dongle or usb exterior card

I lost my laptop's Bluetooth when I moved to Win 8 from Win 7.

Can I buy a Bluetooth usb exterior adaptor that does not have to be specific for Win 8 or my Dell Inspiron 15R, N5010?

Is this a big box item like B.B. or how do I get one?

 

Sure, you can buy an adapter. I suggest newegg.com. See http://www.newegg.com/Network-Bluetooth/SubCategory/ID-295?Tpk=bluetooth adapter

 

If you'd rather buy in a local retail store, some options are Best Buy, Staples, OfficeMax, etc.

 

It is peculiar that it may work with this external device but not the interior card which worked with Win 7.
May I send you a picture of the BIOS?
Thank you for your advice.

 

You might visit http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/555/DriversHome/ShowProductSelector and search for a driver for Bluetooth. You're not the only person who has encountered this problem. See http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...-manager/7ffc98ae-6eb1-4247-8e3d-9a426ef3fe39 and other links shown there. I'm thinking an external adapter might be a easier solution than trying to figure out why the built-in Bluetooth does not work. An external adapter will work independent of that setting in the BIOS.

 

I read and tried the referrals; thank you for that.

This a.m. my phone reported that it was trying to pair with Dell Bluetooth 365 but that there was a problem with the passkey.

Is this a sign it is working and I need to type a passkey somewhere or just reporting the same old problem?

 

Does your mouse have a Bluetooth feature? I get the impression from http://www.dell.com/support/trouble...iz&docid=DSN_496DE574B95933F2E040A68F5A280450 that this is the case. Since I've only used Bluetooth using a USB adapter, I don't know exactly how your Dell Bluetooth hardware components work. If you view the link I posted and peruse other links from there, you'll see references to a passkey. Hopefully, you will find the answer there.

For the benefit of continued discussion here (hopefully from someone else since I may be of no further assistance), do you have a Bluetooth icon in your notification area (sometimes called the system tray)? Does your Device Manager show any Bluetooth device(s)?

 

I am sorry to report that none of those show Bluetooth; Device manager, mouse, systry.

I am going to study your referral.
I am also going to get an adapter for BT.
Thank you all very much for your help.