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Bluetooth Adapters not working - Unknown USB device (Device descriptor request failed)

Anonymous
2019-09-05T18:48:50+00:00

Hi, I am having some issues getting ANY bluetooth adapters installed on Windows 10 and would appreciate any assistance.

I initally had purchased a cheapo eBay Bluetooth 4.0 adapter around 1 year ago and it's worked fine ever since.  However, recently I am not able to get it to work properly.  Windows detects it as a generic bluetooth device and I can see and scan bluetooth devices fine with it.  But when I try to pair any bluetooth device it gets stuck on "connecting" and never connects.  I assumed it was the cheapo adapter and decided to buy another one.  I bought the TP-Link UB400 from Amazon, a good brand and premium quality Bluetooth adapter.  Having tried that today, I can't even get the thing to recognise properly.  It shows as a "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)".  So I decided to try both adapters on my other desktop PC downstairs.  Both plug and play perfectly fine and both work and pair with my Bluetooth devices.  So the issue is not the hardware, it is the software on my Windows PC (probs caused by me somehow).

I would really appreciate if someone can guide me on troubleshooting steps on how I can fix this, I am a developer and setup tons of tools on Windows (including stuff like WSL) as well as my work MacBook.  It will be a great deal of effort for me to run another clean OS install for just this Bluetooth issue.  The PC downstairs detects the adapater sas Generic devices too and works fine, the downstairs PC is Windows 10 1803 and the upstairs PC (the one that doesn't work) is Windows 10 1903.

Background Info:

I built my PC myself over 5 years ago and it is pretty high spec, I am a software developer and annually reformat my entire Windows OS (clean install).

Having only completed my format a few months ago, I would say that the system should really be in a good state (i.e. I have not screwed anything up - as far as I know anyway).

The only stupid thing I think I could have done, was about a month ago when I couldn't get my XBox controller to work, I uninstalled the driver that was showing up for it in Device Manager, which obviously caused a lot of issues.  However, I managed to fix that by getting windows to run plug and play again - so I don't think it is related.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2019-09-05T18:52:53+00:00

Hi Faisal. I'm Greg, an installation specialist, 10 year Windows MVP, and Volunteer Guardian Moderator here to help you.

Lets troubleshoot USB and Bluetooth to cover everything possible:

Troubleshoot USB failure to detect:

  1. Update your Chipset and USB drivers from the PC maker's Support Downloads web page for your full model number, HP Serial Number, or Dell Service tag from the sticker on PC.
  2. Compare the latest drivers with the ones presently installed in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start Menu. Make sure you have the latest BIOS, Chipset, Display (Video), Sound, USB3, Bluetooth, Network and all other drivers, or else download and install the latest now.
  3. If no newer or this doesn't help, then go to the USB category in Device Manager, open each Enhanced, Hub and Host controller, from Driver tab select Roll back if available, or if not choose Uninstall.

If your keyboard and mouse are USB, first program the power button to effect the needed restart after Rolling back or uninstalling the driver. Go to Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings > Choose what Power buttons do to choose Shutdown.

  1. Run the Hardware Troubleshooter at Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.

________________________________

I'll give all possible steps for troubleshooting Bluetooth in order of priority. Many problems right now are being solved by updating to the latest version so if you want to skip to that step see the Repair Install at bottom:

Make sure you're pairing correctly as shown here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15290/...

See Fixes here which are all working:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14169/...

https://superuser.com/questions/1017867/make-wi...

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...

Try the Bluetooth troubleshooter at Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.

Try turning off Fast Startup at Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings > Choose what Power buttons do > Change settings that are unavailable > uncheck Fast Startup.

If this is a mic or headset right click Volume icon in System Tray to Open Sound Settings, make sure the correct device is selected for input or output in the dropdown menu.

Try Updating the Bluetooth driver from the PC maker's Support Downloads webpage for your exact model. Install it even if it's the same or newer than the one in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start button.

Right click Start button to access Device Manager, locate Bluetooth device (if necessary from View tab Show Hidden Devices), on Driver tab see if Roll Back is available, if not try Update Driver, first automatically, then Browse, then Let Me Pick to try all previously installed Drivers.

If these fail try to Uninstall the Driver, restart PC to reinstall.

Then try pairing again, if necessary run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter again.

If this was caused by Windows Updates then you can check which were installed at Settings>Update & Security>Windows Update under Installed Updates, then uninstall them from the link there, and hide with the Hide Updates tool downloaded from here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/2/f2...

You can also use System Restore to get before the problem began, then check for Updates with the Hide Update tool and hide them: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/how-t...

If this was caused by a Version Update then for 10 days you can roll it back in Settings>Update & Security>Recovery and then hide it until it matures using the Hide Updates Tool which is explained more here:

https://www.howtogeek.com/223864/how-to-uninsta....

If you think the BT adapter has failed, you can replace it easily with a USB nano adapter like this one: https://www.amazon.com/ZEXMTE-Bluetooth-Receive...

Go over this checklist to make sure the install is set up correctly, optimized for best performance, and any needed repairs get done: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

Start with Step 4 to turn off Startup freeloaders which can conflict and cause issues, then Step 7 to check for infection the most thorough way, then step 10 to check for damaged System Files. Then continue with the other steps to go over your install most thoroughly.

If nothing else helps you can run a Repair Install by installing the Media Creation Tool and choosing from it to Upgrade Now. This reinstalls Windows in about an hour while saving your files, apps and most settings, solves many problems while also bringing it up to the latest version 1903 which you need anyway and by the most stable method. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m....

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

________________________________________________________

Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-09-06T23:42:28+00:00

    Well everything now magically works...

    I was playing around with different things including my laptop and plugged in the dongle into a USB 2.0 port, Windows detected it properly as a Bluetooth device and all appears to be working.  Even better I can now plug the dongle into any USB port and it works.

    So either Windows update downloaded something in the background or plugging it into that USB port finally allowed Windows to figure out how to setup it's drivers.

    Either way, I am problem free again.  I still don't fully understand what was causing this, but many many thanks for your help Greg.  You are amazing :).

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-09-05T21:23:23+00:00

    Hi again -

    If SFC cannot repair broken system files even after DISM confirms the WIM image integrity (from which it compares and repairs files) after 3 separate attempts, then the next steps is Repair Install by installing the Media Creation Tool from this link http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m... choosing Download Tool Now, install the tool, open it and choose Upgrade this PC Now. This reinstalls WIndows while saving your files and apps in place; takes about an hour, resolves most problems. It also brings it to the latest version by the most stable method.

    But if you prefer to Clean Install then that's always a good idea, especially if you follow the gold standard Clean Install in this link which compiles the best possible Install of Windows which will stay that way as long as you stick with the tools and methods given, has zero reported problems, and is better than any amount of money could buy: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

    To create Windows 10 Installation Media (if necessary on another PC) install the Media Creation Tool and follow the directions here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m.... Uncheck the box for Recommended Settings to choose the exact version and bit rate for the target PC only.

    Insert media, boot it by powering up PC while pressing the BIOS Boot Menu Key here: https://www.sysnative.com/forums/hardware-tutor...

    If the media won't boot you may need to enter BIOS/UEFI Setup (pressing key given in chart in link above) to turn off Fast Boot or Fast Startup first.

    Choose the boot device as a UEFI device if offered, skip the Product Key screen and choose your licensed version only if offered. On second screen choose Install Now, then Custom Install, then at the drive selection screen delete all partitions down to Unallocated Space to get it cleanest, click Next to let it create needed partitions and start install - this makes it foolproof.

    You will get and keep the best possible install to the exact extent you stick with the steps, tools and methods in the linked tutorial. It's a better install than any amount of money could buy and a great learning experience that will make you the master of your PC because you will learn everything that works best and how to apply it with your own hands.

    If you have files that aren't backed up you can use the same bootable media to try to rescue your files using this method: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

    ________________________________________________________

    Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-09-05T21:37:43+00:00

    Yes, unfortuntely did run the SFC scans multiple times, both before and after running DISM but still getting corrupted files.

    That looks like a good guide for the clean install, will check it out.

    Hopefully can reinstall over the weekend, will report back.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-09-05T21:19:59+00:00

    Wow, thank you for the quick response.  I didn't think about the Chipset drivers, I tried them out but unfortuntely they made no difference.

    I've tried quite a few options from your list and the SFC scan returned results of multiple corrupted files that it could not repair.  I did run a DISM image restore and more SFC scans but the problem persists.

    Is my only option now to try a system recovery? In that case I would prefer to clean install again I guess :(.

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