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Windows 10: Bluetooth won't connect to my headphones.

Anonymous
2022-09-28T14:10:08+00:00

Recently, my bluetooth dongle has stopped connecting properly to my headphones. It will only pair, but never connect (apart from once, for one second, just after removing the device and pairing again).

My bluetooth dongle is external and is from Wavlink (4.0 CSR I believe), I have never run into any problems with it beforehand.
The headphones I'm trying to connect are Soundcore Life Q30, but I've tried it with older headphones laying around (Marshall Major II Bluetooth), and the result is the same. My PC can however connect to my phone (and other, non-audio devices) over bluetooth just fine, and can be discovered by my phone as well. Both pairs of headphones mentioned above have no issue connecting (and producing sound) with my phone.

I feel like it has happened since either of the following:

  • Security Intelligence Update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus - KB2267602 (Version 1.375.919.0) [installed on 24/09/2022]
  • Installation of Ableton Live (Although I don't see how that could interfere with one another)

-> I have no option to restore system to this point and no idea how/possibility to uninstall the update mentioned above. I'd also find it weird if the security update would interfere with my bluetooth environment this much.

My PC is up to date as we speak, and is running Windows 10 Home 21H2 (OS build: 19044.2075)

I realize there alot of similar topics/questions, where potential solutions might be mentioned. However, I feel like I've tried everything I could possibly find, leading me to start this question anyway. The things I have tried so far:

  • Restart PC
  • Update Windows (check optional driver updates as well)
  • Turn bluetooth off, then on, and try again
  • Remove device from bluetooth list
  • Resetting the headphones
  • Try connecting through Action Centre (rather than normal settings)
  • Turning on all services with the headphones itself in the Printers & Devices
  • Turning off/on "Allow bluetooth devices to find this PC" and "Alert me when a new Bluetooth Device wants to connect"
  • Configure Bluetooth Support Service (setting it to automatic, restarting it before trying to pair once more)
  • Configuring/starting other bluetooth related services
  • Deleting all bluetooth related drivers from the Device Manager, then either restart PC, scan for hardware changes, or replug bluetooth dongle (tried all of them)
  • Disabling Microsoft Bluetooth LE Enumerator
  • Reinstalling all bluetooth related drivers, by updating driver -> choose from list -> pick the first/only compatible option
  • Trying several bluetooth related drivers by choosing from the list manually and finding specific microsoft drivers that aren't recommended
  • Using all the available troubleshooters (Hardware & Device, Bluetooth, Playing Audio, and even Program compatibility, Windows Store Apps and Background Intelligent Transfer Service)
  • SFC /scannow + DISM.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
  • Booting in Safe mode to delete all bluetooth drivers (including all hidden ones) then performing a clean boot
  • Installing drivers from Wavlink directly (CSR Harmony), including drivers for CSR Harmony*** found on different (trusted) websites/forums
  • Try a different USB plug for the adapter (it used to be in a USB 3.0 port, I've also tried other ports, including USB 2.0 ones which it is plugged in now)

***Note: When installing the driver from Wavlink (CSR Harmony), my bluetooth is able to connect with my headphones, sort of. It can connect within a specific type of settings for this driver (not the native bluetooth settings screen of windows), but the sound quality from the connection laid there is absolutely terrible. It's lagging ,detuned and loads of crackling sounds.
I suppose this would be my last option, if no other solutions are possible. But I've never needed to use this beforehand and have never encountered any problems like this. Besides, the sound quality really is terrible and the lack of integration withing the windows bluetooth environment will be very annoying.

So what happens exactly is the following:

I can find my audio device just fine within the bluetooth settings, however, upon pairing/connecting with it, it quickly connects and then goes back to pairing. Whenever I try to connect it says: That didn't work, Make sure your bluetooth device is still discoverable, then try again.
This happens everytime, no matter what I did before (resetting headphones, resetting bluetooth services, resetting bluetooth drivers, removing device etc.)
However, if I go in the special reset mode of my headphones (by resetting while charging, then removing the charging cable in that state), windows 10 asks for a PIN code. I've been told there should be no PIN code for my headphone, as they are quite new and this is a very outdated system within bluetooth. It did however led me to think that maybe there is something to gain there, but so far no luck.

Any help would be gladly appreciated! If you need more information/explanations on what happened, be sure to let me know.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-09-29T03:09:32+00:00

    Hi

    Welcome to Microsoft community.

    I'm glad to help you.

    From your detailed description, you have tried almost all operations, except the fresh installation system.

    I may have a few more ideas that you can try.

    1. Uninstall the update through the following steps to check whether it is valid.
    • open Settings
    • Update and security>Windows updates
    • ClickAdvanced options
    • Click View your updates History

    If you want to Uninstall updates, click uninstall updates on the top, the page installed updates would open and you can uninstall updates easily by right clicking the specific update.

    1. Uninstall your Ableton Live program. It may be that the sound card driver of this program forcibly occupies your Windows audio settings.
    2. Right-click the volume icon in the lower right corner of the desktop, click Sound, and check whether there are other playback devices in the playback device list. If there are, right-click the devices you dont need and disable them all. Leave only your Bluetooth headset and check if the problem exists.
    3. If there are other Bluetooth devices on your computer*(such as bluetooth mouse,keyboard etc)*, disconnect them and check whether the problem is caused by the maximum number of Bluetooth connected devices on your computer.
    4. Performing an image in place upgrade and repair will not affect your data and programs, but is a process of repairing system components.

    If you need more help, please don't hesitate to let me know.

    Best regards

    Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-09-29T14:04:25+00:00

    Hi Derrick,

    In the meantime I have done the upgrade/repair thing with the windows 10 media creation tool, the problem seems to have been fixed! I have no idea how the bluetooth driver came to be corrupted by windows update or anything, and I'm a bit baffled that anytime I update my windows I'm bound to run into some problems like these, but atleast it's fixed now.
    I'm trying to reinstall all the updates, as you do after a new-ish install, and hopefully the issue won't come back due to one of them.

    Thank you so much for your help. enjoy your day!

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-09-29T09:27:44+00:00

    I have uninstalled Ableton to see if that would fix anything (or atleast bring progress), but unfortunately nothing has changed. I've also tried removing all bluetooth drivers again after removing Ableton to see if it might have been tainted by the presence of Ableton (or it's sound driver(s)), but the situation is still identical.

    Regarding point 1), is there another way of uninstalling these updates? I know about the one in startup-repair, but that only includes either the last quality update or the last definition update as far as I know, neither would be the suspected update.
    I'd like to try to remove the suspected update first, to see if that might have been the culprit (since it seems that way chronologically) before I'm doing the last resort of repairing with an image.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-09-29T09:16:09+00:00

    Hi Derrick, thanks for your reply and helpful remaining tips.

    1. Unfortunately I´ve already tried to uninstall the suspected update (eventhough it's a security update), but it doesn't show up in the list of updates that I can choose to uninstall.
    2. I will try to uninstall Ableton and see if that can work some magic. The sound driver of this program might be the proper lead. If that turns out to be the issue, would you have any idea how to get Ableton and a working bluetooth simultaneously? Maybe I can try to install different versions of Ableton.
    3. There are a lot of Digital outputs (AMD High Defenition Audio Device) that I do not use and could disable, my bluetooth headset however, will never show up in this list (regardless of being paired, connected shortly or unpaired)
    4. There are no other bluetooth devices on my computer, so I don't think the problem lays there.
    5. Is this the image you can get bootable on a USB stick from Microsoft directly through their app? If nothing else turns out to work, I might give that a go. I'd have expected either SFC /scannow or DISM.exe to sort that out tho.
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