Bluetooth Fix

Bluetooth Fix: a reader asked…

I have a desktop PC (Windows) with bluetooth and a bluetooth mouse. It’s been working fine for years Recently, the mouse started working erratically and changing batteries and mouse pads didn’t help. I replaced the mouse which worked for awhile but has now stopped working. After doing some google research, I checked my computer’s taskbar and see that the bluetooth icon is missing. The device manager doesn’t show a bluetooth device. I’m running out of patience, should I take the computer in for repair?

Actually, the most likely reason is that your Bluetooth hardware has failed. Less likely is that a recent Windows update might have messed up your Bluetooth configuration settings. While you can certainly take your computer to a reputable company for repair, my first suggestion would be to spend $11 and replace the Bluetooth receiver. That’s easier than it sounds – you don’t have to open the case and mess with the internals. All you need to do is buy a USB Bluetooth adapter, plug that into an available USB port on your computer, and you should see the Bluetooth icon re-appear on your taskbar. You can then connect your mouse to it and be back in business.

I’m suggesting this because computer repair can cost you hundreds of dollars, and I think it’s worthwhile to spend a small fraction of that on a solution most likely to work regardless of what’s actually wrong.

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First, get a USB Bluetooth adapter, available at most computer or office supply stores or online, such as at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Bluetooth-Receiver-Controller-UB500/dp/B09DMP6T22/). Pretty much any brand or model, these are just little buttons that plug into a USB 2.0 port on your computer. The drivers for it self-install, so just plug it in and in a few seconds the Bluetooth icon will re-appear on your taskbar.

Next, follow the instructions for your Bluetooth mouse to make it discoverable (generally press on a button on the underside), and then open Windows’ Settings: right-click Start, left-click Settings, left-click the Bluetooth & devices link on the left-side of the settings menu, and click on the Add device button. Select Bluetooth and choose your mouse from the list of available devices. Complete the connection and you’re good to go.

That is really the easiest and cheapest solution that’s most likely to get you back up and running. However…

If first you want to make sure your internal Bluetooth hardware is actually kaput, open Device Manager (type that into the Windows search box on your taskbar) and expand the Bluetooth entry (click the > caret to expand to show all your Bluetooth devices), and make sure your entries don’t show a problem. If you see an “Unknown device” with a problem, that could be your Bluetooth hardware.

Select the item that’s a problem and use the Device Manager menu (Action>Uninstall device), then scan for devices (Action>Scan for hardware changes). If the Device Manager finds and installs the existing Bluetooth device (and the Bluetooth icon re-appears in your Taskbar), you may not need to do anything else. I have personally found this to be less likely to make a difference, but if you don’t want to spend even $11 without trying anything else, it’s worth a shot.