Razer Tartarus V2 controller D-pad sticking / glitch

Okay, so to summarize ...

Razer tech troubleshooting queries and steps:

• Determine if the issue occurs while playing a different game(s).
  
• Ensure the device is not plugged into a USB hub.
  
• Determine if the issue occurs on a different PC with Synapse 3 installed.
  
• Verify your Windows version and OS build (Windows key; then search "winver").
  
• Verify your Synapse 3 version ... go to Synapse, Settings, About.
  
• Ensure that you have the latest version of the Microsoft .NET Framework.
  
• Ensure that you have the latest updates installed for Microsoft Visual C++.
  
• Run the Windows System File Checker tool.
  
• Perform a clean re-install of Synapse 3 (more comprehensive than a standard re-install).
  
• Collect and submit Synapse 3 logs.
  

Unsuccessful fixes:

• Switching USB ports to a different port on my PC (front port to rear port).
  
• Running the 'repair' tool in Windows to repair the installation of Synapse 3.
  
• Replacing the device with a new replacement device (RMA).
  
• Excluding Razer modules (Chroma Studio; Macro) from a clean re-install.
  
• Creating and using a new Windows user local account, while simultaneously remaining logged into your primary admin account.
  

Various successful immediate work-arounds:

• Pressing the affected button again ceases the immediate current occurrence of the looping repeated function. Note however that the issue continues to occur. The frequency varies per user.
  
• Logging out and exiting the Synapse 3 software entirely.*
  
• Connecting the device to a different PC without Synapse 3 software installed.*
  
• Using third party key binding software such as reWASD instead of Synapse 3.*
  

[indent]* Note: This will result in some functional [/indent]

Various successful short-term fixes:
* Note: Issue typically recurs between 3 - 14 days.

• Clean uninstall/re-install of Synapse 3 software. Standard uninstall/reinstall may be sufficient, but clean is better.
  
• Logging into a different Synapse 3 user account (razertest; razerperipheralstest; etc.).
  
• Converting your primary Windows user account to a local account (if it's not already local).
  

These each seem to be

@the_novena Incredible summary you made there!

There are many more unsuccessful fixes outlined by many users in the pits of comments on the reddit post below, including forcing Tartarus v2/Pro to not be recognized by Synapse 3.0 while the program is running. (But it seems the driver is still running) I didn’t open this reddit post, so it is quite rough.

https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/fn1iv3/tartarus_pro_movement_wasd_lock_occasionally_need/

@KAWAiiSONG The 3rd device i tested with, which is my work’s PC are mostly barebones and was running off a local account (not local admin account). Issue is still there.

I really need to emphasize that testing to replicate the issue takes time, weeks even. My longest time without issue was 2 weeks (Possibly with human error not noticing), my shortest time was 2 minutes (lol), and on average it is usually 2 hours.

Alright, so I’ve been thinking and wondering about some questions/hypotheses. Would the following theories be helpful to test, or not?



Theory #1
In my previous post, I mentioned short term fixes, which ended up being briefly effective for a range of 3 – 14 days. Of those listed, most of them could be done individually (independent of the other short term fixes). The one I am uncertain of is the System File Checker. Therefore, I am wondering …

True or False:

[indent]Running the System File Checker alone – provided it detects and repairs errors! – is effective at providing a short term fix for a few days to a couple weeks.

Running the System File Checker alone – when it detects no errors – is not effective.[/indent]

@Razer.Speedcr0ss ... would determining this be helpful at all to the Razer tech team, in isolating the issue? Or does it not really make enough difference to be worth testing? Testing would need to be done by someone who would be more possibly likely to have errors detected in their system files (therefore, someone who has not recently run the system file checker, and had their errors repaired).



Theory #2
@Seegeth performed extensive testing (7-10 days) on converting the primary admin Windows user account to a local account. So did @NoahArk620 I think? Although it seemed promising, this only ended up being effective as a short term fix. Limited testing was also performed on creating a brand new subordinate local Windows user account. For a couple/few days, Seegeth said this was testing well. Is it worth it to explore this further?

[indent](a) Have someone test this theory for a couple weeks? It’s important to be sure that this is the ONLY Windows user who is logged in, during testing. Don't make the same mistake I did and be logged into both, at the same time, lol! :rolleyes:

(b) If it tests well for a couple weeks, assign admin status to this new account and test further.[/indent]

Besides asking if this would be worth it, we should also consider: is it fair to ask someone to go to this extent? On the one hand, setting up a new local is quick, easy, and clean – and it only really needs to be used when you’re gaming/testing. On the other hand, it is still kind of onerous – especially for users who would need to download and configure voice chat platforms and addon managers, etc, for their gaming purposes.

So, @Razer.Speedcr0ss ...

• Would testing this provide enough value to the Razer tech team to be worth it?
  

And fellow troubleshooters ...

• Is there anyone who might be willing and able to undertake this testing?
  

Theory #3
It is entirely possible (maybe even probable!) that the issue is caused by a software conflict – some application that perhaps we all have in common, as @KAWAiiSONG suggested. If so, determining what it is could be like finding a needle in a haystack. KAWAiiSONG provided some advice, and while that advice is certainly valid and very thorough, it seems a bit extreme. It reminds me of testing for food allergies: strip your diet down to basically nothing, and then gradually add one new type of food per week, until you’re finally able to determine which food is causing your allergic reaction. This is certainly effective at tracing the origin, … but is there an easier way?

Would it be helpful to post screenshots of our Task Manager (CTRL + ALT + DEL), showing which applications and/or background processes we have running? Or a screenshot listing everything that launches on startup? Or a screenshot of the extensive list of items under the Details and/or Services tab? …. Or should we simply start by announcing names of all the programs/applications we ourselves have running at any given time, which we feel might be likely to be popular among other gamers? @Razer.Speedcr0ss , is this something you could find out and advise us on? What would be the quickest and easiest way to begin narrowing down software commonalities among our community here, which might be causing a conflict?


Please contribute your thoughts, ideas, opinions, feedback ... and feel free to come forward with your own theories, too! There are no bad ideas. Remember: Razer prides itself on being "For Gamers, By Gamers", right? Well -- we are the gamers, so we're definitely part of the team.
[indent]This would be an exceptionally good time for @Razer.Speedcr0ss to offer us all free branded merch, as a courtesy/thank-you gesture for all of our patience and testing, haha! :big_grin_:[/indent]

For me System File Checker did not help at all, found corrupted files and fixed them, but the problem continued. The only thing that helped (temporarily) was creating a new local account and playing on it. Or converting a microsoft account to a local account.

This is a bit strange as to why some solutions only work for a while. Nothing on my computer had changed in the meantime.

I can chime in,

I had performed System File Checker prior to converting my main admin account on my secondary device (which i use for testing nowadays) into a local admin account. While SFC has detected an error on my secondary device (log stated that it fixed a file related to Microsoft NET 4.5 distribute), and promptly fixed it, the Tartarus Pro issue stil crops up after 2 hours of testing.

In terms of softwares on my side, I can only think of ‘Discord’, ‘Nvidia Geforce Experience’, ‘Microsoft Office 2016’, ‘Microsoft OneDrive’, ‘Google Drive’, ‘Apple iCloud’, ‘Steam’ and ‘Google Chrome’ being the only softwares that are the same between my primary and secondary device, and are running on the background. Work PC (Tertiary drvice) only had Google Chrome.

Like @Seegeth, my systems has practically went unchanged for the past year except for updates on Windows, and Synapse.

the main problem is it may be good for a few days then it can break again meaning finding a fix is such a bitch. I'm trying a fix at the moment and had no issues yesterday, but that can change in 5 minutes if i still don't get any problems for another 2 days. Will post what i have tried though, it is probably just luck for me at the moment and it will of course come back later

Seegeth
For me System File Checker did not help at all, found corrupted files and fixed them, but the problem continued.

Ahhh, yes, that's right -- you mentioned that before, and I forgot (sorry!)

NoahArk620
While SFC has detected an error on my secondary device (log stated that it fixed a file related to Microsoft NET 4.5 distribute), and promptly fixed it, the Tartarus Pro issue stil crops up after 2 hours of testing.

Okay, so two users for whom System File Checker alone was ineffective. Based on this, I'm going to edit that out of the list of short term fixes on my summary post. Thanks!

Also, that was the only error that my run at the System File Checker found too: related to the Microsoft .NET Framework, although mine is version 4.8.


We all seem to be unanimous on the fact that some solutions seem to work over a short term range, but then the issue recurs again a while later. I don't understand it, but I feel like it must be relevant, right?! ... like something gradual or cumulative is building up over time, in sort of the same way that too many cookies can bog down your internet performance ... @Razer.Speedcr0ss, is the tech team able to validate this theory, and/or provide feedback on this?


Keep us posted on whatever it is you're testing, @CptCraptacular ... fingers crossed it's sustainable, and looking forward to you sharing your method.


In terms of software, here's what we've got so far:

I can't write messages ! at least in English.

Windows Defender
Norton Security
Discord
Opera
Samsung Magican
Logitech G Hub
Nvidia Geforce Experience
VNC Server
Spotify
MS Office
MS One Drive

im still having no problems but there is no way that the fix i am using is going to work i just mean it can't be that simple. think i just have had good luck and will probably have the bug happen again later :slightly_sad: but anyway

device manager/find the hid complaint consumer device with razer tartrus in it and disable it and leave all the other tartrus things on

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/587332804627529738/800397261837172756/unknown.png

and no it decided it would do it today why is it so random arg ¬¬

I haven't tested it yet, but I think it might be a better lead. It is easier for me to believe that all this is the fault of some driver than e.g. windows account.

Hello again! here is another interesting information, my friend has a logitech g600 , and it also sticks ! how do you like this?

i have the same problem with razer tartarus pro sticky keys every 20-40 min that happen for sure unplayable any game like that ... im user keypad like 12-13 years belkin nostromo n52te / razer nostromo /razer orbweaver and never happen that problem for all that years with a lot hours gameplay at all this but with this razer tartarus pro that happen from the 1st day ... im back to razer orbweaver until razer fix that rly...

Hey everyone! I appreciate all the help. I suggested performing the SFC scan and creating a local Windows user account so it can help us isolate the issue. And yes, I agree that these steps are tedious. Keep in mind that this is not an official fix. By the way, the team is watching this thread and they're monitoring everyone's post. I appreciate the collation of data, video tutorial, and for everyone who tried the steps too. It's surprising that the issue is happening to another gaming keypad brand too. Our aim is to determine the cause of this and create a fix. I'll update this thread again once I got a follow-up from the team.

I have the same problem with my Tartarus v2.

The dpad acts like it's still being pressed in a direction after it is no longer pressed. Happens infrequently but enough to be unusable.

For me, this is normal for Razer software. The hardware and design is great but the actual workings of the device is buggy and unusable. I've also had breaking software issues with 3 different Razer controllers on PC (Wildcat, Wolverine Ultimate, and V2).

IMO Razer has great designs and hardware, but the software is terrible, and the issues are not limited to the Tartarus.

CptCraptacular
...device manager/find the hid complaint consumer device with razer tartrus in it and disable it and leave all the other tartrus things on ... and no it decided it would do it today why is it so random arg ¬¬

Aww, man -- such a drag that this wasn't as sustainable as hoped. Do you feel like it lasted long enough to qualify as a short term fix (like, 3 - 14 days)? Or no -- was it still a bit short of that?

KAWAiiSONG
Hello again! here is another interesting information, my friend has a logitech g600 , and it also sticks ! how do you like this?

Interesting?! The Logitech G600 mouse is very similar to Razer's Naga I think, isn't it?

DeadlyStingerPirates
... im user keypad like 12-13 years belkin nostromo n52te / razer nostromo /razer orbweaver and never happen that problem for all that years with a lot hours gameplay at all this but with this razer tartarus pro that happen from the 1st day ... im back to razer orbweaver until razer fix that rly...

This is another voice added to the growing list of fans of the legacy devices. Myself and @KAWAiiSONG both had/have the Orbweaver Chroma, and they also worked beautifully. I've read about many other users saying the same thing. There has to be something relevant Razer can extract from this. Perhaps the solution to this issue lies somewhere in the differences between the drivers and/or software for these legacy devices (which ran on Synapse 2), and the newer ones (Synapse 3).

the_novena
Interesting?! The Logitech G600 mouse is very similar to Razer's Naga I think, isn't it?

yes

jhnclvr
... IMO Razer has great designs and hardware, but the software is terrible, and the issues are not limited to the Tartarus.

This pretty much sums it up fairly accurately. And true: it's not just the Tartarus's (Tartarii? lol). I've had it happen to my Black Widow Elite keyboard (once or twice). @KAWAiiSONG encounters it continuously on his Naga Pro mouse. And there have been two or three occasions where I think it may have happened to my own Naga mouse as well.

There is indeed something terrible going on with the software, but I also recognize that Razer is aspiring to greatness (and has indeed achieved greatness in so many other ways, with their designs and hardware, as pointed out!). The one thing we all have in common is that we all just want this to work as intended. I'm determined to try to contribute to that effort, and I genuinely appreciate everyone who is participating on this thread, towards that same effort!

Orbweaver works great on Synapse 2.

Maybe the dev team could do some test drivers to run Tartarus on Synapse 2.

Seegeth
Orbweaver works great on Synapse 2.

Maybe the dev team could do some test drivers to run Tartarus on Synapse 2.

Thanks for all the help guys! I've notified the team. I'll post once I have word from the team.

my Orbweaver is rejected! I may soon be forced to buy a Razer Tartarus Pro