Windows 10: bluetooth missing from device, can't install drivers

i'm on an alienware m14xr1 running windows 10. recently i noticed bluetooth is completely absent on my device when i tried to connect new headphones to it. i went to bluetooth and devices only to get an error saying it can't connect, so i go to device manager to check the bluetooth driver and notice it is completely absent. doesn't show in hidden devices, not under network adapters, i can't even add a generic bluetooth driver. there also is no option to toggle bluetooth in bluetooth in devices. so i of course i look this up and go around trying to download drivers but somehow that doesn't work either.




bluetooth not present

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no bluetooth toggle button

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i download a driver from the dell site here but get a notification saying "Broadcom Bluetooth Software can't run on Windows".


the driver says it's for windows 7 anyway, so next i went here, unzip, setup, but this terminates with a message only saying "Activate Bluetooth using wireless switch". the onboard keyboard doesn't work on this thing i use a usb external, so i can't use the fn keys to toggle wireless, but wifi is on anyway, so i don't actually know if that really is the problem or not. i also checked the bios to see if bluetooth is enabled, it is.


either way, this also didn't work, the only other button being "cancel installation", without me getting my bluetooth driver. so lastly, before writing this ticket, i wenthere, downloaded, opened a wizard, i chose typical installation, it said it was installing Intel Wireless Bluetooth, it finished installing, that was it. i rebooted, still no bluetooth, this just plain didn't work.



so i don't know where to go from here. i might just be bad with finding drivers, so i really would appreciate any help here, wether with finding appropriate drivers or other methods of fixing this.


one thing i think might also be of relevance is the replacement of my wifi card, as the previous one stopped working. instead of using the factory-shipped, Killer Wireless N-1103, i now use a 802.11n Wireless LAN card, i don't entirely know if this had an affect, but i'm mentioning it in case it did.


i really would prefer to just fix this problem if possible, but if there's truly nothing that can be done, i'll just get a bluetooth adapter.

:)

 

Bluetooth device is missing

Hi Jiwan,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I understand how you feel when your Bluetooth is missing. We appreciate your effort, sorry for the inconvenience. Let us fix the issue.

Since you have tried the Hardware troubleshooting, setting it automatic and uninstalling and reinstalling the Bluetooth driver, I suggest you to install the driver in compatibility mode and check if the issue persists.

Follow the steps below on how to install driver in compatibility mode:

1. Download the driver from the manufacturer’s website and save it on your local disk.

2. Right click on the setup file of the driver and select “Properties”.

3. Select “Compatibility” Tab.

4. Place a check mark next to “Run this program in Compatibility mode” and select operating system from the drop down list.

5. Let the driver install and then check the functionality.

For more information please refer the following article.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/...audio-devices-and-wireless-displays#v1h=tab01

Hope this helps. Please let us know the status of the issue after trying the above suggestion.

 

Device driver for Bluetooth

Hi,

Thanks for posting your query to Microsoft forum. I will certainly help you with this.

This issue could occur due to incompatible, outdated or corrupted device drivers. Let’s try to follow these methods below which can help us resolving this issue.

which can help us resolving this issue.

Method 1: Update display adapter driver.

Step 1: Check for the latest driver update through Windows Updates.

• At the Start screen, type Windows Update.
• Click or tap Settings on the right side of the screen, and then select
  Install optional updates from the left results.
• When the Windows Update control panel opens, click on “Check for Updates” on the top left corner to receive a fresh list of updates.

Step 2: Follow the steps below to update the Bluetooth drivers.

• Press Windows + X key on the keyboard.
• Go to device manager.
• Right-click your Bluetooth device.
• Click Update Driver Software and then follow the steps in the wizard that appears.

Restart the computer and check.

If the issue persists, follow method 2.

Method 2: I would suggest you install the latest driver from
Toshiba
for Windows 10.

If there no drivers available for Windows 10,
try installing it in compatibility mode.
Compatibility mode runs the program using settings from a previous version of Windows.

Follow these steps to install the drivers in compatibility mode and check if that helps.

a. Download the driver from the manufacturer’s website.

b. Right-click on the driver setup file and click on
‘properties’.

c. Click on the ‘compatibility’ tab and check the box
‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select Windows 8 operating system from the drop down menu and proceed with the installation.

d. Once this is done, restart the computer and check if the issue persists.

You may also refer: Make older programs
compatible with this version of Windows (Steps applies to Windows 10)

Let us know if you need further assistance. We will be glad to help you further.

____________________

Thanks & Regards,

 

generic bluetooth driver

Hello Jessica,

I'm Independent Advisor and Microsoft MVP, here to help you with your question.

I suggest you to download latest Bluetooth driver from your device manufacturer's website and install it.

Or you can try steps mentioned here to install generic Bluetooth driver:

https://www.kapilarya.com/bluetooth-missing-in-...

Let us know if this helps!

Note: Included link in this reply refers to blog post by a trusted Microsoft MVP.