After upgrading to Windows 8.1, my Bluetooth device doesn’t work.

Anonymous
2013-11-11T23:32:10+00:00

After upgrading to Windows 8.1, my Bluetooth device doesn’t work. How can I get it working again?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2013-11-11T23:33:10+00:00

Hi,

 First, try updating the device’s driver:

1.      Check Windows Update for driver updates.

a.      Swipe in from the right to bring up the charms, and select Settings.

b.      Tap or click Change PC Settings.

c.      Select Update and recovery, then select Windows Update.

d.      Select Check for updates. Make sure to look at the Optional updates in the results.

2.      Check the device manufacturer’s site for updated drivers.

3.      Check the radio manufacturer’s site for updates. To determine what make and model of Bluetooth radio you have:

a.      Swipe in from the right to bring up the charms and select Search, and search for device manager. Open Device Manager from the search results.

b.      In Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, and look for a device with a name starting with Broadcom, Intel, or Qualcomm Atheros (these are the major radio manufacturers). Check the website of your radio manufacturer for driver updates.

c.      If you don’t see one of these manufacturers, but instead see Generic Bluetooth Adapter:

 i.     Press-and-hold or right-click on Generic Bluetooth Adapter, and select Properties

ii.     Select the Advanced tab.

iii.     Note the number next to Manufacturer ID.

iv.     Find that manufacturer ID on this page: https://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/specification/assigned-numbers/company-identifiers  (Common ones will be 2 = Intel, 15 = Broadcom, 69 = Atheros)

4.      Once you have updated your Bluetooth drivers, please try using your device again. In many cases, updating to the latest drivers will resolve the issue. In some instances, you may need to un-pair and re-pair the device from the Bluetooth settings (from the Settings charm, select Change PC Settings, and then select Bluetooth) to completely fix the issue.

If, after updating to the latest available driver and re-pairing the device, your Bluetooth device is still not working, please provide the following information in your post:

·              PC manufacturer and model

·              Bluetooth radio manufacturer and model

·              Remote device manufacturer and model

This information will help Microsoft to further understand your issue and determine if it is a known issue or a new problem that needs additional investigation.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-06-05T01:37:09+00:00

    Thank you for your disclaimer however after months of frustration with this ongoing issue, Microsoft has failed to come up with a solution, which leads to people trying to solve the issue on their own.  At least by your reply I know you are aware of the issue.  If only you could come up with a fix.

    I upgraded from Win 8 to 8.1 on my Asus notebook and had the same issue. I couldn't stay connected with my smartphone for more than 3-4 secs using bluetooth. Tried all the methods suggested such as uninstalling, reinstalling drivers under Device Manager, change account settings, registry entries etc. but nothing worked. This is what I did at last and it worked.

    1. I visited the support page for my Asus notebook on official website, clicked on Download tab where all the drivers/manuals are available, searched for any drivers available for Bluetooth device. 
    2. Qualcomm Atheros BlueTooth driver was available. The file is 97 MB in size, last updated on March 04, 2014. I downloaded, unzipped, ran Bluetooth_Suite_64.exe file. New drivers were installed and it asked for a system restart. 

    After spending 3 hours trying to find a way to connect another device to my notebook using bluetooth, I was finally able to solve the issue by following the above steps. I hope it works for you too. You must visit your notebook manufacturer's website and search for Bluetooth drivers on the Support/Download page.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-06-04T12:52:07+00:00

    Thanks to all of you. I ended up doing a refresh and staying with Windows 8.0. Also, beware that not all vendors are upgrading the drivers for Windows 8.0 or 8.1.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-06-03T17:27:08+00:00

    UnInstall Bluetooth drivers and re-install Bluetooth drivers meant for Windows 7 or Windows 8.0 in "Windows 7 Compatibility Mode".

    I had tried all suggestions and troubleshooting steps including disabling power saving options, doing a factory reset and clean install of Windows 8.0/8.1 but I continued to have problems with Microsoft Bluetooth mice (w/o USB dongles) randomly disconnecting. The ONLY solution that worked for me was un-installing existing Bluetooth drivers from Control Panel as well as Device Manager and re-installing Bluetooth drivers meant for Windows 7 or Windows 8.0 in "Windows 7 Compatibility Mode". The key here is installing Bluetooth drivers in "Windows 7 Compatibility Mode" by right-clicking the Bluetooth EXE file > Properties & selecting "Windows 7 Compatibility Mode". Avoid Bluetooth drivers meant for Windows 8.1. Luckily, my touchscreen laptop manufacturer (Acer) had both Windows 7 & Window 8.0 Atheros Bluetooth drivers for my model on their support website. Additional side-benefits I noticed after doing this:

    1. All three models of built-in Bluetooth Microsoft mice (Microsoft Scuplt Touch, Sculpt Comfort & Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000) started working perfectly without any sudden disconnects or freezing;
    2. The overall mouse operations also became lot smoother and predictable;
    3. Windows Power Management started working perfectly with the laptop going into sleep / standby nicely and waking up instantly without any lockups or WiFi issues
    4. CPU / Fan noise is much quieter-- it seems the Bluetooth drivers installed as I suggest are more "in harmony" with the rest of the system.
    5. Everything including the Bluetooth mouse is working great for almost a week since I made these changes. I promptly updated my complete system image backup with the new setup.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-05-30T23:58:18+00:00

    All,

    Not sure if these are all tied up but I would like to share my experience:

    Dell ended up replacing the motherboard (with the heatsink and cooling fan) on my Inspiron 17 7000 series but it addressed two issues:

    1. Bluetooth mouse cannot reconnect (I cannot manage the Bluetooth radio and add devices on my laptop). Have updated & reinstalled the drivers but no luck.

    I ended up doing a refresh (factory reset but all data are saved) on my laptop as system restore didn't cut it. The bluetooth problem seemed to have been addressed by turning OFF the "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" option under the power management tab on both Bluetooth & USB controllers in the Device Manager.

    1. Laptop doesn't get out of sleep mode consistently (more often than not I have to do a force shutdown).

    After the motherboard replacement, my laptop can now get out of sleep if I move the mouse or press anything on the keyboard.

    Regards,

    archie

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