Can’t Delete Bluetooth Device Setting

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System: Windows 10 Home 22H2 (19045.4780) – Updated 8/14/24

No built-in Bluetooth
Using OGOO 5.3 USB Bluetooth adapter using Realtek 5.3 current driver.
Device is a hearing aid that connects as Audio Bluetooth.

The device has been connecting faithfully until 8/23/24. No updates or new programs added around this time frame. The device is listed in the Bluetooth settings as paired even when the device is turned off. Trying to connect the “paired” device fails to connect. This Bluetooth device also shows the battery percentage left on the device and that reading also is hung on the same setting. Clearly the device is not paired and the Bluetooth settings for this device is hung thinking it is paired. The solution is to delete the current settings for this device and set up new pairing for the device. The problem is I can’t delete the device from the Bluetooth settings. This seems to be a common problem and there is a lot of information for fixing this. I have tried the following with no success in deleting the device from the Bluetooth settings.
I am open for any suggestions for things I haven’t tried.

Things Done to Delete the Bluetooth device:
o Remove Device in Bluetooth settings – result in Remove failed.
o Update Bluetooth drivers – have latest driver already installed.
o Remove Device in Airplane mode – result in Remove failed.
o Remove device in Control Panel Hardware devices – result in device not removed.
o Remove all Bluetooth devices and drivers in Device Manager and Remove Device in the Bluetooth settings still fails.
o Remove all Bluetooth devices in Device Manager, remove USB Bluetooth adapter, reboot and no Bluetooth at all in Device Manager, Bluetooth setting shows the Device paired and would fail to remove it.
o Deleted the Registry setting for the device and the setting remains.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

HTH, Dana:))

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I saw an article that said to check that the Device Association Service is running.

Have you tried to remove it in Safe Mode? Have you run the Bluetooth troubleshooter?

--Joe

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joep517 wrote:

I saw an article that said to check that the Device Association Service is running. Have you tried to remove it in Safe Mode? Have you run the Bluetooth troubleshooter?

Yes I restarted that and a couple other services and it didn’t help…forgot to add that to the list. I ran Safe Mode without networking, but could not access the Bluetooth settings which the page flashed open and then closed. Also in Safe mode Control Panel has no link for Hardware and devices. Do I need to run the Safe mode with networking to access those settings? The Bluetooth Troubleshooter finds no problems.

HTH, Dana:))

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Did you try Device Manager in Safe mode?

Did you try to run devmgmt.msc?

Not sure about needing to run Safe mode with networking. Couldn’t hurt though.

--Joe

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Ran in Safe mode with networking. Same results:
Device Manager shows only the Bluetooth adapter and not the Bluetooth device.
Cannot open the Bluetooth settings to even try to remove the device. I have read to do this, but how when the Bluetooth Setting window won’t open or the Control Panel not showing devices so you can delete from there.

HTH, Dana:))

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Hi Dana!

You haven’t mentioned if you’ve run sfc /scannow or not, but it couldn’t hurt. Possible one of the system files that helps BT get going and stay running has gotten corrupted somehow.

Of course, the other thing to maybe try is dism, again under the reasoning that perhaps a “farkled” file in the right place is causing this misbehavior (can’t remove the device, windows still thinks the device is successfully paired, etc.).

Just a couple of thoughts.

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Bob99 wrote:

ou haven’t mentioned if you’ve run sfc /scannow or not, but it couldn’t hurt. Possible one of the system files that helps BT get going and stay running has gotten corrupted somehow.

Of course, the other thing to maybe try is dism,

Ran DISM and sfc until no corrupt files were found. Log indicates some files were fixed, but fixing those files didn’t correct the problem. Still searching for a way to delete that device from the settings.

HTH, Dana:))

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Bob99

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Delete the driver files from the system’s driver folder?

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PKCano wrote:

Delete the driver files from the system’s driver folder?

Couldn’t do that because I had deleted the device from Device Manager and don’t remember the file that creates the driver for this device.
I downloaded and used open source Bluetooth Command line tools that add those tools function from an Admin PowerShell window. Great tool, but it didn’t fix the problem. Nothing I tried worked so I needed to figure this out for myself, which I did and I have fixed the problem and the device reconnected once again.

For others that have this same problem this is how I fixed my Bluetooth device with hung settings in Windows that would not remove.
First, try all the other methods listed above and use my method as a last resort.

It was clear in my situation that the corrupt settings stored in Windows was causing the problem and those corrupt settings prevented the device (and its settings) from being removed. Windows stores its settings in the Registry. So I backed up the Registry and did a Find for name of the device displayed in the Windows Bluetooth settings page (in my case it was listed as DC HA). Every Key, Value, or Data that contained the DC HA I deleted and continued until all reference to that device name was removed from the Registry. I repeated the Find to make sure all had been removed from the Registry. Closed the Registry and rebooted the PC. Open Windows Bluetooth Settings, select Add a device, selected the device and set it up like the first time. Connected quickly and checked that I have all new settings for the device in the Registry. It was a strong last step, but it did get rid of the corrupt settings among those keys I deleted.

HTH, Dana:))

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Bob99

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Great to hear you got to the root of the issue and were able to take care of it. IMHO, digging through the Registry with the fantastic help of the very quick Edit>Find… feature beats the daylights out of having to do an over the top repair install, which it sounded like you might’ve had to do if the registry endeavor hadn’t worked out for some reason.

I’m wondering, though, did you happen to install the August update (KB5041580) or the August cumulative .NET Framework update (KB5042352) just prior to the issues with your Bluetooth device? If so, I wonder if the symptoms might return after installing the September monthly update(s)?

Hopefully, though, you won’t have to deal with that situation again.

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Bob99 wrote:

I’m wondering, though, did you happen to install the August update (KB5041580) or the August cumulative .NET Framework update (KB5042352) just prior to the issues with your Bluetooth device? If so, I wonder if the symptoms might return after installing the September monthly update(s)? Hopefully, though, you won’t have to deal with that situation ag

Both updates were installed 8/14/24 and the Bluetooth functioned perfectly until 8/23/24 so I don’t think the updates were the cause.  I suspect that I put the Bluetooth connections thru a lot switching from my PC to my iPhone depending upon which one I’m using at the time.

HTH, Dana:))

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Bob99

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Slight follow up. Since deleting all Registry entries for the Bluetooth device and uninstalled all Bluetooth devices listed in Device manager, a reboot reinstalled the Bluetooth adapters and adding the device was quick and accurate. I have now noticed that the quality of the sound has significantly increased and less background static. I have also noticed that the range for the Bluetooth connection has increased. I find it interesting to find that deleting the Bluetooth device and adapter, and deleting the Bluetooth device’s registry entries could increase the quality and range of that same Bluetooth device once reinstalled.

HTH, Dana:))

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