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I do have an annoying problem as I am using a Logitech bluetooth mouse with my laptop that has dual OS.

This means at one time I will only be using one OS at a time - obviously.

Now the annoying thing is I have to re-pair the mouse every time the machine boots into the other OS. Is there a way to avoid this? I mean the hardware is all the same all the time, BT MAC address is also the same why do I have to re-pair every time? It is not like using it simultaniously with two pcs .....

Oh, and actually both OSs are Win10 ..........

Thanks

Gregg
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2 Answers2

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I had the same problem with my Microsoft Designer Mouse (Bluetooth Low Energy) when dual booting two Windows 10 Partitions. I assume this problem is also the same with two separate Windows 10 PCs.

The problem is each time the mouse is paired the MAC address changes, I assume this is due to the new LE Privacy found in the Bluetooth 4.0 standard as described here.

I solved it with a few additional steps to the commonly prescribed 'link key' method:

  1. Pair mouse with Windows Partition A

  2. Pair mouse with Windows Partition B (Partition A now will not work with mouse as the MAC address and link key changes upon second pairing)

  3. Using Windows Partition B, Find MAC address of mouse through (Classic) Control Panel -> Devices and Printers -> Bluetooth Mouse -> Connected Device -> Unique Identifier

    3.1 Alternatively, open device manager, find your Bluetooth device under 'Bluetooth', click 'Details' and then Bluetooth Device Address.

  4. Find the link key in the registry by opening regedit & navigating to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Keys\{Bluetooth Adapter MAC Address}\{Mouse MAC Address} and right click -> export (saving the key and all associated values to a file).

    4.1 If you see no sub keys here, right click 'Keys', press 'Permissions...' and add 'Administrators' to the user names list (with Read access). Close and reopen regedit to make them visible.

  5. Find the device key in the registry by navigating to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Devices\{Mouse MAC Address} and right click -> export.

  6. Save the two .reg files to somewhere accessible by Partition A (such as a USB drive or cloud storage)

  7. Start Windows Partition A, import the two .reg files created in step 4 & 5 (by double clicking on them). Restart and the mouse should work on both partitions.

    7.1 You may have to add 'Administrators' to the 'Keys' key as described in 4.1 on this partition also if you receive an error on import.

(This is slightly modified to the way I performed it but should work all the same... please let us know)

NB: I also had to do the same for my Bluetooth Headset (Jabra 75t) to make it work on two partitions of the same PC. For this, the headset key value was up one level higher in the registry hierarchy and located at Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Keys\{Bluetooth Adapter MAC Address} rather than Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Keys\{Bluetooth Adapter MAC Address}\{Bluetooth Headset MAC Address}

Alex
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Pairing is not only MAC-based; the two devices generate a set of link keys during the pairing process and use it to encrypt communications. Every time you pair the device, the mouse forgets the previous keys it had for your adapter's MAC.

You used to be able to copy the newest link keys through Registry and import them into the other OS – they are located at HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Keys, but you first need to give yourself permissions to that branch. (I have an old webpage about this; note last time I actually tested it was on Windows XP with Bluetooth 2.) This way, both operating systems would use identical keys without the need to re-do the pairing.

grawity
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