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Adding a Bluetooth dongle to Windows 7

Anonymous
2015-01-31T08:37:49+00:00

I have 2 USB Bluetooth dongles that show up in Device Manager as "CSR Bluetooth Chip" by Realtek. They both report that they are functioning properly. But when I go to try to add a a set of Bluetooth headphones, they are never detected. This is on 2 different computers (although running very similar software) running Windows 7 Professional. If I go to a 3rd computer that came with a Bluetooth radio built-in, the headphones show up right away when going to add it. On the 2 computers that I've tried the 2 dongles on, the "Add a Bluetooth device" option isn't showing at all. Also, there is no "Radio Information" for either of the dongles. The fields are blank.

I deleted the device on both non-working machines, and rebooted. The desktop came back up successfully, but I got sidetracked on the laptop and went in and uninstalled some other no longer needed apps on the laptop. When I attempted to reboot the laptop, I couldn't get past a BSOD, went through system repair and all but no dice. So I did a restore to 10 days ago, inserted the dongle and it was recognized and installed perfectly. Even the "Add Bluetooth device" option is there now. But I actually want this working on the desktop. That went through the installing device driver software without a problem, but the option to add a Bluetooth device still isn't there. The software that I deleted from the laptop isn't even on the desktop so that couldn't be it.

One thing I just noticed that is now different between the Desktop and Laptop, the Desktop does not have "Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator" showing in device manager.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-02-03T16:48:32+00:00

    You could try 'update driver' and select the 'let me pick option' and select 'Generic Bluetooth Radio' from the list.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-02-03T14:41:02+00:00

    This is due to a windows optional update released in December :

    Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Bluetooth Controller - CSR Bluetooth Chip

    Download size: 345 KB

    If you rollback the "CSR Bluetooth Chip" driver you should get back the normal Microsoft one.

    Hopefully Microsoft will pull this optional update from Windows Update as I suspect it breaks a lot of Bluetooth dongles.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-02-01T08:22:06+00:00

    No change after re-installing the INF utility.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-02-01T03:15:40+00:00
    1. Yes, it was working. I first noticed that the blue light stopped flashing a couple days ago, but haven't used it for almost a month so I'm not sure when it stopped.
    2. There have been hardware and software changes. I changed my boot drive to a SSD drive (there is a SSD drive in the laptop as well). And I update and install apps on a regular basis.
    3. The motherboard is a Gigabyte Z68X-UD4-B3

    I've gone to the site, http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3910#dl and am re-installing the Intel INF utility now to see if that helps.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-02-01T01:36:44+00:00

    Hi Bryan,

    I understand your inconvenience and will be glad to assist you with the issue.

    What is the make and model of your desktop?

    Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator comes into play when you plug the Bluetooth device without the driver wherein Windows 7 automatically installs its driver. After Windows detect Bluetooth device, it is controlled by Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator and not the third-party driver.

    I suggest you to follow the steps given below.

    Step 1.

    Rename the Bth.inf file.

    Rename the %WINDIR%\inf\Bth.inf file to Bth.bak before you install or reinstall the third-party device or stack. 

    To rename the file, follow these steps: 

    1. Start, click Run, type %windir%\inf in the Open box, and then click OK.
    2. Bth.inf, and then click Rename.
    3. Bth.bak, and then press ENTER.

    Step 2.

    Download Bluetooth driver from the Manufacturer’s website.

    Just download the Bluetooth driver from the manufacturer’s website and save it on the Desktop.

    Step 3.

    Install the Bluetooth driver.

    1. Click Start, type Devmgmt.msc in the Open box, and then press Enter to open the Device Manager.
    2. Update Driver.
    3. Choose “Browse my Computer for drivers.”
    4. Click on the browse button and locate the downloaded file on the Desktop.
    5. Hit “Next” and wait for the installation to complete.
    6. Restart the computer.
    7. Check if the issue persists.

    You may refer the link below to find compatibility drivers for your device.

    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/CompatCenter/Home.

    Please reply to us with the status of the issue so that we can help you further.

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