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.

Is your reciever Bluetooth?

Yeah.

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

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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?

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

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

Did it involve turning off the MS BT Stack first?

Yup. Microsoft's drivers suck.

Thanks, timko and others!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Yup, I tab on the login screen and can enter my password right away. Maybe you should try to switch stack from Microsoft to Widcomm, or vice versa?

I started with old Widcomm's, was it 1.3xx as it worked with it as I described. I also tried with Xp SP2's stack and it worked the same.

I've tried with widcomm 1.4xx and 3xx and with both the keyb didn't work. The PIN-code sections was grayed out as many ahs described. Haven't tried the version 4 yet, because all those widcomm versions I have tried are provided by Logitech and I haven't gotten any of the cracked versions work. But I'll try the version 4...

Hope it helps.

please help!! i have been trying this for ages and am just about to return the keyboard. i have d-link 120 bluetooth in my pc but it uses the xp sp2 drivers as they knock out the d-link software. is this possible to link with the d-link dongle and the microsoft drivers if so please could someone post a step by step. would be much appreciated as i am at my wits end trying this. the bluetooth finds the keyboard recognises it but thats about it. i tried without a passkey. keyboard didn't work and the pairing ended. help!!

tried this without passkey. so adding a pass key made it work yeah??

could it be that simple

Using a Micro$oft Bluetooth 2.0 adapter and an Apple wireless keyboard was effortless to get to work together. It seems that people must be having problems with M$ Bluetooth 1.? adapters or some other Bluetooth Adapter.

The only problem is that the "=" on the number pad does not work BUT this can be remapped by using Sharpkeys. There is no scroll lock, print screen or pause break key either and all but the pause/break key can be remapped (who needs a scroll lock key anyways?)

Unfortunately, the volume up/down, mute and eject buttons don't work and I cannot find a work around for these.

The "clear" button maps automatically as a number lock key (this can also be remapped by Sharpkeys as well)


Where did i get a 2.0 adapter? ... Ebay of course (the only one I've seen - must of been with a keyboard or mouse combo unit from M$ that the seller didn't want or need).

The personal area network with Bluetooth Network Connection also automatically configured. (M$ must of worked the bugs out ... now they just need to sell the bluetooth usb item by itself).

Boy was this a pain in the neck to figure out... and the solution isn't 100% pretty,
but it sure works well! I've come to the conclusion that the MX900's BT hub is not
that great... and D-Link's DBT-120 USB hub is wonderful! The 3.x WIDCOMM drivers
just don't like the Apple Wireless Keyboard in that it won't pair correctly since
the pairing key is never displayed (as mentioned by previous poster). Funny enough
the 1.x WIDCOMM drivers do infact work.... BUT the Apple Wireless keyboard
fails to connect at login time leaving you without a way to enter a password in
during login if you use the MX900 + WIDCOMM solution. SO in the end here is what
I used :

NO WIDCOMM drivers. I installed Logitech's Setpoint 2.2, but then unistalled WIDCOMM.
Use the DBT-120. That little sucker rocks!
Use Microsoft's Bluetooth stack... ugly windows but works great!
Only plug the MX900 base into the AC adapter and not into the computer...
(this disables the MX900's BT hub, but allows it to recharge the mouse batteries).

The MX900 mouse + Apple's Wireless Keyboard works 100% now.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask!!!

I've got an old Epox dongle that's spare since I upgraded my mac's dongle to a DBT-120 (for headset support).

Out of curiosity, I plugged it in.

Windows picked it up and installed its own drivers, and it's ready to go. I disable BT on my mac and turn the keyboard off, then go to add device on the PC. Turn the keyboard on, click search, click add, type in a pairing code, hit next, type in in on the keyboard. Bang, one working apple bluetooth keyboard.

Just to make sure, I rebooted. About 5 seconds after i'm presented the desktop, the keyboard's working.

Typing this with it now

Thank God I found this post.
I was close to my harakiri.

I'm having exactly the same problem (the PIN that doesn't show up to be typed).
I'm using in my notebook (Acer Aspire 2012WLMi) an internal BT module from Actiontec (BTM-200). My OS is WinXP SP2. The installed driver is HP 3.0.1.905 (great, except by this little mess); the driver supports HID (human interface device).
I already tried 3.0.1.914 and 4.0.1.2101, both patched (that license file issue)

Keyboard is OK, since I've tested:
1. in several Macs. Flawless. Mac OS generates a PIN (yes, this one is showed on screen) and you just type in the KB.
2. in a desktop PC, with the Microsoft built-in driver (SP2). Same thing as Mac: you choose a PIN, type in KB and everything is working.
3. in a desktop PC, with some other driver versions from Widcomm. Sometimes, driver don't find the KB. Sometimes, finds and allows choosing a PIN (but after typing, you get an error).

In cases [2] e [3] I've tested in a desktop PC with a Olympia Bluetooth dongle (CSR-like). I'm trying to update my Actiontec internal module to use Microsoft's built-in (and very limited) driver, but I can't even choose it from the "Update driver" list. I uninstalled the most recent driver version, but the "Generic Bluetooth Radio" doesn't show up.

Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

An update:
I installed the 1.4.2.10 and 1.3.2.7 versions, but none of them at least make the Bluetooth tray to appear at the tray.
I don't know any more what to do.

Hello.

I bought an Apple Wireless Keybaord and a D-Link DBT-120 USB bluetooth dongle to try to use the keyboard with Windows XP. I installed the drivers that came with the

The keyboard is not being recognized.

Can anyone guide me through the proper steps to get the keyboard working?

Thanks,
Avi

Actually, I tried the procedure quoted below, and the Bluetooth Device Manager finds the keyboard, and I get the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard "Windows is Installing Your Device." Then I click finish. But the keyboard doesn't work, and when I close and reopen the Bluetooth Devices control panels, the keyboard does not show up.

Any thoughts??

Thanks,
Avi

Ah-ha, I got it working.

For some reason I needed to let Windows choose the passkey. I had been either trying to use my own, or opting not to use a passkey. I'm not sure why this would be, but it's working now, and works fine after a restart too.
Avi

Could someone please comment as to whether the "caps lock" led works when using with a PC? (I read somewhere that the Apple Bluetooth does have an onboard caps lock LED...can't say, I've not seen one but I want to buy one because of the small footprint).

Any other comments, specifically....

the keyboard feel
what sucks? (eg I've seen some comments that the keys are too close together etc)
are drops frequent?

Also is the general consensu to go with the D-Link bluetooth adapter?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Hank McSpank
[Yank it, crank it & then rip the knob off]

Im using bluetooth with XP but seem to be having trouble with the Apple BT wireless keyboard pairing.
Im using the D-Link 120 dongle.

Everytime I restart windows i need to pair it again or else it won't work. The keyboard also needs to be switched on and off before re pairing.

Windows recognizes the keyboard after booting but it won't establish two way communication to be able to type. It shows the icon of a checkmark instead of the usual two green arrows and two way comm in widcomm.

It works flawlessly if I dont restart.

Any ideas how to make it work????

Hi!

I've succeeded in getting the Apple Wireless Keyboard to work on XP. Thanx to gunpowda and other helpful posts!

I thought I'd share some tips... It wasn't easy...

I've been using the wireless keyboard for a couple of days and it works extremely well. Here's what ya get:

1. Keyboard auto-pairs invisibly before XP login. It just works. No futzing after each restart (that would have been a deal-killer)
2. Caps lock light works correctly. All keys work, except the 4 multimedia keys top right. Haven't looked into that yet.
3. In BIOS screens and other very early startup events, the bluetooth of course isn't running yet...
4. So smooth. Nice and fast to type on. Quiet action. No interference or stickyness despite all the other wireless gear I've got running.

This is NOT a definitive how-to, but might inspire...

I'm using a fairly new Bluetooth USB adapter: "Trust Bluetooth 2.0 EDR USB Adapter, BT-2200Tp"

All the new Widcomm/Broadcom bluetooth stacks (versions 4.1+ and 5.0+) hit you with the grayed out pairing box Gunpowda posted about. It's a brick wall, don't bother trying to get around it.

You need an old Widcomm driver. Version 1.4 did the trick for me, but 1.3 and earlier may work.

1.4 finds the keyboard and prompts you with multiple choices for pairing: autopairing, choose PIN, et c.

Get to that screen and you're golden.


Driver repository: The GSM-HOSTING forum is great for pointers to very old (and v. recent) drivers.

http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=106274

All the best -R.

Thanks everyone for your effort. I'm replying this post using apple wireless keyboard.
I'm glad i saw this post and do the right thing beofore i stepped out to buy BT adapter.

I'm using windows xp sp2 and DBT-120 adapter. The main issue i encounter is still replacing the MS BT driver with the widcomm driver come with DBT-120.

I found a good cocument teaching you how to:

http://www.e-beam.com/support/Switching_fr..._to_WIDCOMM.pdf

However, I have to do the switching driver thing in "safe mode" . Otherwise, the widcomm driver won't show up in the stack when i update the MS BT driver.

Now, everything works very good.

everyone ....strange things happened here.
MS BT generic driver seems working better than widcomm~~

The thing is that i found the keyboard sometimes worked but sometimes didn't when i restarted the computer. I have to mannually disconnect and connect again.

Therefore i decided to uninstall widcomm driver and restart and then reinstall again and see if it can automatically get connected every time i restart.

And then of course the windows generic driver took place aftr i uninstall widcomm and restart the computer.
Then i suddenly had the idea that why don't i just give the generic driver a try before i reinstall widcomm driver and replace MS BT driver.

To my surprise, it works. Now i felt stupid that i spent lots of time yesterday just trying to figure out how to replace it with widcomm.

Hello all.

I am using my Apple Keyboard with the new drivers without having to revert to the old drivers.
Its very easy. It took me a while to figure out how, but here is how.


With the regedit modify these two values.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Widcomm\BtConfig\General

Set
PinCodeWord

To a value of
1111

Set
UseFixedPin

To a value of
1



Then attempt pairing.
Whne you get to the greyed PIN screen on the Apple Keyboard type

1111

Then Press the Return key on the Apple keyboard

Voila paired.

I have attempted to try other ways subsequentl, but I could never figure out how to UNPAIR the keyboard.


BeDammit

Ok, my UK Mac bluetooth keyboard seems to work just fine with my microsoft bluetooth dongle on XP - nothing special to do ....it just worked.

BUT I have a simple key mapping problem that's driving me potty. ....


by using a british keyboard listed under regional & language input languages, I can either have my £ key mapped to it's correct key (ie above the number 3) BUT unfortunately the @ and " symbols are swapped

OR

by using a US keyboard listed under regional & language input languages, I can have the @ and " symbols on their correct keys BUT then I get a # instead of a pound sign!!


I can't seem to work out a way to get the £, @ and " symbols on their correct keys! (& even if I did, where would the hash key be?!)

Hello all.
I would like to thanks BeDammit for his brilliant solution.
I' ll add some extra information to help people flawless set up their Apple Bluetooth keyboard on Windows XP.

1. Press Win Start button, choose Run and then type regedit and press enter to access windows registry editor.

2. Into the registry editor search for and select -> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Widcomm\BtConfig\General

3. Set the key 'PinCodeWord' to a decimal value of 1111

4. Set the key 'UseFixedPin' to a decimal value of 1

5. Then attempt pairing. When you get to the greyed PIN screen type 1111 using OTHER keyboard THAN Apple Bluetooth keyboard.

6. Press the Return key on the Apple keyboard.

7. Enjoy your nice Keyboard.

I think this one is the best solution cause you don't have to mess with windcomm driver version.
Thanks again BeDammit.

Hello to all,

Yeepee I also manged to get my Apple wireless Keyboard to work on my PC very well (4hours non-stop thought).
For info I have a BlueTooth USB Dongle running WIDCOMM drivers ver 1.4.2.8

I would just like to add some more info in there :
- 1
- First of all I've never did install a BlueTooth device before that so I would like to add an important step there.

About point n°2 : you have to use 2 Keyboards, for sure you need your Apple Wireless Keyboard(AWKB) + another one that is working well to type in the PIN when pairing.

About point n°3 : I had exactly this problem but there is a solution after a reboot only when you choose to add a new Bluetooth device, just before clicking on detect, turn on your AWKB, it should be detected properly else go back then turn off your AWKB then try again until it detects your AWKB.

As soon as it is detected do not wait for the search for new devices to end : select the Apple keyboard in the list of detected devices then hit next as speed as possible.

You're now on the screen where you have to pair your AWKB to the computer, you have to be quick (i tried many timings believe me) remove the random number and enter with your other keyboard 1111 then right after clicking on the button to start the pairing use your Apple Wireless KB to blind input 1111 Enter it should detect it.

If you still have problems I noticed that it's better to input the digits from the numpad on the AWKB (because you have to hold shift to access other digits).

For some reason on some computers the Enter key either is the one from the numpad either it is the main Enter key.


2 - It's important to enter something different that 0000 if you have to login using ctrl+alt+suppr. because you won't be able to put that value in PinCodeWord. I also want to add that PinCodeWord is a Dword value you have to create.



3 - I found a very interesting program named autohotkey (http://www.autohotkey.com/) this one is a little jewel.
Scriptable remapping of all keyboards keys !! Woohoo
You can even have it to turn scripts to executables that mean you don't even have to install the soft to benefit of the remapping.

For now I remapped :
F13 to launch an app

F14 F15 F16 are Mute | Vol- | Vol+
I even phisically switch the F buttons with the Vol buttons so the illusion of controlling sound is perfect.
There's also a small OnScreenDisplay that pops up to show you the volume status each time you push Vol+ or Vol-. I told you thatthing was sweet !!!

= (numpad one) still nothing


Hope it helps,
Answer here if you want to test the my key mapping I'll put the exe online.

i found this post really useful but i have a little problem. I have a wireless mac mouse, it worked fine before the keyboard setup but now it doesn't and i wanted to know if i could use both the keyboard and the mouse at the same time? Can anybody help?

well after replacing the batteries on mine. My pc detects my keyboard but when I type in the code, it simple doesn't detect anything.

Seems my keyboard has expired after two years.

tried new batteries
nothing.
it detects the keyboard but not the keypresses oddly enough

Thanks a lot dongaspa and BeDammit,
I tried for couple of hours to get the keyboard paired, I checked many internet forums until I got to this one.
I did exactly as in the instructions and voila! It works!
I'm extremely happy I got it working, I really love this keyboard for its size, design and functionality.

There is one more step which could be added to the instructions: after changing the registers' values I had to reboot
before successfully pairing the keyboard. But maybe this is common knowledge already .

By the way, my configuration is Windows XP pro + SP2 and a Belkin BT dongle (driver version 5.0.1).

I should go now to sleep, its 1 a.m. but at least I solved the problem .

thanks again,
AdiVio