Enabling Bluetooth on your Windows Vista laptop allows you to connect a Bluetooth wireless device to your computer. Bluetooth wireless devices include keyboards, mice, headsets and other less common devices, such as RFID readers. If your computer is not equipped with a Bluetooth receiver, you can use an external Bluetooth dongle, which plugs into a USB port on your laptop, to provide Bluetooth functionality on your Vista laptop.
Step 1
Turn on the Bluetooth switch, if your computer is equipped with such a switch. The switch may be located on the front or side of your laptop. If you are unsure where your Bluetooth switch is located, check the manual for your machine. If using an external Bluetooth dongle, plug the device into a USB port and wait for Windows Vista to identify the device and install the appropriate drivers.
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Step 2
Click the Windows "Start" button, and then click the "Control Panel" option. The Control Panel interface opens.
Step 3
Click the "Hardware and Sound" link, and then click the "Bluetooth Devices" option. The Devices dialog box opens.
Step 4
Turn on the Bluetooth device to connect to your computer.
Step 5
Click the "Add" button. The Bluetooth Activation Wizard launches.
Step 6
Check the check box next to "My Device is Set Up and Ready to Be Found." Click the "Next" button. The Bluetooth Devices screen opens and displays all available Bluetooth devices. The Bluetooth device you just turned on should be listed. If the device is not listed, click the "Search Again" button.
Step 7
Click on the desired device in the list, and then click "Next." The Passkey dialog box opens.
Step 8
Click the radio button next to one of the passkey options. You can select "Choose a passkey for me," "Use the passkey found in the documentation," "Let me choose my own passkey" or "Don't use a passkey." If you select to choose your own passkey, type the desired passkey into the corresponding input box. Click the "Next" button.
Step 9
Click the "Yes" option on the device to allow the computer to communicate with the device over the Bluetooth connection. The Windows is Exchanging Passkeys box opens. Once the device is connected to the computer, the "Next" button becomes active.
Step 10
Click the "Next" button. The Found New Hardware window opens.
Step 11
Click the "Locate and Install Driver Software" option. Windows Vista locates and installs drivers for your connected Bluetooth device. If your device drivers are on a CD, insert the CD when prompted. If you do not have a CD with drivers, click the "I don't have the disk" option to see alternative ways to obtain the drivers, such as to allow Windows to search the Internet for the software. The drivers are installed to the operating system.
Step 12
Click the "Finish" button. Bluetooth is enabled in Windows Vista, and the Bluetooth device is connected and configured.
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