Bluetooth Does Not Work with Downlevel USB 2.0 Hub and Port Replicators

When you try to install your Bluetooth device, it may not be discovered. However, if your Bluetooth device is discovered, the device may stop working, and Windows XP may not discover the device again.

This issue occurs if your Bluetooth radio is plugged into a downstream USB 2.0 controller. When you plug your Bluetooth radio directly into the USB 2.0 root hub, the USB controller falls back to USB 1.1 support, and the symptom does not occur. If a downstream USB 2.0 hub is plugged into the root hub, then it is running as a 2.0 controller. Because of this, when you plug a Bluetooth radio into the 2.0 downstream hub, the Bluetooth device is not recognized. This symptom also occurs on port replicators, where the secondary USB ports on the replicator are downstream USB 2.0 hubs.

To resolve this issue, plug the Bluetooth radio directly into the USB 2.0 root hub or use a USB 1.1 hub/controller. For port replicators, undock the portable computer, and then plug the transceiver directly into the portable computer.

For additional information about a hotfix that may resolve this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) is required for USB 2.0 support. To determine if you have SP1 installed, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. If Service Pack 1 is not listed under System, download and install Windows XP SP1. For additional information about how to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: