Help, using Mac Bluetooth Keyboard on PC?

[gunpowda]

I'm trying to use a wireless Mac Bluetooth Keyboard on my PC. My USB dongle is working fine - I've managed to detect and pair it with my phone, for example - but when it comes to detecting the keyboard, nothing happens.

I've turned on the switch at the back and the green LED is flashing, but it's not being discovered. Is there anything else I need to do to make it discoverable?

Thanks.

[Dacracka]

Is your reciever Bluetooth? :huh:

[gunpowda]

Yeah.

[ssvegeta384]

I know PC stuff is fine on Macs, but I dunno if Mac stuff works on PCs.

[gunpowda]

Damn, I'd really hoped it would just be a generic bluetooth device because the USB Apple keyboards work with PCs (apparently). And Apple support said it should work in theory, but couldn't really say much beyond that.

[gunpowda]

Yay! Breakthrough - it's been found. Now to solve this.

[Photo Monkey]

Apple don't make the drivers for Windows, so I can't see it working myself and it does clearly say "for Mac" on the box and not "for Windows".

What happens if you type a few letters on the keyboard?

[Vice]

Type "I Hope I Kept The Receipt" into the keyboard and hit Enter.

[Martog]

I didn't get the Apple Keyboard to pair with my PC using my MX900's hub nor on my iMac with the MX900 hub, seems to only like the D-Link and apple built in module. That pair of numbers is actually given to you when you connect it to the Mac, as you have to type the numbers on the keyboard to get it paired succesfully.

[gunpowda]

I've looked and apparently some guy got it working with Windows, so I believe it can be done. However...I'm using a plain USB dongle (Belkin?) with Wildcomm Drivers. Maybe it only works with the Mac's D-Link?

[Martog]

I don't know, it might work with that D-Link BT-120 adapter, as it works both on PC and Mac.

[[ timko ]]

I've looked and apparently some guy got it working with Windows, so I believe it can be done. However...I'm using a plain USB dongle (Belkin?) with Wildcomm Drivers.

It may be worth trying to update the Widcomm drivers to the latest ones available. Read the following thread, in particular the first two posts which outline what you should do to update...

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=35927

...obviously you'll have to ignore any guff about mobile phones etc ;)

[gunpowda]

Great, thanks for the tip. I'd been looking for updated drivers.

Unfortunately it hasn't changed the pairing problem - I get that dialogue with a greyed-out input box and no pin to enter, which is really strange. Then, I get the following screen:

Pity, as I'd really love to use the keyboard.

[[ timko ]]

Do you have WinXP Service Pack 2 installed? I read somewhere that it's ideal to disable the SP2 built in MS BT stack somehow first before trying to use third party drivers. That could be the cause of the problem... unless you can pair other BT devices without indcidence? :)

[gunpowda]

I have managed to pair my phone, but how can you disable windows' default stack just in case?

[gunpowda]

Woot. Got it working. It can be done after all, gentlemen!

[[ timko ]]

Did it involve turning off the MS BT Stack first? :)

Edited February 16, 2005 by [ timko ]

[gunpowda]

Yup. Microsoft's drivers suck.

Thanks, timko and others!

[[ timko ]]

Thanks for the confirmation then gunpowda - I'll keep it in mind when my wireless apple keyb and mouse arrive :)

[bullsonparade]

I put up a tutorial on replacing the MS bluetooth drivers and getting the full operation out of your MS bluetooth dongle, as well as getting the apple wireless keyboard working.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.as...076&STARTPAGE=1

[zolaxion]

Hi, gunpowda, i am up to the situation where i can't get the pairing done. the button to generate pin can't be clicked(its greyed out). How do you resolve this problem?

Thands

[smm5786]

have to use the BT stack and drivers included with your bluetooth adapter, mine works perfectly with the d-link adapter software

[zolaxion]

i am using billionton bluetooth adapter. using the soft and driver but still no go in pairings

[spudly]

hi

i had the same problem with the belkin bluetooth adapter, so i uninstalled the belkin software and let widows xp sp2 find the bluetooth dongle.then i asked it add devices, it found the keyboard so i tried not assignig a passkey but windows told me everything was fine but the keyboard didn't work. so i asked windows to give the keyboard a passkey, i then pressed enter and added the key, works fine now. and looks lovely set up as part of my media centre.

[Jlillia]

You guys, who have got the Apple Wireless keyb work, do you mean you've got it working straight from the beginning? Meaning, you can actually log into Windows with that and don't have to wait actual bluetooth drivers to load?

'Cause I've got the problem that I've managed to pair the keyb, but it won't connect automatically. It won't even connect manually still being paired. I have to unpair the keyboard every time I boot my comp and Pair it again.

So if I had (I had ;)) a password for Windows XP, I couldn't type it with Apple wireless and I had to use separate usb-keyboard for that.

I tried those bullsonparade instructions but they didn't help. Had to go back with system restore for getting my bluetooth connection to work.

Maybe the problem is my MX900 BT hub...

Connects to two Nokia phones, Jabra BT250 headset and of course Logitech MX900 mouse. Also to keyboard but only as I described above.

Edit: couple of typos.