How to fix your Surface Pro 3

The Surface Pro 3 has become one of my favorite devices. I use it all the time. It's perfect for the tasks I used to use my iPad for — reading magazines and comic books (the screen size is effectively the same size as a typical comic book), web browsing, playing games. It's fantastic for taking notes during meetings. It's a great drawing tablet. And it's a really good small laptop.

There's one thing that drives me crazy, though. At least once a day, I accidentally brush against the Windows button, which immediately hides the current application and dumps me into the Start screen.

Here's the thing: you don't need the Windows button at all. If you swipe in from the right screen edge, you get a Windows button on your screen, right next to the capacitive button. The capacitive button is completely redundant.

It's possible to disable the button, but that also disables the power button, which means that, yes, you won't accidentally brush against the Windows button anymore — but you also won't be able to turn your Surface on anymore. So not really a great solution.

Here's the only solution I've been able to figure out that disables the ducking Windows button, and nothing else.

Step 1: Buy a thin sheet of foam rubber and double-sided adhesive tape.

Step 2: Cut out a small square of foam rubber, and apply the tape.

Step 3: Stick it on that damned Windows button.

Step 4: Complain to Microsoft and tell them that you want a setting that allows you to turn the button off without also making it impossible to turn the Surface on. Also, put a real button into the next hardware revision. I'll buy it just for that alone.

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designed for use cover

But wait, there's more!

Want to read more like this? Buy my book's second edition! Designed for Use: Create Usable Interfaces for Applications and the Web is now available DRM-free directly from The Pragmatic Programmers. Or you can get it on Amazon, where it's also available in Chinese and Japanese.