Windows 7 iPhone 3Gs tethering with bluetooth

[tony.mckenna]

Hi

I have a Dell Studio 1535 with a Dell Wireless 370 halfcard. I have recently bought an iPhone 3Gs and can tether it happily via USB but can't when I try to do this through Bluetooth. When I attempt to pair the phone (untethered - following advice on another post) I get an error when drivers are being installed - the attached doc shows the screenshot of this. The faulty or unavailable driver is for a 'bluetooth peripheral device' and I can't seem to find this anywhere. I am upgraded to the latest version of Dell's driver for bluetooth so am beginning to wonder if it has to do with Windows 7 or Apple? The Dell bluetooth card uses Widcomm drivers which I have tried to install separately to no avail. This may be addressed with the final release but I am running the RC and have it completely up to date with drivers etc.

Any help much appreciated

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you are experiencing issues with tethering your iPhone 3Gs to your Dell Studio 1535 using Bluetooth on Windows 7. The error you are encountering is related to a missing or faulty driver for a "Bluetooth Peripheral Device." This could be causing the problem with pairing your phone. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue: 1. Update Bluetooth Drivers: - Ensure that you have the latest drivers installed for your Dell Wireless 370 halfcard. - Check the Dell website for any updated drivers specifically for the Bluetooth functionality. 2. Resolve Bluetooth Peripheral Device Driver Issue: - Since the Bluetooth card uses Widcomm drivers, make sure you have the correct and updated Widcomm drivers installed. - You mentioned that you tried to install the Widcomm drivers separately. It's essential to ensure that these drivers are compatible with Windows 7. 3. Check Windows Update: - Sometimes, Windows Update can provide driver updates that might help resolve issues with peripheral devices like Bluetooth. 4. Apple iPhone Settings: - Ensure that your iPhone's Bluetooth settings are properly configured for tethering. - Make sure that Bluetooth tethering is enabled on your iPhone. 5. Compatibility with Windows 7 RC: - As you mentioned, you are using the Release Candidate version of Windows 7. There might be compatibility issues with this version and certain hardware drivers. - Consider upgrading to the final release version of Windows 7 or a more recent version of Windows for better compatibility. 6. Alternative Tethering Methods: - If Bluetooth tethering continues to be problematic, you can consider using alternative methods like USB tethering or Wi-Fi hotspot from your iPhone. If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, it might be worth exploring forums or support communities specific to Windows 7 and Dell Studio devices to see if others have encountered similar problems with Bluetooth tethering. Feel free to provide more details if you need further assistance with this issue!