Bluetooth Problems

Hi WTT. I'm trying to pair my phone with my laptop via bluetooth (Which works ok) then trying to add an outgoing port. (Bluetooth Devices > COM Ports > Add > Outgoing (Computer Initiates Connection) i then select my newly paired phone and the "Serial Port (SSP)" service click ok and then it says "Access is Denied." I've tried this on my Admin account and the root admin account and both are exactly the same. Thanks for any help Received Duey

Bluetooth can be a tricky swine when it comes to pairing, I take it the laptop's bluetooth is built in, not that it matters really, but you don't mention what phone or OS you are using, but again it wont make a massive difference, the process should be the same no matter what you use, it just varies where you go to access the appropriate menu option if needed, thats all. So generally speaking you need to do this in both directions, and what I have found is when it wont play nice in a straight forward pairing, which is what it sounds like you're trying now, try simply sending a file, so on the PC right click on an mp3 and select send to, then choose bluetooth and if needed search for devices, once your phone appears select that. Once you do that watch your phone display, it will probably come up with an "accept connection from…" type message, if so select Yes, once the file has completed sending, go into the phones bluetooth menu, and fine the PC, highlight it then select options and set connections to be authorised, when that is done the phone is paired with the PC, and you wont need to accept further connections from the PC, you should only ever set this option against safe devices, as there are bluetooth spread viruses out there which transfer this way. Now send the file back to the PC, again it should come up with an "accept connection from…" type message, if this message does not appear, try clicking once on the bluetooth icon on the task bar, hopefully that should bring up this window, it's what works with mine anyway, again you are looking for an option to set this as an authorised connection, this may well appear as a check box in the pop up window, or as a pop up box after the transfer is complete, so watch out for this option, once checked it should complete the pairing between the 2 devices, hopefully that will get you the result you are after, good luck.

Hi 8210GUY, thanks for your reply and sorry for the delay in replying. My Bluetooth is not inbuilt and my operating system is xp pro. The devices will pair with eachother but I cannot add a com port which I need for some software (called my phone explorer) so that it can access my Sony Ericsson k800i. I've never had this problem before. Just to make it a little more confusing (sorry!) it will connect through USB with no problems and can send and receive files with no problems via USB and Bluetooth. I've tried reinstalling the application and that hasn't worked either. Cheers Duey

???? Right I am still not 100% sure of the issue, but I suspect you're understanding of this may be a factor, so I will try and generalise each part of this and hopefully somewhere in the middle we can get this sorted. As the bluetooth is not built in that must mean you are using what they call a dongle ? They are like a thumb drive at first glance, anyway more often than not these come with a disk containing the software, this should always be installed before connecting the dongle, other times (cheaper ones most times) will use the m$ bluetooth stack, and will automatically sort it out when you plug the dongle in, during this install it will automatically assign a port for the dongle, usually com4 and com5, in my experience anyway, once this is set it will automatically know what to do each time you insert the dongle. Now to check this, look by the clock on the task bar and you should see an icon for the bluetooth, right click on that and select Properties, I can't give specific guidance there, but it will open a window, probably with several tabs on it, and within these tabs among-st all the other info, it will tell you (it should anyway) what port is being used for what, my guess is you will find it set as I described above, but at least with this confirmation you will know what port to select. The software you mention I have never used (I'm a Nokia guy as they are so much easier to deal with), but I guess within it's options you may need to tell it that the port you find in the dongle properties is the port to use, my hope is this will sort the issue you are having, if not it will hopefully move us a step closer to figuring it out for you.

yes, i am using a dongle and there was no software with it so it "Must use the m$ stack" the only COM port that is open (in bluetooth properties) is COM20 - Incoming (Device initiates connection). what i'm trying to do is add a COM port (COM21 for example) which is Outgoing (Computer initiates connection) then the software will be able to connect with my S.E k800i. in MyPhoneExplorer, there is an option to set the COM port(s) to use to connect and there is also a search feature. i've used both and it always says something along the lines of "No Devices Found" also, sorry for calling you ztrucker in my previous post, i got my 2 threads mixed up and was posting from my iPod (that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it…)

also, sorry for calling you ztrucker in my previous post, i got my 2 threads mixed up and was posting from my iPod (that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it…)

LOL NP, easy done.

The units I have dealt with all came with software, so that may make things harder going, during installing\pairing the ones I have dealt with all ask what you want to use the device for, eg OBEX\file transfer, audio, modem etc, did you get such options at any point with yours ?

Now sorry to rehash pairing, but have you actually paired the phone with the PC ? and the PC with the phone ?
Also have you set connections to automatic ? This means you wont need to give permission for future transfers once set.
What happens when you send a file from the phone too the PC ? do you have to grant any permissions during this ?
Next right click on say an mp3 file (assuming you're phone handles such files) and select send to…, click on bluetooth then select you're phone, does that work ? do you have to grant any permissions ?
I ask because it tells me if the devices are paired properly.

it doesn't ask what i want to use it for but installs the necessary drivers for everything it thinks it needs. Pairing: From PC - Bluetooth Icon in taskbar, Add a bluetooth device, Select Me, exchanged passkeys, Installed drivers, Done! From Phone - Settings, Bluetooth, My Devices, Add, search… find laptop, exchange passkeys, allow connection, installed driver, done! i've just tried (on pc) setting what services to allow, i tried to apply "serial port" and "hid". i just got access is denied for both. when sending from pc, it connects, sends, disconnects automatically. when sendind from phone, i always have to right click the bluetooth icon and click "receive file…" after that, it sends it and then disconnects as it should. like i said, sending, receiving and pairing are all fine, it's just the com port that i need to add to make it all work properly but i can't add it because i get "Access is Denied" hope this clears it up a bit 8210GUY. thanks for the help Duey

The fact you have too accept the file on the PC from the phone means it is not set to authorised, next time you do that take notice of the prompt, look for a check box that says something like allow connections without asking in future, or anything to do with authorising, once that is set you wont have to mess about sending files in the future, obviously you only set such an option for trusted devices, but it does sound like the phone is set to authorised for the PC, so thats fine, and as you say they are paired, but you still need to make the change I suggest here to complete this so it's set in the easiest to use way.

Right now to this illusive port, I wonder if trying to set this in safe mode may help, maybe give it a try if you think it worth it, my thought is that if there is some kind of security installed that may be blocking it, then trying in safe mode means it loads with the bare minimum of files, so hopefully if this is the case, then using safe mode will hopefully stop it loading and therefore stop it from blocking you.

Now sorry for slow replies, but the father in law was rushed into hospital the other day, and it's a 120 mile round trip, so time is even more scarce than usual for me, but I have just had a quick search and found the following, hopefully something within these will help:-
This one states an interesting comment, they say about it being only installed as a USB device, so check in you're device manager and see what your's shows, here is that article incase you have the same issue as this;
http://www.sheerboredom.net/guides/46-micr…uetooth-to-work

I appreciate the following takes you through installing it, but I offer it incase it brings to light a step you may have missed, or done differently perhaps;
http://www.kozen.de/kozens-howtos/get-micr…ted-bt-dongles/
This one talks about setting up ports, not sure it will help, but it has screen shots and it may inspire inspiration;
http://www.smartphonemag.com/cms/blogs/3/608

Also check the system to see if it came with bluetooth in it, I have come across a few laptops now that have bluetooth stamped on them, but doesn't actually have the hardware required installed, what I am wondering is if maybe it has some bluetooth software already built in ? and maybe it could be getting in the way ?
So check the installed programs to see if it shows any other related software.
Failing all this, what is the make\model of you're laptop ?

firstly, i totally understand with the "father-in-law rushed to hospital" scenario and family has to come first. ok, the bluetooth on the pc has always needed me to accept and there is no option to turn it off or always allow connection from my phone. i'll try the safe mode idea later (it's 1:47am now and i'm tired!) i overlooked that idea. the only bluetooth the laptop has ever had has been external (usb). it's also a clean install (near enough) of xp so there is no third party bluetooth software lying around. the laptop is a Packard Bell Easynote SW51-B012 (that's the absolute full name but Packard Bell SW51 should yield the same/similar results) i'll also have a check through the links you've provided. once again, family before WTT, we can all wait and can understand/appreciate your circumstances. - as long as you reply at some point this year, it'll be fine (for me anyway!) hope he gets well soon

I always reply when I can lol, if I don't it's either solved or I am dead LMAO. but he is doing OK now, but if his neighbours hadn't gone up to him after his multiple rings and hanging up he would almost certainly be dead now, but he couldn't speak to get help, he could barely breath, but he's been on oxygen since then, so he is much better now, but when he comes out it is going to be a major shock as he lives in the top flat (penthouse), so all the stairs will be a killer. Anyway on with this, I am starting to wonder if this dongle just wont play nice, I don't suppose you have access to another dongle to test do you ? I know when I searched the other day I saw lots of people having trouble with bluetooth on Packard Bell systems, but IIRC it was mainly vista they were fighting with, but I certainly saw nothing on the makers site about bluetooth on the system, so it's unlikely to have any other software installed, as a thought after going through the info above, it may be worth uninstalling the dongle, then run file cleaners, then reboot, and suspend\pause\exit ALL running programs, especially anti virus and the like. BUT, do NOT stop the firewall running, leave that be, then plug the dongle in again and see if it offers any selections on what it is to be used for (as I said earlier in the thread), we may get lucky and it installs better without other applications running, see if that helps.

yeah, life can be a HFOS (hand full of… you get the idea) sometimes. Well done to the neighbours! if i was your father-in-law, i'd be panicking like heck, the thought that ringing the neighbours and repeatedly hanging up when they answered was the best solution so well done to him too!.

I have 3 dongles (They are those REALLY tiny ones that i picked up from good ol' eBay for a couple of quid each) the problem with them being so small is that they are easy to lose and this one is the only one i can find
i've never had problems with bluetooth up until now so must have been lucky
you've probably worked out that i'm not unfamiliar with computers and terminology, however, i know uninstalling is easy but on this occasion, since it's not software that i'm uninstalling, i would like a little assistance so i only delete what i need to.

File Cleaners:
the only one(s) i have are
CCleaner
Revo Uninstaller (not necessarily a file cleaner but does clear up files after a software uninstall)

If needed, I also have access to, and am unsure how to use/what they do: (These are under the "Cleaners" section of Hiren's Boot CD 10.4 Windows Tools)
SpaceMonger
WinDirStat
DataShredder

If needed, i can also download any others (which you may recommend or are familiar with)

Firewall:
Do you mean Windows inbuilt firewall or my software firewall (COMODO)

A/V:
I have Avira so that is easy to temporarily disable

He could also dial the emergency services and leave the phone connected, or tapping it so the operator could say 1 for yes etc, but as he is in the top flat with security gates etc, they would take longer to get to him than the neighbours, and fortunately he got locked out by accident a year or so back, since then they have held a spare key for such emergency's, so yeah he was in total panic trying to breath, but kept calm enough (this time at least) to get help, but he is even more scared now as he has had a couple of turns whilst in hospital, and the first instinct when you can't breath is panic, but it's the worst thing you can do, but saying it and doing it are totally different things.

Anyway back to this, I have just been asked to sort a mates laptop out, and guess what tiny little bundle they gave with it ? LOL
So once I strip the system down and clear the dust bunnies I will start seeing what it needs, then once I haver it in working order I will have a play with such a dongle here and see if I can see any options here, then hopefully I may get a better idea of what you are seeing, so I will be back with an update on that in a day or so when I get the chance.

Now get ready to kick yourself lol, uninstalling hardware is as easy as software pretty much, simply open the device manager, expand the entry for the device in question (the dongle), right click on it and select uninstall, job done, if it wants to reboot say no, remove the dongle, run the file cleaners then reboot, may be worth trying safe mode first, if not then stop the protection etc running then insert the dongle and see if any options appear, if we are lucky it will behave, if not once I have a play with the one I have here I will see what other thoughts I can come up with.

File Cleaners:
the only one(s) i have are
CCleaner - Great tool, but to get even more files you could try Disk Cleaner and Cleanup (xp only for this one), each gets stuff the others miss.
Revo Uninstaller (not necessarily a file cleaner but does clear up files after a software uninstall) - As you say, not a cleaner, but a great tool to uninstall programs and clear up redundant entries once done.

If needed, I also have access to, and am unsure how to use/what they do: (These are under the "Cleaners" section of Hiren's Boot CD 10.4 Windows Tools)
SpaceMonger
WinDirStat
DataShredder
Not heard of any of these, but I know similar tools that give the same info, handy when hunting for missing space.

If needed, i can also download any others (which you may recommend or are familiar with)

Firewall:
Do you mean Windows inbuilt firewall or my software firewall (COMODO)
Windows firewall should NOT be running if you are using Comodo, running more than 1 type of any kind of real time cover at the same time is very bad, so you should only have 1 firewall, 1 anti virus and 1 anti spyware offering real time cover at the same time, but the answer to your question is No, make sure windows firewall is NOT active if using Comodo, then leave Comodo running to protect your system, a simple reboot once done will load all the programs again, hope this makes sense.

just been into device manager and deleted all the bluetooth related ones (they were hidden as the bluetooth dongle was not connected) and came across this:
Under the Non PnP Drivers: Serial with an exclimation mark next to it indicating that it is "This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed. (Code 24)

Click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooter for this device."

could this be the root of the problem in your opinion. i think it could be related…

m$ f/w is off because Comodo f/w is on.

now time to plug in my dongle and see what happens… fingers crossed… EDIT: it's found all its' drivers so now time to charge my phone (battery went flat last night) pair the two and see if the software (MyPhoneExplorer (called MPE from now on…)) my phone and the bluetooth all want to play nicely

for some reason, since i posted then edited the above, the fast reply button has stopped working and i can now use FF to Add Reply (i have previously been unable to do this) and it's now decided that when i edited the post above, to put the <BR> tags in

such as here

and here

knowing my luck, they'll not appear when i'm trying to demonstrate it! NOTE: IT'S ONLY WHEN THE POST IS EDITED THAT THEY SHOW UP… HOW WEIRD!

Looks like it used HTML code instead of it's normal process, but can make out the above anyway. Right connected the dongle to the vista system and it installed without prompt, right clicking on the icon when it's installed and selecting properties brings up a window and within that I can navigate through the tabs and can find the option to Add incoming and out going ports, will try to see if it does the same on an xp system, hopefully later on after I get back in if time allows, but haven't encountered your problem yet, but will try too later on an xp system. The Serial port issue you have is purely related to the laptop hardware, the serial port is the traditional massive plug for connecting the printer too, as laptops don't have that sort of space to sacrifice, and as nearly all (mainstream at least) printers are USB or similar these days it is a redundant entry added by the m$ install as standard, simply uninstall it and it will be gone, it makes no difference to the system in my experience, but I always remove them, hope this helps.