Windows 10: Taskbar Disappears on Surface Pro

Hello,


I have been having a problem on my surface pro when the keyboard is detached. I click on the keyboard icon to pop up my on screen keypad, and nothing comes up. After a few more presses, my taskbar at the bottom of the screen goes black, and I lose all control over taskbar functions including windows start menu. Any programs that I minimize will no longer be able to be retrieved, and the only way to regain function to my laptop is to ctrl alt del, and either sign out, or restart. Cannot find this issue addressed anywhere.


Any suggestions?

Thanks

:)

 

Disappearing taskbar

I use a Surface Book with a remote monitor and am having problems with the taskbar disappearing. If the Surface is idle for more than ~ one hour, the taskbar is completely gone. If I right click in the approximate area of the start button, I can access
the restart command. When the Surface restarts, the taskbar is back, but it will happen again as soon as the Surface is idle for any period of time. Suggestions?

 

"Surface Detach" Icon Removal on Surface Book Taskbar

Hi,

As per the description I understand that you are trying to remove the Surface detach icon from the Taskbar on your Surface device, we will help you with this issue.

I suggest you to follow the below steps to disable it and check if it helps.

You will have to disable the Surface DTX. Follow:

• Press and hold (or right-click) the taskbar and select Task Manager.
• In Task Manager, select the Startup tab.
• Check if the Surface DTX status is shown as Disabled.
• Close Task Manager.
• Go to Start
  
  , and select
  Power > Restart to restart your Surface Book.

Hope it helps. Let us know for further assistance on accessing the Surface device, we will be happy to help you.

Thank you.

 

Surface Pro 3

Hi ChrisWaters3,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

Could you please help me with the below information:

1. Does the battery drain out, if the tablet is not connected to peripherals?
   
   
2. Which version of Windows you are using? (To check, type: winver in start menu and hit enter.)
   

I understand how something like this can try your patience. This issue is an indication of faulty drivers or incompatible driver.
However, I suggest you to follow the troubleshooting steps mentioned below:

Method 1: Check the drivers.

Step1: Battery driver

1. Press Windows andR
   key together on your Keyboard.
2. Type devmgmt.msc and hit enter.
   
3. Click on view on top > Select Show hidden devices.
   
4. Expand the Batteries option from the list.
   
5. Select the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery> right click on the driver and click on
   Properties.
6. Click on Driver tab > check if you have the option to
   Roll Back Driver.
7. If yes, Roll back the driver or uninstall it and restart the computer.
   

Uninstalling the driver will be automatically installed after the system is restarted. Check if the issue is fixed.

Step 2: Keyboard driver.

1. In the Device manager, go to ‘Other devices’, you will find
   Unknown devices.
   
2. Double tap on the unknown device > click on
   Driver tab> click on update driver.
   
3. Select browse my computer for driver software> Click on Let me pick from a list of device drivers
   
4. Select keyboard, then click ‘Next’.
   
5. Select HID Keyboard device and click finish.
   

Method 2: Run the toolkit.


Note: If your Surface is managed by your work or school, check with your organization's IT department before running the tool.

I would suggest you to run the toolkit provided by Microsoft on
Fix common Surface
problems using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

If the above steps, doesn’t fix the issue. I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned in the article on
Surface Pro 3 Battery
FAQ for the Surface Pro Embedded Controller Firmware update.


Hope it helps.

Roohi Taj S

Microsoft Community - Moderator