Registry Way Of Disabling Bluetooth Keyboard Passkey Requirement?

Ex_Brit

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I have exhausted my efforts to get an answer out of Microsoft's forums regarding the problem with W8's insistence of flashing straight into the Metro Devices page when installing hardware thus precluding the ability to install a Bluetooth keyboard (or other BT device) without a passkey, an essential element of having a functional BT keyboard in each OS of a multi-boot environment.

So does anyone know where in the registry is the key that can be altered to stop Windows automatically assigning a passkey? I would imagine it's the same in Windows 7 if I only knew where that was!
 
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Sorry I can't help directly. I also don't have or use BT so bear with me lol...

You could install the driver using device manager and it will probably not put up this passkey screen you're referring to.
 

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I know but, it's the pairing of the devices that's the problem...Metro UI kicks in instead of the old pairing window.
 

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Marked as solved. The reason I wanted to avoid the passkey was that Bluetooth dongles rarely have the capacity to remember multiple passkeys so for a multi-boot setup it's a nightmare of re-pairing often.

I just tried an experiment. I paired my Microsoft BT mouse and keyboard in Windows 8 in the normal way and allowed the passkey pairing for the keyboard, which cannot be bypassed in any way in Windows 8. Then I opened Microsoft Mouse (or Keyboard) software and went to the Wireless tab > Bluetooth Connection > Advanced and made sure it was set to Hardware-Based, meaning the hardware is not controlled by the software as far as connections are concerned.
This allows my Vista, Windows 7 and even my XP VM's to keep their connection and continue functioning properly with no passkey.
I posted this to help others in the same situation.
By the way, there is a quick tutorial HERE (scroll down) on how to connect any Bluetooth device that normally requires a passkey, without one, but it only works in systems up to and including Windows 7. The enhanced UI in 8 has scotched any chance of it happening there.

It isn't a perfect solution as it doesn't always work but it will have to do. At least now I don't have to switch off my BT hardware because I'm scared 8 will auto-connect it and screw up the other OS setings.
One would have thought that Microsoft with all their expertise could have thought of this, especially when it's their own hardware involved.
 
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Bumping this up in the hope someone has found a way.
 

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I have the same problem - Windows 7 and Windows 8 dual boot system.

My idea:
Whilst pairing windows creates a random pairing key, sends it to the hardware, where it is saved, and saves it in registry (hopefully). Why not copy this pairing key from Windows 8 registry to Windows 7 registry ? Must test this ...
 

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Hmm, good thought, let me know how it goes ;-)
 

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YES - works perfect.

Here is the registry key:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Keys\[MAC-Address]\...

Remark:
By default, Windows only permits NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM to access the keys, since user programs should never need them, but an administrator can add themselves by browsing to the place in regedit, right-clicking on the Keys key and choosing Permissions.
 

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Thanks very much. Will give it a try when I get a chance to switch systems. Busy right now though.
 

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A thought, as I can't get them paired in 8 I would be copying that key from either of the OS's that do work, right?
 

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    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
A thought, as I can't get them paired in 8 I would be copying that key from either of the OS's that do work, right?
It depends on the OS you use.

  • Linux ? I don't know ...
  • Windows XP ? I don't know ...
  • Other bluetooth driver ? I don't know ...
But for Windows bluetooth driver it should work. Windows 7 and Windows 8 uses same registry key.
 

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Well I have the BT working passkey-free in Vista and 7 and was hoping to do the same in 8.
 
Last edited:

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Ignore...see next post.
 

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    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
The system wont let me in there to copy the key in the first place. I guess I have to play around with permissions as you state.
 

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    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
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    1tbs
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    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
OK am in 7 and was aiming to copy that key, however things didn't go as you said.

Right-clicking that key isn't allowed so I had to give myself permission using right-click Parameters.
Once in there, there is no MAC key...only 'value not set'.
 

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    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
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    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
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    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
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    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
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    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
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    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
Finally got full permissions for the entire Parameters folder and all sub-keys and replaced it, lock stock and barrel. Rebooted.

No difference whatsoever. Same old Metro pairing, no way of avoiding it.

I'm not going though with that as OK it may work for 8 but then it stops BT working in my main OS Vista and secondary one 7.

It bugs me that an OS can actually force you to use a passkey even if you don't want to and it really maddens me that Microsoft's own BT can't cope with multiple passkeys without going belly up.

The trouble is the keyboad and mouse that I have now are really good and I'm loathe to replace them, but eventually I think I'll have to forget wireless KB and mouse altogether, they are just too much of a PITA, and we haven't even touched the fact they don't work in Safe or in the BIOS modes.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ult SP1 + Win 10 Pro - (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware® ALX X58
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7-975 Extreme 3.86 GHz 8MB Cache
    Motherboard
    ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Socket 1366 Core i7, Dual Triple Channel DDR3 Mem
    Memory
    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
    Hard Drives
    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
    Case
    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
    Cooling
    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
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