Unable to use bluetooth in Windows 7 guest

[stupot65]

I want to be able to use a bluetooth headset in my windows 7 vm for dictating things like essays. I've no idea what to do because it can never add the BT controller even when it's turned off (BT that is). My specs are: mac mini 2012, 8 gb ram, dual core i5 processor. guest additions installed

[mpack]

If it's a USB device then you might be able to add it (see user manual, and Google "USB site:forums.virtualbox.org"). If it's not then you can't.

[socratis]

Actually, you can use the built-in bluetooth, as long as you unload it from your system. It does not survive a reboot.

Code: Select all

launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.blued.plist
kextunload -b com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController
kextunload -b com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController

or even simpler, follow the instructions in this post: http://blog.noort.be/2013/03/12/making-bluetooth-work-in-virtualbox-running-windows.html

Also, take a look at the (really old) bugtracker issue.

[stupot65]

Hmm, I tried that article but the script won't work for some reason or other, it just doesn't appear. I really hope I don't need to bootcamp my mac, its only got a small ssd

[socratis]

I usually try an advice before I post it, and in this case I did, and it worked without any problems. I'm on 10.6.8. What are you running? Maybe a slight difference in the location of the system files in question or the command-line?

And last but not least, I hope you didn't literally copy-paste the mentioned script and try to run it as is, because there was a very specific root-user password in the script which 99.99999% doesn't match yours.

[stupot65]

Ah hem, I suppose I should have checked it first it's mavericks 10.9.x

[socratis]

As I suspected, the location and names of the kernel extensions have changed between versions. So, for 10.6.8 (verified locally by myself), and for 10.7.5 (as per this blog and tested in a VM) do:

Code: Select all

sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.blued.plist
sudo kextunload -b com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController
sudo kextunload -b com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController

while for 10.8 (as per this post) you should do:

Code: Select all

sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.blued.plist
sudo kextunload -b com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHCIControllerUSBTransport
sudo kextunload -b com.apple.iokit.AppleBluetoothHCIControllerUSBTransport

I'm not sure what extensions you should unload for 10.9. Try the script from the 10.8 and let us know how it went.

UPDATE: I tried the above script in a VM with 10.8.5 and another with 10.9 and either there's a misspelling or the kexts changed name. Here is what would most probably work:

Code: Select all

sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.blued.plist
sudo kextunload -b com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport
sudo kextunload -b com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport

Let us know how it went.

[mpack]

So, to clarify, it is a USB device then?

[socratis]

It is on a USB bus as you can see from the names in the extensions that you have to unload. It also shows up in the USB tree and all the diagnostics etc. as USB (it quacks, it walks => it is).

It is not your typical USB device in the sense that you can't "eject" it so that the guests can capture and utilize it. This is because the OS loads the Bluetooth daemons at startup (depending on the existence or not of the actual hardware) and there is no easy/user-friendly way to unload it. Also, this is the only device that you cannot attach easily by selecting it from the drop-down.

I suspect that VMWare that has been referred as an example of this working right-out-of-the-box, is disabling those extensions when a user asks for the built-in Bluetooth and enables them when the VM is shut down.

[ChipMcK]

I suspect that VMWare that has been referred as an example of this working right-out-of-the-box, is disabling those extensions when a user asks for the built-in Bluetooth and enables them when the VM is shut down.

OS X Mavericks 10.9.1, the following are unloaded/loaded

1. com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport
2. com.apple.iokit.CSRBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport

Note CSR vice Broadcom for Mavericks, iMac 2007

Additionally, sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.blued.plist is not required

Update 2014-01-14: add comment about unloading the bluetooth daemon

[stupot65]

Ok, thanks guys, I'll try some of these suggestions tonight when my homework's done and let you know how it goes

[socratis]

If you do, please post an answer so that we can hopefully turn this into a how-to...

[socratis]

Note CSR vice Broadcom for Mavericks

Hmm... Maybe the manufacturer of the Bluetooth changed? In that case it wouldn't be a Mavericks-specific change, it would be a hardware-specific change. What hardware do you have? I have an early 2011 17" MacBook Pro (model 8,3).

[stupot65]

Hmm, it didn't work so I just bootcamped my mac instead, sorry

[socratis]

What exactly didn't work? Which command of the three failed? Can you post the output of the command:

kextstat | grep ooth