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Hello,
I am using a Surface Pro with Type Cover.
When I am selecting multiple items e.g. in Outlook or Windows Explorer I apparently hold down the Ctrl-key and left-click the items with my mouse.
When I select many items it takes certainly a while to select -- if that time span is let's say 10 seconds (may be it's just 5 sec) then my CTRL key locks, meaning, I do not have to hold it down in order to select multiple items. Problem is that you e.g. can't even hit the Windows button on the keyboard and not even the hardware Windows button on the Surface. If your machine falls into Sleep mode you cannot type the password any more. You have to reboot.
It took a while to find out that the Ctrl key was the trouble maker -- then after identifying it as such I tried to unlock it by hitting it 1 more time which works.
So, that is a remedy, however, if you do not notice that the Ctrl key gets locked then your machine also slows down, even the Task Manager (e.g. Performance tab) doesn't update any more. That looks like an overload -- may be because Thousands of 'key down' messages are processed, even if the key is not pushed any more? Just a speculation.
One more thing: the Ctrl key gets only locked when I make the selections with the mouse -- if I select them with the Surface Pen the Ctrl key gets NOT locked.
BTW, I tried two mice: bluetooth and wi-fi -- both deliver the same result, it doesn't matter.
Anyway, I am not aware that something like a 'sticky key' would exist for the Ctrl key? Does it? At least I have not turned on or seen such access feature activated. Also, no, my keyboard is not filled with crumbs. And it is unlikely that it would lock when I use the mouse but not if I use the Pen...
And the Ctrl Lock-down seems wrong -- is it?
Type cover bug? or am I unaware of the 'sticky key' feature?
Frank
The Surface family includes Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and other Surface products. Surface is designed to help organizations, students, and consumers be more productive.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Greetings all,
New update: 5/21/14
We are still investigating this issue and hope to make progress soon.
Just a quick update (2/10/14).
We are actively investigating this issue and will work on a resolution to ensure our customers have the best possible experience on their Surface devices.
Same problem here, very annoying. What's interesting is that my original Surface Pro did not have this problem. I had it replaced and now using the same mouse I am struggling with this issue.
Yup, happens to me too - especially when using the shift key and arrow keys in Excel, the "alt" key appears held down. SUPER annoying since the need to use Excel is the only reason I went with the Surface over other tablets. I hope they fix this soon!
Greetings all,
Just a quick update (2/10/14).
We are actively investigating this issue and will work on a resolution to ensure our customers have the best possible experience on their Surface devices.
Hi Steven,
as this answer is almost 4 months old, I would like to know if there is a fix to the modifier keys (ctrl, shift, alt) sticking on the Surface Pro 2 after a couple of seconds pressed.
I have the latest February 2014 firmware update and yet the modifier keys get stuck even if STICKY KEYS are disabled on the keyboard configuration.
Is the problem with Windows, the Surface or the Type Cover 2?
Thanks!
Emilio
I'm echoing Emilio on this - anyone who is any more than a casual user of these keyboards would find this problem infuriating. It makes the keyboard unusable for gamers, designers, musicians, programmers...