next few days I'll boot into the UEFI settings and see what happens if the keyboard doesn't work.

I think the issue may be more one of poor contact between the keyboard and the SP8. I also had trouble getting the power supply connector to contact properly on Monday evening. I had to try connecting it with the wire facing up and facing down several times (and wiggling it in the socket) before the light on the connector finally lit. It has worked properly since then. Maybe the connectors are slightly out of proper alignment with the openings in the case.

Again, thanks for the quick reply.

Answer 3

For the connector, it could be a connection issue and would need replacement. In this case, please visit our contact us page; https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus/ to contact Microsoft Surface Support and get your Surface replaced. If you're located outside the United States, you can check our Global Support Contact page; https://support.microsoft.com/help/4051701/.

Answer 4

Hello, thanks for your reply. I'm rethinking my bad connection theory. After disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard and having it start to work, the keyboard would always work properly on a restart. It only would not work when I powered on. I went through device manager and uninstalled the four drivers in the keyboard section and the mouse driver in the mouse section. When I powered on 2 keyboard drivers would reappear. Disconnecting/reconnecting the keyboard would cause 2 more keyboard drivers to appear. The location for those 2 is Location 1 and location 2. The mouse driver would also appear and its location would be Location 3. The keyboard not working after powering on continued. I then deleted those drivers and similarly named drivers in the Human Interface Devices section. I also found a driver named "Surface Type Cover v7 Firmware Update" in the Firmware section. I deleted it but after powering on (and disconnecting/reconnecting the keyboard) all those drivers were back and the no keyboard on power on remained. I went through all those drivers again and deleted them all. Both times I ran Windows Update before powering off but nothing was found. After deleting the Surface Type Cover v7 Firmware Update the second time, checking for updates and powering off and on the keyboard worked. I checked the Device Manager and all the drivers were there except for the STC v7 FU driver. I don't know what I did differently the second time. I may have found/deleted an additional keyboard/mouse related driver in the HID section or something like that.

So far, I have powered off and on a number of times and the keyboard has worked properly each time. The Surface Type Cover v7 Firmware Update driver has not reappeared. Is there a different Surface Type Cover driver that should be loading? Windows Update hasn't found anything. Is it possible the Surface Type Cover isn't responding properly at power on so the driver (or the correct driver) isn't loaded properly? If the type cover continues functioning properly without it, I'm fine with that. Thanks for your help.

Answer 5

Thank you for the details, JimMcS_54. The issue was more likely related to the driver/software. Try to continue using the device and check the keyboard behavior from time to time after the troubleshooting we have performed.