Windows 10 intermittently making number row unusable.

[SableShrike]

Basically the above.

 

My searching the net and forums seems to point to Win10 as the culprit, in that it randomly “focuses” on a program.  System Alerts or some crap, maybe.  I thought I’d killed all those.

 

When it does this while I’m fullscreen in CoH, it makes my entire number row unresponsive.  This really sucks when it happens midfight.

 

Hitting Windows key and then “refocusing” on the CoH application does fix this but it’s not an ideal resolution.

 

Anyone with a fix they’ve found?  I’m assuming I’ve gotta gut something like Windows Account Control further than I already have.

[Ura Hero]

I would say you are right.  Try opening up the notifications bar, bottom right corner of the task bar looks like a chat symbol.  At the top right is a line that says "Manage Notifications".  Start turning stuff off that you don't think you need until it goes away.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Ura Hero

[Shenanigunner]

Huh. I have an annoying number of notifications and pop-ups from various things, and I don't think any have ever interrupted the game.

 

The one app that does cause me problems is the replacement for sticky notes, "Simple Sticky Notes," which traps a number of key combinations like Alt-N and keeps them from working correctly in the game. My solution is to put a screen sticky note over the game icon to remind me to disable the app before starting play.

 

Later thoughts: Are you sure it's just the number row? Not the rest of the keyboard.... do you have, or could you create a few simple binds to see? WASD-Space doesn't stop working? That would point to a specific app or routine interrupting things, not a general Windows intrusion.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Shenanigunner

[Greycat]

... does it start selecting team members instead of firing off powers when you're in a team?

[WanderingAries]

I had an issue for a while (not sure it was a Win10 issue) where the taskbar being on auto-hide would cause the area where it was to become unusable in FS mode. Additionally, you are able to tell the notification center to be quite during certain situations and times.

[SableShrike]

Thanks @Ura Hero, I have a hunch that was it.
 

For the heck of it I went digging in Focus Assist and discovered it is not set to “On” in “When I’m playing a game” by default.

 

Turned it on and set everything to “Alarms Only”.

 

I also culled the weak in my Notification’s list:  I’ve only left on AutoPlay, Focus assist, and Security and Maintenance.

 

I’ll muck about this holiday weekend and see if it recurs, but I have a hunch it was that.

[SableShrike]

@Shenanigunner, yeah that’s the odd part about when it occurs.

 

Literally everything but the 1 thru 0 keys work fine.  Mouse is fine, letter keybinds are fine, manually clicking the powers activates them fine...

 

This may just be a me thing: I’ve an Asus ROG Strix i7 laptop for my gaming rig.

 

Lord knows how Asus rigged the keyboard to function.

[Shenanigunner]

5 hours ago, SableShrike said:

Literally everything but the 1 thru 0 keys work fine.  Mouse is fine, letter keybinds are fine, manually clicking the powers activates them fine...

This may just be a me thing: I’ve an Asus ROG Strix i7 laptop for my gaming rig.

 

Ah. My psionic powers tell me the number keys are system function keys as well... sounds like something is activating the 'Fn' shift key during the game. There might be some kind of applet or utility to disable that function completely, maybe even from Asus... just as my keyboards have a "gaming switch" that disable the Windows key.

 

Consider plugging in a keyboard that lacks the Fn key. Me, I really hate laptops for their universal implementation of crappy ergonomics, but you might find a big keyboard at a comfy angle an asset anyway.

Edited December 24, 2020 by Shenanigunner

[Azari]

Try pressing the right shift key, that fixed it for me.  I’m using an Atari VCS800 with windows 10 running from a USB stick

[Snarky]

and that's numberwang.  now lets spin the board