Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

Bluetooth Devices —

Synopsis

Adds support for wireless devices connecting via the Bluetooth standard, and provides a screen for managing them once they’re hooked up. Available only if Service Pack 2 and a Bluetooth receiver are installed on your system.

To Open

Control Panel → Bluetooth Devices

Double-click the Bluetooth icon in the Windows System Tray

Description

This new wizard, added in Service Pack 2, makes it easy to connect and configure your Bluetooth devices, from mice and keyboards to mobile phones. For security reasons, XP by default runs in “invisible” mode, preventing unauthorized Bluetooth devices from seeing or connecting to your PC until you manually check the “Turn discovery on” box on the Options tab of the wizard. Even then, the Bluetooth device won’t be able to “shake hands” with your machine unless both have the same passkey. Consult your device’s documentation to find out what needs to go in the passkey field—some devices (typically mice and keyboards) come with a preconfigured passkey, and this will be marked prominently on your unit or in the documentation.

Choose the device you want to configure from the list and enter its passkey if necessary. If you don’t know the passkey, try “0000” (four zeros), an old standby used by many Bluetooth devices. Once done, Windows will take care of the rest, and will automatically connect to the device whenever it detects it in the future.

Some details on the tabs found in the wizard:

Devices

A list of all your current connections. ...