M17x can't detect bluetooth keyboard

I found a great bluetooth keyboard today that fits right over the top of the built-in keyboard allowing me to type very comfortably. It's the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000. Except there's one little problem, nothing shows up in the "Pair with a wireless device" window when I go to "Add a Bluetooth Device".

After several hours of uninstalling, reinstalling, overinstalling, revo uninstalling, and every other kind of install and uninstall of the WIDCOM bluetooth drivers for the Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Mini-card, I finally decided to take this keyboard over to the iMac and try it there.

Instant success.

So I came back over to this M17x and gave it a few more attempts. No success. The "Pair with a wireless device" window is forever blank, forever useless.

This keyboard also comes with a separate number pad, which I also tried to connect to. But same story. Nothing ever shows up in the Pair window.

Has anyone had trouble with the Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Mini-card? Any ideas? Are there other drivers?

 

Which driver are you running? Have you tried:

v6.2.0.9600 A01, Last Updated: 10/15/2009

 

I hadn't encountered that one yet. Thank you. I'll update the driver and report back with any news.

 

It was actually released for another system on 10/15. Dell finally posted it as a M17x driver on 11/4.

Full Details HERE

 

It's all installed and the bluetooth firmware has successfully been updated. But, still no go. This keyboard and it's number pad are completely invisible to the bluetooth card.

I've been at this now since around 7pm, and it's 12:35am now. Maybe it's time to give up. I wish I had another bluetooth device handy so I could get an idea if it's unable to see just this keyboard and its separate number pad, or if it's unable to see anything at all.

What are the indications of a bad bluetooth card? All indications point to it working.

Actually, as I wrote that, the bluetooth icon disappeared from the icon tray. Not really sure what to try next.

 

If your cell phone supports it, try connecting it via Bluetooth. If not, I would just call Dell Support. Its covered if its dead and they can overnight a new one to you. Let them know you cant connect, etc. but the device works on another system via BT.

 

I'm pretty sure the card is okay now. I removed it and tried a USB bluetooth adapter that borrowed from a friend, and which I know to work. Same problem. I think something is hosed in the OS. Looks like for want of being able to type on this system, I have to start over and rebuild my entire environment from scratch... A veritable nightmare.

 

Another option would be to again uninstall the BT driver via the Programs & Features Control Panel, reboot into Safe Mode (F8@BIOS) and use CCleaner's Registry Module to clear any left over entries from the uninstall. Once done reboot and reinstall the driver. Hassle, but at least if it works it will save you from reinstalling the OS.

Hope it works out - sorry couldn't provide a more definite answer.

 

I'll try it. Thank you, Sir.

 

I got slightly different results at first, but the end result was the same. Although the BT adapter is detected and all drivers installed, after about five minutes the device is treated as if it doesn't exist.

This has been one of the strangest hardware puzzles I've ever encountered. I can usually solve things like this. My thinking is that there's ALWAYS a way. But so far not in this case.

 

Very odd. You know, I have to ask since it just came to mind... you did check to see if the AAA Battery is good, right?

 

In the keyboard? Yes, it's perfectly fine. I've connected it to and used it with a Mac and another Windows XP system. The XP system is actually where that USB bluetooth adapter lives.

So, the keyboards are definitely good. And, yes, this whole affair is very odd. Odd like I've never seen it.

 

Well I'm on the freshly installed 64 bit Vista environment now. First thing I did was install the bluetooth drivers and try out my keyboard. I'm typing this note using that now, at about 30wpm more than I could before.

And... My god... This thing is fast. It was really a waste of a perfectly good system trying to hang on to that 10 year old environment. I'd much rather just rebuild it from scratch now that I'm here.