How to fix tablet issues?

Have you installed the latest (Windows 7 version) Wacom tablet driver? There are no Windows 8 drivers for Wacom tablets yet.

Ask Wacom if the problem persists. Hardware function problems are its manufacturer's problem to resolve, not Microsoft's.

Yes, I have. And these are not driver issues (except for the missing right button click in the modern UI maybe), these are windows issues, it is not the driver that paints these annoying circles around the cursor.

Michael,

 

I am suffering the same dismal Wacom Tablet support in Windows 8 as you are.  The animations with each click are absolutely unnecessary and they are NOT the fault of the Wacom driver.  They are added by Windows, and they cause major headaches for tablet users.  In Windows 7 we could disable TabletPC service and the stupid cursor animations would also be disabled - but that service does not exist in Windows 8.  There is a similar service named "TabletInputService" but disabled this does nothing to help with the Windows 8 tablet problems.  I've also noticed that Microsoft has taken away our ability to uninstall TabletPC using the Turn Windows Features On or Off.  Very disappointing to see Windows take such a huge step backwards.

 

I really hope Microsoft fixes tablet input.  We don't need a service running in the background to control our tablet - Wacom can provide the driver.  It's hard to take Windows 8 as a serious platform when it can't handle basic input devices that have been around for decades.

No here comes the fun part: I just tried an old wacom graphire 2 instead of the bamboo touch I used at first and guess what: Everything works fine. Makes me think that there really might be a driver issue on wacoms side that screws up the newer tablets, especially those with a touch interface.

Interesting.  So maybe I need to bring some of my old tablets out of storage.  :)  Currently, I'm using  an Intuos4 and an Intuos5, and both have the same problem.  The Intuos4 does not have a touch interface.  I swear these graphic circles and animations belong to Microsoft - not Wacom.  Otherwise it wouldn't have been possible to disable them by removing the Windows Pen and Touch component (in Windows 7).  Maybe Wacom uses their driver to disable them?  And since there isn't a dedicated Windows 8 driver, it doesn't disable them properly.

Another side note: I've found that the pen will sometimes lose the ability to use hotspots in Windows 8.  For instance, when browsing the App Store, then pen will randomly lose the ability to bring up the start menu or change to the hand cursor at the top of the screen to close the app.  You're just stuck.  You can either press Alt- F4 to manually close the app, or you can switch to the Wacom mouse and suddenly you have hotspots again and can access the Start Menu and drag the app window down tot the bottom of the screen to close it.

 

I don't know if that's Microsoft's fault or if that's Wacom's fault, but I really miss the days when Windows had no clue what I used as an input device.  The driver told the cursor to move and Windows obeyed.  So far, I don't have confidence that the brains behind Windows are capable of treating the input device differently without forcing their stupid animations and buggy OS behaviors on the user.  It was better when Windows couldn't tell the difference between a tablet, pen, or mouse.

The Touch interface has changed significantly in Windows 8, so it is not surprising that Windows 7 drivers do not work properly.

I have been using the Windows 8 Enterprise trial and noted that (minor) problems came and went as Windows 7 programs and drivers were installed and then replaced by Windows 8 versions.

Until you have Windows 8 certified programs (for any which interact with hardware - any hardware) and Windows 8 drivers for all your devices (not just Windows 7 drivers which happen to work) it will not be possible to say where any fault or bugs come from.

Wacom tablet related problems should be reported and discussed in the Wacom forums. That is where you can expect to find known issues and workrounds.

I discussed this issue with wacom and they say it is a Windows 8 bug that you can´t disable the animations an microsoft has to fix this. They also told me that there will be a driver available in november so let´s hope it fixes the issues. 

Michael, thanks for following up with Wacom.  I'm glad they have been quick to identify the cursor animations as a Windows 8 bug.  That seemed obvious to the users, but now it's confirmed.

 

Wacom support also got back to me on this issue.  They directed me towards their press release on Windows 8:

"Starting on November 2nd., new drivers will be available for Wacom’s professional line of Intuos and Cintiq products. Starting on November 16th, new drivers will be available for the Bamboo line of pen tablets."

 

The full press release can be viewed here:

http://www.wacom.com/company/news/news-bucket/2012/10/26/wacom-announces-new-driver-software-to-support-microsofts-windows-8-operating-system

I managed to solve pen feedback/drag delay issue somehow. The problem is I don't exactly know how I did it - it was many hours of installing/uninstalling various drivers and messing up with registry before I got it working. I think setting this registry key helped:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Policies/Microsoft/TabletPC/TurnOffPenFeedback=1
Can anyone verify if it fixes anything?

My configuration:
Windows 8 Pro 64bit
Wacom Intuos 2 (using Windows 7 drivers)

Update:
Setting registry key doesn't solve anything. But installation of old drivers does. I've had new tablet drivers (6.17-3), then I installed version 5.2.1.6a (this one's for bamboo, but it doesn't matter). This "broke" something and tablet started to act weird :) Then I removed old drivers and reinstalled new drivers. Miracle happened and my tablet started to work. This trick also worked for Bamboo Fun tablet.