Hi Hermit,
Well, on my
W10 Pro 64bit v1703 b15063.296, the OSK shows up and has a nice "X" in the upper right-hand corner that you should be able to use to close it, as shown here:
If that little close "X" isn't there, it could be that the OSK applet is damaged. You can try to reinstall, buy I would run some Windows repairs after first backing up all your personal data to external media. Such as:
KEMICAL’S WINDOWS GENERAL 3-STEP REPAIR
JAN 8, 2017
Hi,
you could try running DISM in CMD mode after running chkdsk and sfc commands:
**MARC ADDED: “CHKDSK C: /F”
File scans
Right click on the Start menu icon and from the revealed list choose 'admin command prompt'. Type:
sfc /scannow
press enter and await results
In the same command prompt and after the above scan has finished type:
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
Press enter and await results (longer this time).
If the first scan found files it could not repair but the second scan is successful, run the first scan again using the same command prompt box and this time it should repair the files found.
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This doesn't always work, sometimes viruses/malware can keep an applet from displaying all it's normal functions. If the problem persists, make sure to scan with your AV program and scan/remove all viruses found. Next visit
Link Removed and download the free
Malwarebytes (MBAM) antispyware. Repeat the scan/remove process to remove all spyware viruses found. Reboot your PC and retest. If the problem goes away, you simply had a virus that attacked that OSK applet, and it is now fixed!
If no viruses are found, or you found them and removed them and the applet is still not working right; you might have to try a more drastic approach such as using the built-in
SYSTEM RESTORE, Windows Reset This PC, or the dreaded W10 factory Recovery reinstallation. Prior to doing the last 2 items, it's always best to test your hardware for failures. To do this yourself, see my free TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE here to step you through the process:
Windows 10 - Unclickable Task Bar
This really should be done for the Reset or Reinstallation options, as if you have a hardware failure such as a RAM stick or Hard Drive, resetting the PC or reinstalling W10 won't fix it:
No software on the planet can fix broken hardware!
It's worth noting that the 2nd half of the TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE will step you through the Reset This PC or Reinstallation process.
Let us know if you get stuck or have any questions along the way!
Best,
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>>