SOLVED

Surface Laptop 2 Keyboard Issues (Hid Mini Driver)

Brass Contributor

Upon imaging a Surface Laptop 2 with our basic image from the older Surface laptop model the Surface Hid Mini Driver driver fails to power and thus the keyboard doesn't work. if I revert back to 03/27/2017 driver it works fine... but then the laptop automatically updates itself to the latest version that brakes again. I have blocked the update in WSUS. 

 

Is anybody aware of a fix for the latest driver? Does the PC somehow think its a Surface Laptop 1st gen and somehow downloading the incorrect driver possibly? I also downloaded the latest firmware/driver package from MS and tried that version and it also doesn't work. Seems to be the same exact version that gets downloaded from Windows Update.

20 Replies

@WC_KStil did you ever get the specific version of the driver that works? I keep running into this issue every update cycle. I have a surface laptop 2 and the "Surface Hid Mini Driver" flakes out every update. I've tried the all of the drivers from Download Surface Laptop 2 Drivers and Firmware from Official Microsoft Download Center :

SurfaceLaptop2_Win10_18362_21.021.11109.0.msi

SurfaceLaptop2_Win10_16299_1900708_2.msi

SurfaceLaptop2_Win10_17134_19.091.8186.0.msi SurfaceLaptop2_Win10_17763_20.070.2910.0.msi

 

The device shows:

Device ACPI\MSHW0096\2&daba3ff&1 was not migrated due to partial or ambiguous match.

Last Device Instance Id: USB\VID_045E&PID_077F&MI_03\6&15dc3682&0&0003

Class Guid: {745a17a0-74d3-11d0-b6fe-00a0c90f57da}

Location Path:

Migration Rank: 0xF000FFFFFFFFF122

Present: false

Status: 0xC0000719

 

Device ACPI\MSHW0096\2&daba3ff&1 was configured.

Driver Name: oem94.inf

Class Guid: {745a17a0-74d3-11d0-b6fe-00a0c90f57da}

Driver Date: 08/09/2018

Driver Version: 1.23.139.0

Driver Provider: Surface

Driver Section: SurfaceHidMiniKeyboard.Inst.NT

Driver Rank: 0xFF0001

Matching Device Id: ACPI\MSHW0096

Outranked Drivers:

Device Updated: false

Parent Device: ACPI_HAL\PNP0C08\0

 

Device ACPI\MSHW0096\2&daba3ff&1 had a problem starting.

Driver Name: oem94.inf

Class Guid: {745a17a0-74d3-11d0-b6fe-00a0c90f57da}

Service: mshidkmdf

Lower Filters: SurfaceHidMini

Upper Filters:

Problem: 0xA

Problem Status: 0xC0000120

 

Can Microsoft please resolve this issue as it seems to be a very common problem?

 

 

Hi were you able to resolve your issue? I started a new job today and rebooted my machine with the latest updates and now I can’t use my keyboard. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling the hid mini driver and updates and I’m still not able do use my keyboard. I need to be able to use my laptop until I get my work computer! Please help!

The best advice I can tell you is what works for me. I perform the following tasks:

 

1. Open device manager (use the onscreen keyboard/touch keyboard - I always pin the keyboard to my task bar just in case I don't have another keyboard handy)

2. Remove the failed "Microsoft Hid Mini Driver"

3. Reboot and enter the Surface UEFI / BIOS (usually press the Volume up button/key - F6 on my keyboard before the windows logo displays)

4. When in UEFI, make sure your keys are working to navigate around in the UEFI (if not you may have a hardware issue)

5. Exit UEFI and reboot back to Windows

6. When Windows starts up my keyboard is usually working again!

 

I've tried uninstalling the driver and re-installing but that never seems to work, even disabling the driver and re-enabling doesn't work. I'm not sure what happens in UEFI entry, but that seems to make it work again for me. Beware - your mileage may vary!!! This seems to be a very common issue but different tasks seem to work for different people.  I sure hope Microsoft can fix this as it is a pain as it usually happens when I really need to get some work done!

 

Hope this works for you. Cheers

best response confirmed by chroje (Microsoft)
Solution
Hi I had the same issue with trying to uninstall and re-installing the driver and it didn't work. Your solution on the UEFI worked but because I couldn't use my keyboard and the volume buttons on my laptop I had to do the following since I was able to use my blue tooth mouse. Thanks so much for your quick reply and help!

1. Select Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery.

2. Under Advanced startup, select Restart Now.

3. Under Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings, and then select Restart.
I just had this issue, here is what worked. Press and hold the power button for 2 minutes. Do not let go. You will see the windows logo come and go.

After two minutes let go of the power button and keyboard and track pad should be working.

@GBowlsby  Thank you so much it worked for me.

Thanks for posting this. I tried many recommended solution, but this was the only one that worked and my last resort before giving up.
@GBowlsby Nice work on this. It seems as though MS has not provided a fix. This kb with the mini driver error happens a lot. We have a Surface Laptop 2.
Thank you so much I’ve been trying to figure out what’s wrong for the past couple of hours and this is the only thing that finally worked
There is another method. It requires a USB mouse plugged into the Surface.

1. When you get the Windows login screen move the mouse and confirm that the mouse cursor appears.
2. Use it to select from the lower right corner the icon for Accessibility and from it select the On-Screen keyboard.
3. Click on the password field and use the mouse on-the On-Screen keyboard to login in.
4. Once logged in, right click on the Windows Start Menu and select Device Manager.
5. In the section for Human Interface Devices you'll see the Surface Hid Mini Driver item. It likely has an icon indicating that it is not working correctly.
6. Right-click on it and select Disable.
7. Then right-click again and select Enable.

This just now worked for me to regain keyboard function.

@GBowlsby 

 

This did the trick. 

Thanks.

 

Excellent solution! It worked out quick and accurate. Thank you!

@GBowlsby 7 months later still the ONLY thing that worked after hours of scouring the web. Thank you so much!

Thanks, this worked for me

@WC_KStill 

So I’ve spent the past months trying to resolve this issue and tried everything that I could comfortably try and found nothing so if you’re on the same boat this may help you! WARNING this will remove everything on your PC so if you’re not ready for that of don’t have a OneDrive best not do this!
For context my issue was caused by using a 3rd party to update my drives and resulted in the drives being wrong and reflecting the originals. In result when performing a basic factory reset the pc just uploaded the drives that were incorrect and the issue persisted. After talking with MS support
They provided the following:

1) To download the recovery image, you'll need a USB drive. For Surface Laptop 2, your USB drive should be 16 GB or 32 GB. No bigger than that storage.

 

2) Plug the USB drive into an available computer. Then open This PC. Locate the USB drive and right click on it. Click on Format. Select the option Quick Format FAT32. Click Start.

 

3) Download the recovery image by using this link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surfacerecoveryimage

Sign in and select Surface Laptop 2 and input your Surface's serial number. Click on Download and Save it to your desktop. Do not download the Recovery Image directly on the USB drive but on the Downloads folder on the computer.

 

4) Once the image is downloaded you need to extract the file into the USB. Go to the Recovery Image .zip file that should be saved in "Downloads". Right click on the .zip file > Extract all > Select the USB drive you created > Choose to replace the files in the destination.

 

5) After that, please eject the USB from the computer or Surface you are using.

 

6) Then press and hold power button and volume up on your Surface for around 30 seconds until you reach the UEFI screen.

 

7) Once there, click on Boot Configuration and drag USB Storage to the top of the list.

 

8) Plug the USB drive into the Surface and then click on Exit to Restart.

 

9) After this, the installation will begin.

 

However,

After applying the instructions and starting the installation process was caught in a loop where the installation never began. To resolve this I instead did the following.
In advance startup I selected Troubleshoot/Reset this PC/Remove Everything and then followed the instructions to reset and selected reset from usb drive. After that the reset began and the issue was successfully resolved!
 
Hope this helps and saves you months of annoyance!

@GBowlsby - this worked perfectly. Frustratingly, I'd foolishly listened to other ideas with consequences that'll now cost me even more time (somehow our AI/ML needs to intercept bad or half-arse solutions with ones that actually work :)) Regardless to my live 'en learn: Thanks!

@GBowlsby 

thank you thank you thank you! This worked perfectly and instantly!

This didn't work for me.
Thank you: your solution worked for me as well.
1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by chroje (Microsoft)
Solution
Hi I had the same issue with trying to uninstall and re-installing the driver and it didn't work. Your solution on the UEFI worked but because I couldn't use my keyboard and the volume buttons on my laptop I had to do the following since I was able to use my blue tooth mouse. Thanks so much for your quick reply and help!

1. Select Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery.

2. Under Advanced startup, select Restart Now.

3. Under Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings, and then select Restart.

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