Type Cover not Working but ...

When I had the problem I upgraded the firmware once the keyboard was working and all has been fine since.

That said I have seen messages referring to tablet mode and the onscreen keyboard which I ignore as I don't use them.

I suspect they are not working and prefer not to risk the working status quo to find out

I would be interested to know if you anybody who uses the Surface in both modes has achieved a "repair" after having the keyboard not working problem

Surely Microsoft can sort this IF they are interested!!

When I first booted up after the batter drain, the keyboard didn't work.

sometimes you have to log in on the password screen with the touch screen and then the keyboard starts working again.

No luck.

So then I did the hard shut down with power button AFTER the batter drain.

The bios page (or whatever that is called) did not work with attached keyboard or mouse;

however, after it booted up after clicking save settings, the keyboard started working.

I typed out an email. Just after hitting send...

"do you want to switch to tablet mode?" flag popped up in bottom right hand corner of screen.

That is the cue that the keyboard lost connection...

keyboard stopped working.

Did another hard restart. keyboard didn't work on bios or on log-in password screen, but then after logging in to windows... it started working again.

Crossing fingers that it doesn't stop working again...

Has Microsoft looked in to a possible bug in the software that detects if you want to be in tablet mode or desktop mode? Is it possible that it that the chicken or the egg of the problem? 

I think this is a software problem. Breaks with software, fixes with software updates, breaks again. I've never cleaned the damn thing. It's something about the sensing of the connection.

Why would reversing the keyboard to upside down / flipped and then reversing back sometimes trigger it to start working again?

Why would a hard restart work if you didn't disconnect and that triggers it to work again? Can't be mechanical if I never disconnect and restarting fixes it.

After months with no problems, the problems recurred in end of December 2019 or possibly January 1-5 2020.

I may have delayed installing an update afraid that it would break the keyboard... But then the keyboard broke with no easy soft fix, so I installed the updates.

My drivers are odd. No mention of type keyboard in device manager.

Deleting. Keyboard drivers in device manager not working.

Flipping keyboard doesn't. Work. 

Trying a battery drain now.

Bag of ****!!! This problem has been going on for over 2 years! I will switch to apple for sure

I have had this problem for over 3 years. I reported it to Microsoft. I have been following this thread for years and nothing has solved the problem permanently. I can sometime get a cover to work, but only after TOO much time and effort. Today I use the SP3 as a device attached to my indoor cycling app (Zwift) and only use it for that (input by screen).

What a pain

Mike