Help -- my laptop cannot detect any of my wireless headsets any more!

[Innula Zenovka]

This is weird. I have a Windows laptop (Windows 10) that was, until yesterday afternoon, behaving perfectly. Then suddenly the headset shut down and music started coming from the speakers instead.

I tried to re-connect to the headset but that proved impossible, so eventually I removed it from the computer's list of audio devices and tried to pair it again.

This didn't work for any of my headsets, even though the laptop could see various other bluetooth devices in range (my wireless printer, for example) and even though I could connect the headsets to both my PC and my phone and use them normally.

I've tried updating the sound drivers, but Windows tells me they're up to date. I haven't done anything to the computer recently that might have changed any settings.

I'm baffled. Any suggestions anyone?

 

[Fionalein]

On a Linux computer I would just locate the devive files and delete it's profile by hand - I bet you can do the same in Windows - but don't ask me how...

 

[Stora]

I would get the latest drivers from the headset manufactures website if possible, failing that I would remove the drivers then reboot and install them again.

 

[Eunoli]

I'm baffled. Any suggestions anyone?

This happened to me too with a recent Windows update. My headphone manufacturer had new drivers on their website that helped, though. Good luck.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I can't find drivers, though, on the manufacturers' websites (Berron or Manhattan), so I'm not sure what to do next.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Does pairing another bluetooth device to the laptop, e.g. a smartphone, work?

 

[Kalel]

the headset is charging properly? you mentioned could but are you still able to pair it to other devices at this point of time?

 

[Yure4u Sosa]

if you did a windows update that might break your computer try rolling back the windows update.

 

[Stora]

As I suggested in my original replay but this page explains how to remove your device and reinstall it.

Stop your PC's vow of silence with these tips on how to fix audio problems

 

[Romana]

Have you tried System Restore?

 

[Soen Eber]

Buy a USB Bluetooth dongle for maybe $5 and if it works, you know you just saved yourself a repair bill, and if it does't, you know it's a Windows problem that will be fixed in the next update and which you can roll back for now.

ETA: WIndows 10 now allows you to delay updates: How to Delay Windows 10 Updates

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Fixed it.

I can't believe I didn't think of this before, but it turned out that an old laptop, to which the headsets had previously been paired, had somehow been turned on (presumably by me, though I have no idea how).

Anyway, of course, you can't pair the one headset with two machines, and as soon as I'd removed one of them from the old laptop, my new one could see it again and it's now working as normal.

I rather wish I'd thought of that before I bought a new headset, to see if that would work, but it's a good little headset and it was on sale, so I'm not too distressed.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm just glad to have discovered the cause of the problem.