Windows 8.1 Drivers

Bluetooth has become an increasingly important function in laptops. Some Windows 8.1 users have reported experiencing various Bluetooth issues after upgrading from Windows 8. Some common Bluetooth issues in Windows 8.1 and their solutions are detailed in the article below:

Lenovo

Before you proceed to carrying out any troubleshooting steps, you should firstly ensure that the Bluetooth functionality is enabled. The steps to turn on Bluetooth in Windows 8.1 are:

  1. Move your mouse pointer to top right corner of the screen and click Settings
  2. Click Change PC Settings
  3. In PC Settings, click Wireless option
  4. Now you will see a Bluetooth option on the right-hand side
  5. Switch on Bluetooth

Windows 8.1 Drivers For Lenovo

Problem 1 – Bluetooth not working

To resolve this issue, follow the steps set out below:

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run command
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter
  3. Look for Bluetooth Support Service and click on it
  4. Go to the General Tab, change the startup type from Manual to Automatic
  5. Next, click on Log On Tab
  6. Click the radio button ‘This Account’ and type your account name
  7. Remove both hidden password and restart your computer
  8. Next, reinstall your Bluetooth Drivers
  9. Go to your laptop manufacturer site and download the latest Bluetooth Drivers for your laptop model and Windows 8.1 system
  10. Download the Drivers and install them. Restart your computer

If the laptop manufacturer does not list the compatible Bluetooth Drivers for Windows 8.1, do the following:

¹ Not all Windows 8.1 features may be available when updating to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8 PCs. Your system may require additional hardware, drivers, software, firmware, and/or a BIOS update. Upgrading between operating system editions, e.g. From Windows 8 (non Pro) to Windows 8.1 Pro and Media Center will incur additional fees. Windows 8.1 might provide generic drivers that give basic support to some or all of the computer's installed hardware. Optimum performance though requires the OEM's dedicated drivers for the hardware components in the computer. Assume that Windows 10 drivers will not work for any older operating systems. There is no backwards compatibility.

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run command, type regedit to open the Registry editor
  2. In the Registry Editor window, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion
  3. Right-click the CurrentVersion key in the pane on the right-hand side
  4. Select Modify
  5. Change Current version value from 6.3 to 6.2.

Problem 2 – Bluetooth devices get disconnected after a while

This happens mainly as a result of Power settings. In Windows 8.1, several devices (including Bluetooth) are automatically turned off by the Operating System to save Power. You can resolve this issue by changing the power settings.

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run command
  2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter
  3. In the Device Manager window, click Network Adapter and expand it
  4. Look for Bluetooth wireless network
  5. Right-click on it and go to the Power Management tab
  6. uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”

If none of the above solutions solves your Bluetooth issue, you need to update your Bluetooth Drivers for your system. You can either do this automatically by using a Driver Update Tool or follow the steps set out below to manually download and update the Drivers.

Install Sound Driver Windows 8.1

  1. Open the Run dialog box and type devmgmt.msc to open the Device Manager
  2. In the Device Manager window, go to Other Devices
  3. Right-click on Bluetooth Low Energy/Unknown Devices
  4. Click on Update Driver Software
  5. In next window, click Search automatically for updated driver software
  6. Windows will now search online for latest Bluetooth Drivers compatible with Windows 8.1 and install them