RoG Zephyrus G14 Super Key not working

[ajaksalad]

Hi all, 

The Super (Windows) key on my RoG Zephyrus G14 is not responsive on booting into Ubuntu or Windows. This is NOT directly caused by the Fn+Super locking functionality. Pressing this key combination does not make the Super key responsive. 

Is there some way to force the Super key to always respond? I believe there may be a bug somewhere that is forcing the key to be stuck in the locked state.

Notes on behavior:

• Super key on External keyboards work fine on both operating systems
• This is not a hardware issue - if I fiddle around with the settings in RoG crate after booting into Windows, I can eventually get the Super key to be responsive. It will continue to be responsive if I reboot into Ubuntu, but if my laptop goes to sleep, the key will no longer be responsive
  • Going into RoG crate on Windows will show the Super key as activated, even when the key is not responsive. Turning this on and off a few times and waiting a few minutes typically gets the key to respond again.
• No matter what I do, I cannot get the Super key to respond on Ubuntu unless I have booted into Windows immediately before. acpi_listen and xev do not show any events when pressing the Super key.

Machine Info:

• 2022 RoG Zephyrus G14 GA402RJ
• Dual booting Windows 11 (as installed) and Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS w/ Linux 6.1.4 kernel
• AMD® Ryzen 9 6900hs with radeon graphics × 16
• AMD® Radeon rx 6700s / AMD® Radeon graphics
• 24 GB of RAM (although this problem presented long before I upgraded the memory)

[Anbby_ROG]

HI @ajaksalad ,

I would like to confirm with you whether you have already upgraded your BIOS to the latest version 319. 
According to your description, if the laptop's Windows key is unresponsive after starting from Windows, you need to adjust settings in Armoury Crate to make it work. Could you please let me know what settings you adjusted in Armoury Crate?
Please try removing and reinstalling the ASUS System Control Interface v3 and Armoury Crate drivers to see if this issue can be resolved. 
If you still have concerns, please feel free to let me know. Thank you.

[ajaksalad]

Hi Anbby, thanks for your response. 

I updated my BIOS from 318 >>> 319. (For future readers, the BIOS can be found through the ROG Download Center ( Download Center | Official Support | ROG Global (asus.com) )

I installed the ASUS System Control Interface v3 (I didn't know how to uninstall this safely, so I simply ran the installer) and uninstalled+reinstalled Armoury Crate from the link you provided. 

Before this, I couldn't find a replicable way to get the Windows key to start responding after changing settings in Armoury Crate - it would just randomly become responsive after toggling the Win Key setting a few times, or maybe changing the GPU mode. It's completely possible that the key just started working on its own unrelated to the settings changes. Regardless, I am now unable to get the Super key to respond in Windows - typically, it would eventually just start working a few minutes after booting & launching Armory Crate.

I wonder if it may actually be a hardware issue, just not with the key itself - perhaps there is some on-board EEPROM controlling this setting that has worn out? It's hard for me to diagnose this issue without knowing how the Super lock feature is implemented.

Thank you for your time, 

-ajax

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @ajaksalad ,

Thank you for your reply. 
I would like to confirm whether the Windows key is now responding properly after updating the BIOS and reinstalling ASUS System Control Interface v3 and Armoury Crate. If the issue still persists, I suggest trying a system reset to determine whether it's a software-related problem. 
If none of the mentioned steps manage to resolve the issue, as a final suggestion, I recommend taking your laptop to a local authorized service center for further hardware diagnostics. Thank you for your understanding.

[ajaksalad]

Hi @Anbby_ROG , 

Updating the BIOS, reinstalling ASUS System Control Interface V3, and Armoury Crate did not resolve my issue.

However, I seem to have been correct in my theory that this was something in the on-device EEPROM. After powering off the laptop, opening the back, and temporarily disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard (KB), touchpad (TP), and keyboard backlight (BL)  connectors, then powering back on, the Super key is responsive again in Windows. Specifically, the BL cable seems to have done the trick (booting with the KB and TP cables disconnected did not resolve the issue). My guess is that this cleared the EEPROM and therefore the setting disabling the Windows button on the keyboard. I'll report back in a few days to tell whether the solution persists across both Ubuntu and Windows.

Best, 

-ajax
EDIT [8/21 20:33 PST] - Confirming the Super key works in Ubuntu, including after sleeping and logging back in.

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @ajaksalad ,
Thank you for your update. 

If you encounter this situation again, you can try removing the power and all external devices, then press and hold the power button for 30-40 seconds before restarting to test. Hopefully, you won't need to use this method, and I wish you all the best.

[ajaksalad]

Hi Anbby, it seems like the problem has surfaced again. Rebooting the computer as above seems to temporarily resolve the issue, but after leaving the computer asleep (in Windows, without logging into Ubuntu), the Windows key becomes unresponsive regardless of the setting in ROG crate.

Even retrying my solution of disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard cables does not seem to resolve the issue... meaning it may have just been a fluke. 

Honestly, I'm out of ideas. If possible, could you loop in someone from the engineering team to see if there's a way to permanently force the Super key to stay activated? Is there some way I can write to the device or change some driver flag? I don't need the Fn+Super lock functionality.

EDIT: I attempted a hardware fix again; disconnecting the internal battery and SSD have resolved the issue for now (hard rebooting did not).

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @ajaksalad ,

This issue appears to be related to Windows. We kindly ask you to refer to the following link and attempt to reinstall the Windows operating system. 

This may help restore the functionality of the Windows key. Thank you.

Link: https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039507