Bluetooth "Remove Failed" (Windows 8)

11

2

My Windows 8 machine does not recognize a device which is connected via BlueTooth across a USB port. Apps are reporting the presence of COM1 and COM2, no others. I disconnected and reconnected my USB hub on which the bluetooth adapter is connected. I saw some other devices (also on that hub) recognized, as they began to appear in Windows explorer.

Since bluetooth was not appearing in the list of comports (on an app which sees the various COM ports all the time) I decided to remove the device, and then add it back in. This is exactly the procedure that I've followed fifty times or more; no problems before today.

Windows says that it is removing the device, then after awhile, tells me that it cannot remove the device.

HUH ?

What do I do ?

We saw that very device connect to another computer and we saw that link deliver exactly the data that it should.

OS is Windows 8.

Sequence of clicks follows. Hope this is not over-populating the post with pics.

This is the bluetooth device enter image description here

Clicking on it, he reports that he is offline enter image description here

I right-click, and choose "Remove device" enter image description here

Windows asks me to confirm the choice, and I click on "Yes" enter image description here

Windows reports that he is removing the device enter image description here

Windows reports Remove Failed enter image description here

User.1

Posted 2013-05-13T16:43:54.827

Reputation: 562

Answers

9

Hey I had the same problem. I followed the steps on this forum and they worked great.

by Anjela T.

  1. Click on Start to open the Start Menu.
  2. Right-click on Computer and select Properties. (You can also use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Pause Break to open System.)
  3. From the System window that opens, find and click on Advanced system settings from the left-side panel. This will open the System Properties dialog box.
  4. In the System Properties dialog box, click on Environment Variables button. This will open another dialog box.
  5. Now under the User variables for box, click on New.
  6. Type devmgr_show_nonpresent_device in the Variable Name field. Type 1 in the Variable Value field. Image
  7. When you open Device Manager (type devmgmt.msc in Start search box and hit Enter) and select View > Show hidden devices, all the ghosted devices will be shown with their icons faded away.

After you have enabled the hidden devices, right-click on the bluetooth device you're having trouble with and click uninstall. Then go back to devices and remove the device.

I don't think that it's necessary to add the environment variable, but you can try if it doesn't work right away. You just need to go the the device manager and find it in there. Your Bluetooth devices may have installed more than one device, so make sure you get them all.

duckbrain

Posted 2013-05-13T16:43:54.827

Reputation: 191

+1 Fixed a problem I was having on Surface PRO 2 with a Plantronics Bluetooth headset. – karlphillip – 2014-08-27T13:43:58.343

What does this answer actually provide? It doesn't seem to explain how to actually remove a device. It just shows how to view hidden devices. Couldn't a user simply open device manager and go to view > show hidden devices? – Bort – 2019-04-29T15:04:44.847

Good point. I left out the part about removing the device in device manager. Updated to include that. The linked forum does include those details. – duckbrain – 2019-04-29T16:24:26.153

Does "show hidden devices" do the same thing? – Bort – 2019-04-29T16:43:24.693

Step 7 is just enabling "Show Hidden Devices", like I had said in the last paragraph, I don't think it's necessary to add the environment variable. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ If the other 6 steps are unnecessary, maybe I'll just remove them. @Bort Can you confirm? I'm not using Windows anymore. – duckbrain – 2019-04-29T16:50:22.387

Oh, sorry I was confused. I guess I don't understand the context. I'm having a similar issue on Win10, but the answers here don't even seem relevant. They seem to be related to hidden devices or something. I'm going to make a new question and hope it's not closed as a duplicate. Mine is Win 10 and not using a bluetooth dongle, so it is a different issue I think. – Bort – 2019-04-29T16:55:51.740

Immediate Question, do I download the Fixit troubleshooter as the tech guy from microsoft suggests in that thread ? – User.1 – 2013-05-24T22:58:53.123

I didn't. The other users seemed to say that it did pretty much nothing. I have noticed that other Microsoft Suggestions on their site are almost like canned answers. (Sometimes they are.) I have not found their suggestions helpful yet. – duckbrain – 2013-05-25T21:46:36.747

Followed all the steps suggested in that thread. Ran FixIt just in case. The device remains obstinate. All attempts to remove cause failure. Is there any other data or screen caps that I can present to help you (or anyone reading) understand this ? – User.1 – 2013-05-30T16:58:24.693

Did you make sure you got step 7? That is the important one. In the device manager your Bluetooth devices should show up so that you can remove them from there. – duckbrain – 2013-09-28T16:05:59.317

2

Before pairing bluetooth device again, ensure that bluetooth driver in Device Manager is Enabled.

How to display hidden device (ghosted) drivers in Windows? By now, you already know Windows’ Device Manager (by default) doesn’t display ghosted devices. To show hidden devices in Device Manager, follow the simple steps below.

  1. Click on Start to open the Start Menu.
  2. Right-click on Computer and select Properties. (You can also use the keyboard shortcut ⊞ Win + Pause/Break to open System.)
  3. From the System window that opens, find and click on Advanced system settings from the left-side panel. This will open the System Properties dialog box.
  4. In the System Properties dialog box, click on Environment Variables button. This will open another dialog box.
  5. Now under the User variables for box, click on New.
  6. Type devmgr_show_nonpresent_device in the Variable Name field. Type 1 in the Variable Value field.
  7. When you open Device Manager (type devmgmt.msc in Start search box and press Enter) and select View > Show hidden devices, all the ghosted devices will be shown with their icons faded away.

user311866

Posted 2013-05-13T16:43:54.827

Reputation: 21

0

I ran into this same issue on Windows 8.1, it happened because I was trying to remove the Bluetooth device (logitech keyboard) and the bluetooth dongle that it was installed under was not plugged in. Once I replugged in the bluetooth dongle I was able to uninstall with no issues.

Julian

Posted 2013-05-13T16:43:54.827

Reputation: 1

0

I was able to fix it by selecting the specific device that wasn't removing in

  • Devices and Printers (right click).

  • Then going into properties uninstalling the driver.

  • And then I was able to uninstall the device took a while to figure it out but I was able to remove the device and it is nowhere to be found on my PC.

Jake

Posted 2013-05-13T16:43:54.827

Reputation: 1

Asked: 2013-05-13T16:43:54.827

Viewed: 31 704 times

Active: 2019-04-29T16:23:09.920