Friday 21 December 2018

How to re-install Bluetooth drivers on Windows 8.1 without manufacturer specific instructions?

My Bluetooth suddenly failed one day. Looking at the settings, it reports the dreaded "Code 43":



Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)



I couldn't find any helpful guides, and the Windows troubleshooter simply informed me that there was a problem and referred me to the Bluetooth settings page which offered no help or options. There were no updates available, and the problem persisted after rebooting and disabling/enabling, so it seems my only option is to reinstall the driver.


This is all in the 'desktop-style' bluetooth settings (why are there two?). The 'touch-style' bluetooth settings page fails to load at all, and instead goes to the "Personalise" page.


I thought this would be straightforward, but it really isn't. Every help page I can find on this topic is either vague offering no practical steps, or only offers steps by manufacturer. My machine is not made by one of the most common manufacturers (it's a Wacom Cintiq Companion 2), and I can't find any manufacturer-specific guides.


So, what are the generic, non-manufacturer specific steps for reinstalling Bluetooth drivers in Windows 8.1?


Here's all the info I can find about my current drivers:


enter image description here


I've tried googling the file number 17.1.1434.2, thinking I could download the files then force Windows to 'update' using the local files, but every version I can find online seems to be specific to one manufacturer (Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo etc), I can't find anything I'm sure is simply the generic Intel original with no device-specific frills. Nothing on Intel's own site, either. None of the options on Intel's site match this version number, and Wacom don't feature on Intel's OEM list.


The 'hardware' tab is completely blank, and the 'General' tab simply gives the Code 43 error message with no suggested follow up action, alongside:



Location: Port_#0007.Hub_#0002



As you can see, there's an uninstall button, but there doesn't seem to be any way to simply reinstall this version of this driver, and I can't roll back then re-update because there has never been an update available.




Update: I tried disabling Bluetooth from Device Manager, then shutting the computer down (not restarting), then starting it up, then waiting a few minutes, then enabling Bluetooth, and unlike every other attempt it now works again... I'm still interested in how to re-install the drivers, since I often have frustrating Bluetooth issues like this (see also: Bluetooth suddenly gone on Windows 8.1 - service running, no tray icon, no settings) and I'm sure it's something to do with bad or corrupted drivers.

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