Free A2DP drivers for Windows XP?

August 28, 2009 9:03 AM

Any free A2DP Bluetooth driver options for Windows XP? I have a Sony stereo which has a bluetooth option on it which allows you to play music through it wirelessly. After buying a simple bluetooth dongle for my laptop, I was able to pair with the stereo but was not able to browse for the blueooth service which facilitates that function. (basically, the stereo becomes like a pair of wireless headphones) So after a little research I discovered I needed to have an A2DP compatible device. According to the A2DP website, there were two programs I could download, one called BlueSoleil and the other called Widcomm. Widcomm didnt work but BlueSoleil did manage to allow me to do it succesfuly. Only thing is, BlueSoleil is a whole package of stuff that costs $30. (trial version limits output to 2mb). The only thing I need is the A2DP part. Im not sure exactly what BlueSoleil did but its clear that the problem wasnt with my dongle or its compatibility. So, can anyone explain what exactly BlueSoleil did that allowed me to access my stereo's bluetooth service and also if there is any way to do this for free?
posted by postergeist to Technology (2 answers total)

Unfortunately I don't have an answer to your XP problem. But depending on the age of your laptop and its specs, the upcoming Windows 7 handles A2DP Bluetooth about 1000 times better than XP. I spent hours searching for Bluetooth solutions for XP a couple of years ago, and now the same small adapter on my laptop running Windows 7 handles everything out of the box.
posted by shinynewnick at 9:43 AM on August 28, 2009

Response by poster: I heard good things about windows 7 but I dont think ill upgrade just yet. If no one knows I'll just have to cough up the $30, at least theres comfort in knowing there IS a solution albeit a costly one.
posted by postergeist at 10:10 AM on August 28, 2009