Bluetooth not connecting or pairing after login until the module is disabled then enabled in device manager.

Question

Greetings

Recently I've noticed that even though my Bluetooth was working as intended for 2 years, it has a curious problem now on each boot requiring me to take certain steps on each startup to work properly again. Here's a description of the problem:
1- Once I cold start the PC (or perform a restart), upon seeing the login screen, every bluetooth device that was already paired and is active/turned on/ready to connect at that moment, will connect to PC and work fine. Example, an xbox controller that is already paired with the PC and is turned on/waiting for the host device, upon getting to the login screen, will connect to PC immediately and work fine for as long as it's connected.
2- After a few short seconds, (no matter a login is performed or still idle on login screen), if I turn on a previously paired device (Like a bluetooth headset, or the same xbox controller) it will not connect and will remain in ready-to-connect state.
3- If I login, still no chance with the connection. The bluetooth seems to be on and lists the paired devices while hitting "connect" either in settings or quick settings will report that it didn't work after a while of trying.
4- Trying to pair a new device, either an actual brand new device or a previously connected device that I performed a "forget" task on, will not list anything while looking for devices. (I do recognize and do put them on pairing mode)

5- Switching bluetooth off with the toggle in the settings will take a very long time, afterwards, trying to switch it on will take an even longer time before the bluetooth option and devices disappear entirely, at which point disabling the module in device manager and enabling it again wouldn't help either. Uninstalling and reinstalling the latest or a previous functioning version of driver will bring the bluetooth back on make it function properly but the whole problem surfaces again on a reboot.

My current work around: I have to take these exact steps after every startup to gain normal bluetooth functionality. 1-Toggle the bluetooth off in settings or QS. 2-Open device manager and wait until every module and device under the bluetooth tree disappears from the list (Microsoft enumerator, earbuds, RFCOMM, etc.) leaving only the actual realtek bluetooth module. 3-disable the realtek module in device manager, wait for it to show the arrow icon. 4-Enable the module again 5-switch bluetooth back on in settings. This will make the device work properly for as long as the PC is on. A reboot or shutdown will cause the issue to come back and will require those exact step.
Notes: any variation in those steps will cause failure. for example disabling the realtek module before turning off bluetooth or before all devices un-list in the bluetooth tree or turning it on immediately after turning it off.

Troubleshooting actions I tried that did not solve the problem:

• rolling back to an earlier version of windows.
• completely removing and re-installing the driver.
• updating the driver.
• rolling back the driver.
• unchecking "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" in realtek device's power management
• checking and putting the all 3 bluetooth services to automatic. although trying to set the third service (8c761) to any other startup type results in "incorrect parameter" error.
• forgeting all devices before removing the driver and pairing them again.
• disabling all third party startup programs as I thought maybe one of them is messing with the bluetooth function at startup
• reinstalling the current version of windows via system update recovery menu

System Specifications:

Windows 11 pro 25H2, 26200.7171

Bluetooth chip: Realtek RTL8852BE chipset (onboard)

Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B650M-A WIFI II

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7600X
GPU: Gigabyte nVidia RTX 3070 OC

RAM: 32 GB, dual channel, DDR5, CL36, 5600 mt, viper venom sticks

Answer 1

Hi Mahbod Fallahi

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Thanks for the extremely clear rundown. This is one of the better symptom descriptions I’ve seen. From your pattern (Bluetooth works only for devices that were already waiting at the logon screen, then discovery/connecting and even toggling the radio quickly degrade until the whole Bluetooth tree collapses) the most likely root cause is that the host controller/stack isn’t fully re‑initializing after boot and then gets into a bad state a few seconds later (service trigger, power state transition, or driver regression).

1) Turn off “Fast Startup” (and BIOS Fast Boot if present)

Fast Startup (hybrid shutdown) can leave Bluetooth in a half‑hibernated state that breaks discovery/connection after the logon screen.

Windows Fast Startup

1. Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do.
2. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
3. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) → Save.
4. Reboot twice (the first shutdown still uses the old state).

If your BIOS/UEFI has Fast Boot, disable it as well, then reboot and re‑test.

2) Update platform pieces (BIOS, AMD Chipset, and ASUS Wi‑Fi/BT combo package)

Bluetooth stability on your board depends on the BIOS + AMD Chipset driver + Realtek Wi‑Fi/BT combo driver being in sync.

• BIOS: Update to the latest for ASUS PRIME B650M‑A WIFI II.
• AMD Chipset: Install the newest AMD Chipset driver for your board.
• Wi‑Fi/BT combo: Install the ASUS‑provided Realtek Wi‑Fi/BT package (avoid generic Realtek packages or Windows Update only).

Even if Wi‑Fi seems fine, the BT controller/firmware ships together with the Wi‑Fi package — using the ASUS bundle has fixed similar 8852BE cases.

Reboot after each install and re‑test Bluetooth discovery/connect.

3) USB power paths & coexistence

Some Realtek BT combos surface as a USB device; early power transitions can put the controller into a low‑power state too soon.

• Power plan (USB selective suspend)

1. Open Control Panel → Power Options → Change plan settings → Change advanced power settings.
2. Expand USB settings → USB selective suspend setting → set to Disabled.
3. Apply and reboot.

• Wi‑Fi/BT coexistence In Device Manager → Network adapters → Realtek Wi‑Fi (your onboard adapter), check Advanced tab for a setting like Bluetooth Collaboration / Coexistence and set it to Enabled (names vary; OK to experiment).

4) Clean driver‑store reinstall (remove stale INFs, then install ASUS package)

This does a true cleanup, not just “Uninstall device”.

1. List Realtek BT drivers (PowerShell as Admin):

      pnputil /enum-drivers | findstr /i "realtek bluetooth 8852"
   

2. Delete each matching oemXX.inf:

      pnputil /delete-driver oemXX.inf /uninstall /force
   

   1. Reboot.
   2. Install the latest ASUS Wi‑Fi/BT combo package for your board.
3. Reboot again and test.

5) Run the Windows Bluetooth troubleshooter after each change

This quickly validates services and re‑applies known fixes.

• Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Bluetooth → Run. If the Get Help app offers an automated fix, let it run; if it says the issue persists, continue with the next step you’re trying. Microsoft’s official guidance is here: Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows.

Please let me know how things go!

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