More keyboard "Cover" for Surface Pro 3 Win 10

Question

Hello  I have a bothersome problem with my Surface Pro 3... I had to reinstall Windows 8.1 Pro... and since then, the "Cover" keyboard is not working, doesn't exist, is not recognized...  -- The touchscreen and the on-screen keyboard work...  -- I managed to get a WiFi mouse working through the USB port and a Bluetooth keyboard (Lidl) and that works fine... but the real keyboard with its pad would be better  ... I disconnected it, cleaned it, reconnected it in different ways, nothing works... All updates...  What should I do?? How to do it?? What should I download, install??  Thanks in advance to everyone.

Ally · Accepted Answer

Hello,  I have exactly the same issue as you on my Surface Pro 3, except that I had never upgraded to Windows 10.  Suddenly, my Type Cover keyboard stopped working. Since we had bought a spare one in case the one we had broke, I replaced it. However, the new keyboard didn't work either!  After extensive research online, it turns out that we are actually hundreds/thousands of users around the world experiencing this problem. Microsoft has put up a support page... but it is completely useless as it doesn't resolve the issue.  Microsoft is disregarding its customers because no solution is being offered even though this malfunction is clearly identified and stems from a software problem and not a hardware failure.

jeannets · Answer

Hello everyone,  My question doesn't seem to be causing a stir...!  There must be some of you with "Surface" devices and the famous "Cover Touch" keyboard.  What I'm particularly interested in is the implementation of this keyboard, the drivers or firmware used... I believe it's the same on Windows 10 in this regard.  -- I'm especially thinking of those who only purchased the tablet initially... And who later equipped it with this "Cover" keyboard... How did they go about installing it??  Thanks for all your cooperation.

jeannets · Answer

In fact, I recharged SURFACE on Windows 10 according to Microsoft... and I still don't have the "Cover" keyboard.  So my question remains... How to activate this damn keyboard??  But now, it's under Windows 10 that this continues.  Thank you in advance.

ericstmaur · Answer

Hello, this is not a software issue but a hardware one. The keyboard is a peripheral and it is no longer recognized. Check that all the connection pins are properly extended. Then remove and replace the keyboard several times until the keyboard is recognized. Eric

ericstmaur · Answer

Behind the little nipples there are springs. They need to be pushed out as much as possible so that the tablet is in contact with the keyboard; otherwise, the USB device is not recognized. I then removed and reinserted the keyboard several times.

Dilou · Answer

Hello, Have you found a solution? I have tried all possible manipulations and I still have the same problem and I can't solve it.  Thank you for your response please.

jeannets · Answer

I'm sorry, I don't have a miraculous answer... I can't do it... Not at all... Not a bit...  I admit I've spent quite a bit of time on it and I've kind of let it go... otherwise, I'll be at it all year... Although... with the lockdown..??  Let's say I try again when I have new info that I haven't tried yet...  To me, this beast has something secret and hidden... that would allow the keyboard to work... I don't understand where it's tucked away... and especially that Microsoft isn't being helpful on this... It's a total lack of cooperation... their site with downloadable solutions doesn't change anything, or it's missing huge explanations... I can admit a lack of intelligence.. But there are millions of us in this situation.. And this keyboard should work outside of Windows, just by entering the BIOS.. that's not the case already...  You will always be welcome...

jeannets · Answer

No matter how much I pull on the nipples, it doesn't seem to excite her any more...!  I looked closely and measured the distances and depth, the mechanical contact is well established, I even filed down the neighboring bumps slightly to free up some depth; nothing works.  I also reset Windows... nothing's better... I must be one of the victims.

Yann · Answer

Good news... it's a big day. I found the solution (it worked right away for me anyway). You need to uninstall all the hardware and drivers associated with the keyboard... but go through the control panel Everything is explained here  https://reddit.app.link/4K46sXvPP5

jeannets · Answer

Thank you for this link and information, I will try that with a clear and confined mind...!  and I will come back to share what it yields.

jeannets · Answer

For my part, I haven't succeeded (for the moment) but I plan to try again...  However, I do not recognize the menus, the cited indexes, I think the version of Windows is not the same, maybe Win 8 and I am on Win 10  Open the properties of "Surface Cover" and select the Hardware tab for example..  similarly for searching for hardware changes in the "Device Manager" I only find the hidden devices...  So, I have the impression that I am not getting to the same results..

jeannets · Answer

I found the menus... sorry.  But every time I update through Windows, it tells me that the latest driver is already installed... And I feel like nothing changes, or it just reinstalls the same one??

Yann · Answer

You need to uninstall all the hardware and drivers associated with the keyboard... but go through the control panel. Once everything is uninstalled, you should go to the device manager and initiate a search for new hardware, and it will reinstall everything. I didn't even need to restart. The keyboard worked right away.

jeannets · Answer

Yes, I saw all that, except... how do you do the "Search for new hardware"..??  Is it global... or do you have to do it on each device..??  And how do you know how to identify "All the hardware and drivers associated with the keyboard"..??

Yann · Answer

I'm responding with the keyboard of my Surface :-)  For Surface Pro 3 running Windows 10  Uninstallation: Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Devices and Printers right-click on "Surface Type Cover" properties tab "hardware" For each line: click "properties" click "change settings" tab "driver" click "uninstall device" if it offers to delete or uninstall the driver, say "yes" (delete/uninstall everything)  (Warning, the box listing the "hardware" associated with the keyboard is not updated after each uninstallation. So move on to the next one even if the previous one is still displayed) When all lines in the "hardware" box are uninstalled, we move on to reinstalling the drivers:  Device Manager In the top bar, click on the icon with a magnifying glass on a screen (for me, it's the last one on the right) and Windows does everything by itself, it detects that the keyboard doesn't have the drivers and installs them.   And there you go :-)

jeannets · Answer

Yes, but after that, I don't have a keyboard anymore... and we fall back into the trap...

jeannets · Answer

It's true that testing it on another would raise more doubts... but I can't find anyone with a PC like that... Too bad...  -- That said, I don't believe it much... because it was working on Windows 8.1 a few months ago... It's when I upgraded to Windows 10 that it stopped working, immediately.. and I don't believe that this keyboard became faulty as a result...  -- I'm not giving up, but I've already spent a lot of time on this, I think it's going to go back on the shelf for a while..!  -- If I plug in a mouse and a keyboard via USB, it works, but it's no longer a laptop.  -- Could you take a screenshot of the "Device Manager", expanded at the keyboard level..? Upload it to the "cjoint.com" site and give the link here.

Ally · Answer

Hello,  For my part, I had bought a new keyboard at one point, anticipating a possible breakage or an accident with my children. When I thought the keyboard had failed, I naturally grabbed the new one to plug into the Surface, but it didn’t work either. Despite several complete resets of Windows 8, neither keyboard worked.

jeannets · Answer

Hello Yan,  In my device manager, I only have one keyboard listed as "PIH Keyboard" Could you let me know if it's the same for you... or if you have two lines, one for the physical keyboard and the other for the "Touch Keyboard"...?? And I believe that HID is the same thing.  Moreover, could you check your Keyboard.inf file (in \Windows\inf\) and possibly send me a copy..?? Because while browsing mine, I am very surprised not to find the identification number of my keyboard (VEN_MSHW&DEV_0029...)  I am also surprised that these drivers are from 2006..??

jeannets · Answer

Hello,  I got the Surface Pro 3 running with Linux Ubuntu 20.4, which is very recent and modern... And it doesn't detect the Keyboard in the PCI... Either the keyboard is dead... ?? or the contacts are not making... ?? or a faulty or missing firmware is preventing its detection...  By the way, how does this Keyboard work in transmission with the tablet... Bluetooth, I don't think so... Serial connection with 4 wires... or I2C bus... or something else...  I saw a "Wacom" that seems to operate on the same principles... Could it be a Wacom Cover keyboard?? because they seem to be more talkative...

jeannets · Answer

I actually think I have a problem with my Cover... By the way, I found news articles that mention this issue with internal connection cuts at the fold... http://www.surfacetablethelp.com/2012/10/surface-touch-cover-not-working-at-all.html  Anyway, I found a temporary solution with a BlueTooth keyboard from Lidl, for 15 € more in Azerty... and it works, added to a small mouse on the USB...    Here's a photo... it works just as well. But it’s not a credit to Microsoft... Not for its machine... But more for its lack of cooperation..

Huggy · Answer

Hello, After trying almost everything to get my Surface Cover keyboard working again (the keyboard wasn't functioning, but the fingerprint recognition was working), I even called Microsoft, and it started working "on its own". Hypothesis of failure: I had separated the keyboard from the tablet for several months, and when I reconnected it, it didn't work... is there a cause and effect relationship? Hypothesis of repair: on the contrary, I left the keyboard connected to the tablet for several weeks before discovering that the keyboard was working again. Windows update? dead battery? Good luck

jeannets · Answer

As for me, I autopsied it... and discovered broken connections in the fold of the Cover with the PC. I attached photos on this POST... it's obvious that with this, it can't work... I suppose that before being completely severed, this connection still works sometimes when the ends touch... it works, it doesn't work... and the longer it goes, the less it works. Given what I've seen, it can't work for long... Moreover, there is a chip inside that encodes the keys and the "Touch Pad"... This chip has a memory that must be loaded with firmware, according to the keyboard matrix and the country language indicated in Windows... but with the broken connections, this loading no longer happens... and I even believe it causes irreversible damage... Because I reconstituted the wiring of the connections with little wires... etc... and it still doesn't work any better... so I took photos and made my report... Since then, I bought a Chinese BlueTooth keyboard that is exactly the same as the Cover and completely compatible... for a few "roupy"... That's my expert opinion and my solution... and I believe there are thousands in this case...

More keyboard "Cover" for Surface Pro 3 Win 10

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