Bluetooth “Access Denied” issue and resolution

August 1, 2008 at 10:57 · Filed under Computers & Technology

You can read about what I did or you can just click here to go to the steps you need to take.

After using my bluetooth keyboard with my laptop while on vacation, I returned to the apartment and attempted to use it on the desktop.  For whatever reason, it stopped working.  It wasn’t the batteries, as I could connect and type the passkey, but it would lose the connection almost immediately.  The keyboard also connected to the laptop computer just fine.  One resolution to this issue was to make sure that the check box for “Drivers for keyboard, mice, etc (HID)” was selected in the bluetooth properties for the keyboard.  It wasn’t, but when I tried to check it an hit apply, I got a Bluetooth Service Error “Access is denied” messageI made sure the Bluetooth Support Service was running by checking services.msc, and it was supposedly was running just fine.  After reading this thread, I checked the Log On tab for the service, and found that it was running as This account:NT AUTHORITY\LocalService.  Once I stopped the service, changed it to Local System account, I was able to select the driver service listed above and my keyboard was able to type.

Sure, this means I cannot go get a Logitech G15 keyboard, but that’s just as well.  What really gets me is that there is no reason I could think of as to why that service would (1) no longer work the way it was or (2) when it would have changed to log on differently.  I used the keyboard on the desktop up until we left.

Edit 8/31/08: Paul lists the ordered list of what needs to be done, and I’ll move it up here so that those trying to get the issue resolved can find the info.  While Paul does list how I did got to Services, some might be wondering what do you do when the keyboard doesn’t work, as is the case here.  There are two methods, listed in step 1:

  1. Open Services:
    1. To still type things out, start the on-screen keyboard by going to Start > Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > On-Screen Keyboard.  From there, you can then do Start > Run and then type services.msc
    2. To directly access Services, do Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services
  2. Find & select the Bluetooth Support Service, right click and select Properties.
  3. Click the Stop button on the General tab.
  4. Select the Log On tab, and select the radio button next to Local System account, then click Apply.
  5. Go back to the General tab and click the Start button.
  6. Click OK to close the Properties dialog.
  7. Restart computer to make sure the change takes and things work.

72 Comments »

  1. Amir said,

    August 17, 2008 @ 01:40

    OMG, THANKSSSS A BUNCH!!! :D :D :D

  2. Trevor Davis said,

    August 22, 2008 @ 08:38

    wow, after almost giving up this finally worked. The problem began with us after installing SP3 (and continued after uninstalling). Did yours auto update while on vaca, perhaps? Must have reset something.

  3. Gwen said,

    August 22, 2008 @ 10:10

    I just ran into the same issue. It all worked, and then I couldn’t get either of my Bluetooth devices to work. I’m guessing it is related to the recent batch of security updates published by Microsoft. Thanks for the post!

  4. Paul Earley said,

    August 31, 2008 @ 09:09

    This was a lifesaver. I could not figure out why my Microsoft Bluetooth Keyboard Elite keyboard would go through the connection sequence and then fail to report it was connected.

    For those of us flummoxed by services, the sequence is:
    1) Start – Run – services.msc
    2) Find & select the Bluetooth Support Service, right click, select Properties.
    3) Click the Stop button on the “General” tab.
    4) Select the “Log On” tab, and select the radio button next to “Local System account”, then click Apply.
    5) Go back to the “General” tab and click the Start button.
    6) Click OK to close the Properties dialog.
    7) I had to restart my computer to have the keyboard produce meaningful characters.

    This is one more reason users are willing to abandon the Windows platform and buy a Mac.
    , changed it to Local System account, I was able to select the driver service listed above and my keyboard was able to type.

  5. Dan said,

    August 31, 2008 @ 11:52

    Thanks guys! Worked like a charm.

  6. Sean Et Cetera said,

    August 31, 2008 @ 15:22

    Thanks to Paul for posting the steps on how to run services; once you get used to doing something like that you stop explaining it. I’ve updated the post to hopefully make it easier for people to use the information.

  7. Earle said,

    September 3, 2008 @ 15:06

    You hit the nail on the head. I had this issue with a Treo700 and a DELL latitude laptop. Thanks.

  8. kythanh said,

    September 7, 2008 @ 13:01

    thanks for post. I have run into the same problem with my bluetooth keyboard after installing the sp3. Fixed :)

  9. Gareth said,

    September 13, 2008 @ 21:10

    Thanks! Typing this entry on a functional keyboard is very satisfying. I was completely lost trying to solve this problem and didn’t even know there was such as thing as “services.”

  10. Louis said,

    September 24, 2008 @ 00:54

    Excellent advice, worked perfectly.
    Thanks a ton

  11. Theo said,

    September 25, 2008 @ 22:26

    Really thank you Very much.It indeed worked (i evn had to unscrew my keyboard to see if something was wrong)
    I guess we all have to store our old and ordinary cable keyboard and mouse for a long long time… :D

  12. David Rueter said,

    September 26, 2008 @ 14:32

    Thanks a ton! You were spot-on. It does seem that SP3 broke this for us (i.e. change this logon account for the service) My machine has been stable, well-maintained and running in this configuration for several years…and this is the first time I have encountered this problem.

  13. Souhail said,

    October 1, 2008 @ 18:02

    Thanks a million !

    I also started having this after installing SP3… Don’t know if there’s a link between the two but your solution rocks.

  14. Kevin said,

    October 12, 2008 @ 19:32

    Thank you very much. You just save my life.

    I’m about to sell my keyboard on ebay

  15. Tim said,

    October 15, 2008 @ 07:13

    You don’t know how you have saved me – I was just about to throw the thing out the window!!!

    Thanks so much :o )

  16. Ruben Goethals said,

    October 21, 2008 @ 05:51

    THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  17. peaguy said,

    October 25, 2008 @ 16:56

    Works Great………………..Thank you

  18. Madoc Owain said,

    October 26, 2008 @ 16:26

    Thanks so much for this excellent solution! I am surprised MS doesn’t have this as one of their troubleshooting tips on their site. I only wish I had searched out this solution on the Internet sooner, instead of wasting my time with Microsoft’s Help techniques. Thanks again!

    M.O.

  19. pat said,

    October 26, 2008 @ 23:40

    Easy fix, thanks! I feared my keyboard was toast until I found this.

  20. Rich said,

    October 27, 2008 @ 00:02

    Thanks a million. I was really excited about winning a free wireless Keyboard but after trying to fix this for 2 weeks I gave up.

    Second time around I came across this and it was fixed it 5 mins.

    Beers on me if you’re ever in Austin, TX.

    R./

  21. Tim said,

    October 30, 2008 @ 18:09

    Fixed worked perfectly!!! Thank you for the expert trouble shooting and work-around support. The folks from Redmond should write you a check!

  22. Johnny G said,

    November 3, 2008 @ 14:18

    oh man…..I looked ALL OVER the internet for a fix to this…eventually I just typed in my symptoms instead of looking for something specifically related to my particular keyboard or bluetooth drivers…

    Google will put IT out of business one day…

    I had the exact same problem and this worked like a charm…didn’t even have to restart (but did after it worked anyway just to be safe)

    THANK YOU SO MUCH…the functionality I got out of my keyboard was too much to give up and I’m too damn obsessive-compulsive to go back to the way it was or replace it…

  23. Nahian said,

    November 5, 2008 @ 08:23

    Thanks for that, your a life saver!

  24. RadioAnorak said,

    November 5, 2008 @ 17:42

    Wow.
    SP3 mucked up my laptop (but not my partners)
    So knew mouse was ok.
    Had to be bloody windoze, now i know what:-))
    Ta

  25. odetowny said,

    November 10, 2008 @ 16:52

    cant beleive how many people have had this problem i have been at it for the last 4 days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wife was about to leave me, dogs left and kids have forgot who i am lol
    thanks so much for this thread, what a sanity saver – cheers mate youre in my favourites for ‘just in case factor’

  26. codex said,

    November 14, 2008 @ 09:18

    All this is triggered by Windows XP SP3

  27. Sean Et Cetera said,

    November 14, 2008 @ 14:35

    While that may be, this happened sometime after I had SP3 installed. Since I shut down my computer each night, it wouldn’t be because I left the computer on for a long time following an update, and the computer would not have been turned on while I was gone.

  28. Jörgen - Sweden said,

    November 20, 2008 @ 11:31

    Finally I searched for the problem and found Your page.
    Thanks a Lot!

    It is nice to be able to use the bt-mouse to my laptop again.

    THANK GOD FOR INTERNET!!!!!!!!!

  29. Chris said,

    December 8, 2008 @ 10:19

    OMG THIS ROCKS!

    I have been looking for a fix for this for nearly a month.

    And yes, Google will someday put Help Desk Companies out of work!

  30. Scott said,

    December 14, 2008 @ 14:42

    Thank you so much, you helped yet another person on the internet. :)

  31. Rob said,

    December 19, 2008 @ 01:01

    Wow! This actually worked! My Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer for Bluetooth suddenly stopped working after almost 4 years of reliable use with my Sony VAIO Z Series laptop. I saw nothing about this in the Microsoft KB, and came upon this site after Googling the “Access Denied” message and the word “Bluetooth mouse”.

    Thanks for posting this information!

  32. qasas1 said,

    December 25, 2008 @ 03:19

    I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy. You are the Master…
    Thanks a lot, you fixed ended my 4 hours of looking for a solution for the problem.
    Thanks again,
    qasas1

  33. Anant said,

    January 9, 2009 @ 20:39

    Thank you VERY much. I thought I have return my Logitech Mediaboard Pro which really is a PS3 gadget but worked fine on my HT laptop (soon to be replaced)

  34. Eivind said,

    January 14, 2009 @ 09:01

    Thanks, now my microsoft elite keyboard works again! I also had servicepack 3 when the keyboard stopped working.

  35. Jeff Wood said,

    January 28, 2009 @ 03:02

    Mate, you are a dead-set legend! I am typing this on a Microsoft keyboard I had consigned to the spare parts graveyard months ago and last night I had a $250 Dinovo and a $150 Dinovo mini both do the same thing. I got them using the Logitech dongles, but could not figure why they stopped working on the built-in BT. I was going nuts and could not let it go. One quick point: to make it work, I checked ‘allow this service to interact with the desktop’ at step 4 above and then removed and reconnected the keyboard. Like the person in Austin, TX., beers on me if you are in Brisbane, Australia. Thanks again, Jeff

  36. Adam said,

    February 3, 2009 @ 09:21

    omg if this works you’re a legend. been trying to hook my mediaboard pro to my samsung nc10 for a week now. many hours trying to find the solution. can type the passcode in, press enter and then its game over normally. cant wait to get home and try this!

  37. MIke said,

    February 11, 2009 @ 22:34

    I don’t have the “RADIO” button anywhere. I have tried over and over. This sucks. I was really excited to get this to work again. HEELLLLPPP

  38. Sean Et Cetera said,

    February 11, 2009 @ 23:04

    MIke, “radio button” is what the round items are referred to as, as they only allow you to select one option from a list, much like a car radio.

    So, read it is “select the option for Local System account” instead.

  39. MIke said,

    February 12, 2009 @ 00:25

    O.K. I learned a new term.Thanks You guys rock.

  40. Paul said,

    February 19, 2009 @ 17:10

    +1 on you guys rock:

    Clicking the ‘submit’ button for this comment with my newly-enabled Bluetooth mouse…

  41. Mike said,

    February 24, 2009 @ 09:38

    Yet another virtual beer on its way to you.

    Thank you, very much indeed.

  42. Bismarck said,

    February 26, 2009 @ 09:28

    Thanks a lot for this tip, man!

    Right from me 2 extra beer to you ;)

    Cheers!

  43. Mark said,

    March 3, 2009 @ 04:05

    Well done – wouldnt have got this in a million years – was in despair and ready to chuck keyboard in bin.

    After doing it all I had to remove keyboard from device list and add it again as it still didnt work straight away. (when it looked for the service after clicking the service tag in the bluetooth devices, nothing came up but after adding again it was there and the box already ticked)

  44. MLK said,

    March 14, 2009 @ 14:18

    You guys rock. Thanks a bunch.

  45. geoff said,

    March 30, 2009 @ 13:37

    very nice, this worked like a charm … I had followed steps on msdn with no luck and was about to buy a new bluetooth mouse. thanks again!

  46. shmulyeng said,

    April 3, 2009 @ 08:22

    You just saved me from going out and buying a new keyboard!
    Thanks.

  47. Seyres said,

    April 5, 2009 @ 20:55

    Ditto to all the Above. You should start virtual Liqur store.
    Cheers From Perth Australia

  48. THX1138 said,

    April 30, 2009 @ 13:26

    OMG! Thank you so much. I went through all of MS’s suggestions without any luck.

  49. STB said,

    May 7, 2009 @ 11:13

    Thanx a lot! I had the same problem but with my bluetooth mouse. The solution was exactly the same.

  50. Andy A said,

    May 13, 2009 @ 09:37

    Hey, this information is gold and has been such a big help. Thank you very much!!
    Microsoft help is rubbish compared to this info. This has helped sort the problem.
    Cheers
    Andy

  51. Jared said,

    July 13, 2009 @ 00:02

    Another thank you, this solved my Microsoft bluetooth mouse not working after all of Microsoft’s solutions failed.

  52. Rosewood said,

    August 3, 2009 @ 14:14

    Thank you for making me look like a hero. Glad this was the first hit on google for “access denied bluetooth mouse”

  53. Jeremy said,

    September 9, 2009 @ 14:15

    Great post! helped me fix the problem.

  54. Yvonne Sweden said,

    September 18, 2009 @ 13:43

    Thank you very much!
    After a month of struggeling on different paths to find a solution for the problem w “Bluetooth tjanst – Atkomst nekad”, I found this post! Wholehartedly I agree w all the users above! Sp 3… I knew there had to be a “fix”. My Bluetooth stuff started to work promtly after following your instr. Talked to my PC deliverer and he says there’s no need for a password. He says thank you too. ;)
    Thank you! Thank you!
    Yvonne, Sweden

  55. Chuck said,

    September 26, 2009 @ 23:25

    Thank you for posting this.
    This just happened a week ago to me. 9-20-09
    I will try your fix in the morning.

  56. Perry said,

    October 8, 2009 @ 11:39

    You da man!

    SP3 was installed a couple months ago. I use my BT mouse in the lab almost every day. I got hit by this about a week ago. Tried some other mumbo-jumbo I found first about doing a “clean restart”. Didn’t do jack. With this, I didn’t even need to re-boot, just re-install the device.
    Sweet – thanks a mil

  57. Koli said,

    October 10, 2009 @ 02:10

    This saved my problem with MS Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000 after instaling SP3. Thanks :-)

  58. Tim Paech said,

    October 14, 2009 @ 07:54

    Thanks HEAPS mate, I was starting to get pretty pissed off, especially since (after losing my RAID & thus everything) I had a fresh reinstall.

    What a stupid default for it to take.

    Again, thanks! :)

    -t.

  59. Jesse said,

    October 26, 2009 @ 19:07

    You saved me, thanks!

  60. Paul said,

    October 27, 2009 @ 09:12

    Thanx mate your a Gem

  61. Jennifer said,

    November 5, 2009 @ 04:32

    OMG!!! Thank you so much!

  62. Mark said,

    November 6, 2009 @ 04:46

    Excellent. Was going nuts trying to work it out. Another laptop allowed installation of the Bluetooth mouse with no problems, so I was frustrated not knowing what to do next. Your solution was simple and effective.

  63. Clive said,

    November 16, 2009 @ 17:35

    Again thank you for posting this fix> Will try and do 10 good deads to help other people in return.
    PS Sent several hours trying to fix. After googled fix in two minites
    Regards Clive

  64. sam said,

    December 4, 2009 @ 08:30

    u are the man, it worked a beauty thanks

  65. Mike said,

    December 12, 2009 @ 16:38

    You sorted out a right headache for me mate.
    It’s official: you rock.

  66. Luis said,

    December 14, 2009 @ 11:27

    Great! Thanks man I have been wanting to connect my Wireless Mighty mouse to my pc laptop and was having problems. Your fix worked though. Thanks again!

  67. John said,

    December 18, 2009 @ 13:15

    Fabuloso. Logitech MX900 mouse has not worked for 6 months or more. Now working again. Thanks a bunch. Found it by searching for Access denied message as nothing useful found when searching for MX900 on its own.

  68. Girish said,

    December 19, 2009 @ 04:17

    Thank you very much for the advice. Had a problem and whole night couldn’t figure it out until I came up with your answers. Thank you once again.

  69. ColoradoGuy said,

    December 27, 2009 @ 17:35

    Same as everyone else, this solved it perfectly for me. My keyboard suddenly stopped while watching a hulu clip…no errors or explanation. This fix worked though. Thanks a million.

  70. ElectroFlip said,

    January 22, 2010 @ 20:18

    Perfect you resolved the problem I with my VR projection keyboard. I couldnt get it to sync properly with my PC via bluetooth. Thank you!

  71. Blinky said,

    April 8, 2010 @ 10:46

    thanks a lot.. been driving me insane not being able to use my mouse :D

  72. Mirthly said,

    April 12, 2010 @ 16:58

    Thanks from me too. I looked into everything but the service account.

    There are just so many things that can go wrong within windows, and the updates “happen” without informing us of what they change.

    Again, thank you very much!

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