Bluetooth Desktop Manager communications - a Solution

Question

There has been some chat about this already on this forum, but I haven't seen a simple statement of the problem, its cause, and the solution.  As of today I have a Blackberry (an 8310) successfully resyncing over Bluetooth, so here's a quick summary.
The Problem (if you have one)
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You can't get the "Synchronize" Option in Blackberry Desktop Manager 4.1-up to work over Bluetooth with your Blackberry.  (And for this discussion we will assume that you CAN get it to work over USB - just not over Bluetooth.
The Cause
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The cause is that your computer and your Blackberry are not communicating properly over Bluetooth.  You may have no Bluetooth connectivity between the two at all, or it may seem that you have the BB and computer properly paired - either way it is an illusion and makes no difference.  If you can't complete the following on your computer - get to the Options/Connection Settings dialog box in Desktop Manager, check the "Enable Bluetooth Support" box, hit "Configure Bluetooth", hit "Add" and then successfuly see and add your BB handleld - then you can safely assume you do not have the proper type of Bluetooth connection you need to make it all work properly for the BB.  Quit trying and read on.
Assuming you have Bluetooth on your computer working properly for other uses (ie. not broken), that you have Bluetooth discoverability turned on for both computer and BB and that your BB is healthy, the problem is with the Bluetooth drivers on your computer.  Specifically the problem is that many Bluetooth drivers handle the usual Bluetooth functions like audio connection and networking, but NOT the one function you need, which is data transfer.  Hence these drivers - which are almost always proprietary, non-Microsoft drivers - may work just fine for many purposes but they will never, ever talk to your BB in the way that you need them to.
The solution is to replace the Bluetooth driver you have with the generic Microsoft Bluetooth driver from Service Pack 2 or later.  These Service Packs are easy to download and install from Microsoft, but the trick is that this does NOT replace the Bluetooth drivers your computer is actually using.  Even deleting the Bluetooth drivers doesn't work because the computer instantly realizes it is missing the driver, looks for the appropriate Okie Fenokee brand driver that goes with the Okie Fenokee Bluetooth driver definition still sitting there in your proprietary computer, thoughtfully re-installs it and leaves you back right where you started.
The Solution
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The solution is easy once you know.  I DO NOT PROMISE what this may do to other Bluetooth applications you have working perfectly right now, so if Grandma's kidney dialysis machine is hooked intimately to your working Bluetooth setup as it is right now, then proceed no further.  Otherwise, hit "Start" and right-click on My Computer, then left-click on "Properties".   Choose "Hardware", then "Device Manager".  Find "Bluetooth Radios" in the list you get, expand it, and then delete EVERY entry you get below it in the hierarchy.  Now get back out of all that.  You have left your computer with a piece of hardware (the Bluetooth radio) and absolutely no software to drive it.  Your computer will realize this and immediately start searching for software (drivers) to remedy the problem.  It will ask you where to search, so make sure it either picks up the current MICROSOFT drivers from the web or the MICROSOFT drivers you have lying around (unused, till now) on your computer from a previous installation of Service Pack 2 or higher.  This is easily checked just by going back into My Computer/Properties/Hardware/Device Manager/Bluetooth Radios and looking.
Give it all a minute to settle and then the previously-mentioned procedure- get to the Options/Connection Settings dialog box in Desktop Manager, check the "Enable Bluetooth Support" box, hit "Configure Bluetooth", hit "Add" and then successfuly see and add your BB handleld - should work.  Moments later you'll see the PIN of your BB appear at the top of the Connection Settings dialog box, a sure sign of success.  Now just go ahead and finish configuring Desktop Manager as you would normally, do the Sync and all's well!  Contrary to some beliefs you do NOT need to do one successful USB sync before Bluetooth synce will work; the Bluetooth problem is entirely about having the right Bluetooth drivers that can cope with the special needs of the BB.
Hope this helps and good luck! 

Answer 1

    Your solution sounds pretty good but doesn't work for me.  I'm running Vista with service pack 1 and two USB-Bluetooth adapters I've bought have no Microsoft driver.  The manufacturer's driver works great but device manager does not find a Microsoft driver.
    Is there a registry key I can modify?  What about a list of compatible USB-Bluetooth adapters?
    I'll try another adapter from a different manufacturer but most of them do not list Vista as a supported os.
    By the way.  Just what is so special about the Microsoft driver that Desktop Manager needs?  The whole point of a Bluetooth and USB interface is to isolate the app from the implementation to avoid just this type of circumstance. Almost implies that Desktop Manager doesn't support Vista.
Thanks,
Bill