If you bought a Bluetooth USB key in order to connect a Wiimote to Windows XP, you might have gotten stuck on the screen where the driver asks for a “passcode”. This is frustrating because the Wiimote usually has already been recognized. If that’s the case, read on I might have a solution for you.

The current driver of bluetooth USB dongles based on the Broadcom/Widcomm chipset (made by the likes of Asus, Belkin or RocketFish) does not allow the user to bypass or otherwise ignore the “Enter passcode” screen. As you probably know, there is no such passcode needed to connect a Wiimote.

What are we supposed to do then ? The answer is to use an older version of the driver ! Yep, you read correctly. Version 5.1.0.5500 of the Widcomm driver does allow the user to “Ignore” the passcode step. You can get that older version for free on Asus’ site at the following address : http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/EeePC/EeePC1000H/Bluetooth_XP_080630.zip

This version has two quirks though. When you pair the Wiimote, be sure to check the checkmark next to the detected remote near the end of setup or it will not work. Also, you need to initiate the detection by clicking on “Add Bluetooth device” and not by right-cliking the device itself.

Hope this helps !