ActiveSync 4.0 does not work with a Widcomm Bluetooth stack after you upgrade Windows XP from Service Pack 1 to Service Pack 2 (904671)

SYMPTOMS

After you upgrade Microsoft Windows XP from Service Pack 1 to Service Pack 2, Microsoft ActiveSync 4.0 does not work with a Widcomm Bluetooth stack.

Notes

The Bluetooth discovery and pairing works with the Widcomm stack after you upgrade to Windows XP SP2. However, ActiveSync does not offer to synchronize with the desktop when the COM port settings remain the same.
You may remove the Linksys USB Bluetooth adapter and restart the desktop computer. In this scenario, ActiveSync 4.0 correctly discovers and synchronizes over Bluetooth on Windows XP SP2. Windows XP SP2 is also running the Microsoft Bluetooth stack by using the same Linksys USB Bluetooth adapter.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because Windows XP SP2 automatically installs the device driver that is included in Windows XP SP2 instead of the third-party driver that you want to install. During a slipstreamed upgrade, Windows XP SP2 overwrites the existing third-party Bluetooth driver with the device driver that is included with Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

When you install Windows XP SP2 on a computer where the third-party Bluetooth adapter driver is already installed, Windows XP SP2 does not overwrite that driver. However, the Windows XP SP2 overwrites the driver when you perform a slipstreamed upgrade of Windows XP SP2. If you install Windows on a computer where the third-party driver is not installed, or if you perform a slipstreamed upgrade, Windows installs the driver that is included with Windows XP SP2 for the Bluetooth adapter.

When you try to install a third-party driver, you are unsuccessful because the Windows XP driver for the Bluetooth adapter is signed. Because the Windows XP SP2 version of this driver is signed, Windows ranks it higher in the Plug and Play scheme than an unsigned driver or a third-party signed driver.

REFERENCES

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

840635 Cannot install a Bluetooth device after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.