Logitech MX Keys Keyboard's Bluetooth/USB dongle problems

[TakuSkan]

Support for most anything Windows 7 related these days is tough to come by. It's good to see these forums still up and running.

I bought this wonderful Logitech MX Keys Advanced Wireless Keyboard on Amazon that features input from 3 devices in both Windows and Mac OSs. Bluetooth pairing to my Windows 10 notebook and Mac Mini M1 went quickly & easily. But I can't get the Logi 'Bolt' / USB dongle for Bluetooth connectivity working in my trusty old Windows 7 PC I still use a lot.

The instructions on the box the Logitech keyboard came in (as well as their online support pages) say to plug the USB dongle into the computer's USB port, turn on the keyboard, and press fn+P on the PC. But none of my 4 old keyboards have a fn key on them.

Their support pages say it can be connected via their Logi Options+ software. But there only seems to be a Windows 10 version.

I tried running the Logitech Connection Utility some search results recommended. It ran in Windows 7, but it couldn't find the dongle after I plugged it in.

The dongle does pop up in Device Manager under 'Human Interface Devices' as 'Logitech USB Input Device', and 'Keyboards and Universal Serial Bus controllers' as 'HID Keyboard Device'. But I see no way to have it recognized as a Bluetooth device.

​

I also tried enabling and starting the 'Bluetooth Support Service' in 'Services' under 'Administrative Tools' with no effect, though I'm getting a bit out of my wheelhouse and grasping at straws at that point.

Would anyone know if there may be some other method for getting this keyboard / dongle working with my old Win7 PC? I submitted this issue to Logitech support a few days back, but have yet to get a reply.

Or if that's not an option, would it be possible to buy a different dongle that would work? Or might this keyboard just too Logitech specific?

Thanks ever so much for any/all feedback on this folks.
TS

 

[townsbg]

From your logi options+ link click on Link for Another Version. From there select windows 7. You'll get

Logitech Options
Logitech Options software lets you customize your device's settings as follows:
+ Change function key shortcuts
+ Customize mouse buttons
+ Adjust point and scroll behavior
+ Enable and disable touchpad gestures
+ Get on-screen notifications when your device's battery runs low or when you press a lock key
Why Update?

• + General bug fixes

• Software Version: 8.54.161
• Last Update: 2021-06-14
• OS: Windows 7, Windows 10
• File Size: 204 MB

I don't know if this will work nor do I have any way to check it with your keyboard. I did find a reddit thread and in that thread someone posted that the keyboard isn't compatible with windows 7. I don't have anything else for you so good luck.

 

[TakuSkan]

I don't know if this will work nor do I have any way to check it with your keyboard. I did find a reddit thread and in that thread someone posted that the keyboard isn't compatible with windows 7. I don't have anything else for you so good luck.

Fantastic townsbg! The 1st Win7 copy of Logitech Options down that long list, 8.54.161 as you pointed out, installed and set up this MX keyboard just brilliantly! I had found some of those Reddit posts claiming this keyboard wasn't compatible with Windows 7 too. Even as I was following that link as you pointed out, I was seriously doubting anything there was going to get this wonderful keyboard working. In fact it didn't at 1st. But at one point it prompted me to remove any other 'unifying device' I may have plugged in and try again, as it had found my old Logi mouse. I've always had a wired mouse plugged into this old beast, so navigating the Logi setup went quickly and easily.

I can't tell you just how stoked I am to have this keyboard working on my Win7 PC, Win10 notebook and new Mac Mini M! I've thought the old Logitech Y-BH52 Keyboard was just the cat's meow for years now:

​

But the look & feel of how this MX operates as well as its wireless connectivity is just so sweet.

​

Thanks so very much townsbg, and thank the powers that be that these SevenForums just keep on keepin' on!
TS

- - - Updated - - -

Just in case someone else may run into this too, I now see that Logi Options download page linked above shows a: 'There are no Downloads for this Version' message when navigating to it from my Windows 7 PC:

​

I originally read townsbg's reply from my Windows 10 notebook, and followed my link above to Logi Options downloads and clicked on 'LINK FOR ANOTHER VERSION'. From the Win10 system, Logitech showed me a long list where I had to scroll down quite a ways to find the 1st Windows 7 compatible Options installer. From there I copied v8.54.161 over to my Win7 PC where it installed flawlessly. Had I 1st come back to read this thread from the Win7 system I may have spent an eternity trying to figure out what the heck was going in. Logitech... great products, not so great support. 4 days on and still no reply from them.

 

[townsbg]

Just in case someone else may run into this too, I now see that Logi Options download page linked above shows a: 'There are no Downloads for this Version' message when navigating to it from my Windows 7 PC:

View attachment 424119​

I originally read townsbg's reply from my Windows 10 notebook, and followed my link above to Logi Options downloads and clicked on 'LINK FOR ANOTHER VERSION'. From the Win10 system, Logitech showed me a long list where I had to scroll down quite a ways to find the 1st Windows 7 compatible Options installer. From there I copied v8.54.161 over to my Win7 PC where it installed flawlessly. Had I 1st come back to read this thread from the Win7 system I may have spent an eternity trying to figure out what the heck was going in. Logitech... great products, not so great support. 4 days on and still no reply from them.

That little down arrow beneath contact us has an OS drop down list including Windows 7. That led to the version I posted.

 

[TakuSkan]

That little down arrow beneath contact us has an OS drop down list including Windows 7. That led to the version I posted.

I can only guess you're a way better gamer than me to have spotted that townsbg. I'm on my Mini at the moment, and when I load that page again from this system, it shows one Mac version of the installer. However I now see if I click on 'Mac OS 14' there is a drop down menu where Windows 7 is in fact listed.

Their servers seem to detect what OS you're accessing their pages from, and auto-determine which version of the page to display based on that OS. Guess I was really lucky to have read your reply from my Windows 10 notebook that loaded the version of that page where I could scroll down through a long list of older Options installer versions.

Thanks again for your help figuring this out townsbg!

 

[townsbg]

It does seem to detect OS but that depends upon the browser. Firefox always passes along the OS as 10 on Windows (I don't know about mac). When I opened it up on FF on my Windows 10 virtual machine it shows no downloads for this version but on Edge is showed the most recent version for 10.

 

[TakuSkan]

Yeah. Brave is my default browser, but as with a lot of other issues accessing online content, I test URL problems with Chrome, Firefox and Opera too. I forget what I saw on the Logi site when I tested them. But I think it's that old forest/trees thing with Logi web coders. They've covered a ginormous number of interfaces in their little miniverse. But putting text above a tiny drop-down menu arrow that says something like 'Other Options versions' / 'Options versions for other OSs' seems to escaped them.