Can Fusion and Boot Camp share partition and both function with bluetooth keyboard and mouse? If so, how?

[dms_dc]

Hello, all. I am evaluating Fusion 1.1.1 on my iMac now (Tiger 10.4.11) and considering switching from Parallels. So far, Fusion seems to be more responsive, and I like how the Unity works more than the Parallels version.

What I would really like to do is have one Boot Camp partition that Fusion and Boot Camp would share with Windows XP on it, so occasionaly I could play a few games that don't seem to work in Fusion so far and, in case of dire need for work, I could always run XP directly if need be. Most of the time I would probably use Fusion.

What I can't get past is, can Boot Camp and Fusion both work with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and not mess each other up? I can not get Boot Camp to work at all because of the bluetooth issue. Fusion handles the bluetooth keyboard/mouse seamlessly, but if I can't get Boot Camp to work with it too, there's no point in running Fusion off the Boot Camp partition, obviously.

What I did was, I ran Boot Camp Assistant, set up the partition and installed XP (Home). When the Mac rebooted into Windows, of course I no longer had a keyboard or mouse. So then I shut it down and rebooted into OS X, started up Fusion and pointed it to the Boot Camp partition. That worked fine, and Fusion is working.

But I can't for the life of me figure out how to get Windows XP to recognize the bluetooth keyboard and mouse outside of Fusion. There is no Bluetooth devices control panel in my Windows install. The Boot Camp drivers CD claimed to install Bluetooth drivers with its other stuff, but I don't see any evidence of them in Windows or any way to set them up. The only advice I can find on the web is to go into Windows Control Panel and open up the Bluetooth panel to add them there, but I simply do not have that control panel on my XP.

Even if I could find a way to get past this catch-22, wouldn't setting up and pairing the bluetooth keyboard and mouse in Windows directly conflict with however Fusion makes it magically work?

Has anyone out there gotten Fusion and Boot Camp to both work off the same partition with a wireless keyboard and mouse?

[WoodyZ]

You say you're using "Tiger 10.4.11" and since Tiger did not include Boot Camp and the Boot Camp Beta that was available until Leopard 10.5.0 was released has expired which means the Beta Boot Camp Assistant and Beta Boot Camp Drivers and can no longer be used legally and Boot Camp isn't sold separately nor will Boot Camp Assistant that shipped with Leopard run on Tiger are you sure your using Tiger and if so are you using the Beta version of Boot Camp or are you really using Leopard?

I don't have a copy of the Boot Camp Beta Documentation handy however according to the Documentation shipped with Leopard "Boot Camp Installation & Setup Guide" on page 4 under "What You Need" one of the items needed it plainly states "a USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and trackpad".

Once you have Windows running on the Boot Camp partition using a USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and trackpad you can use a Bluetooth Keyboard and or Mouse per the instructions on page 20.

=====================================

Using Bluetooth Devices with Windows

Before you can use a Bluetooth wireless device with Windows on your Mac, you must

pair the device with your computer while running Windows.

To pair a wireless Mighty Mouse or Apple keyboard with your Mac:

1 In Windows, open the Bluetooth Devices control panel.

2 In the Devices pane, click Add.

3 Follow the Bluetooth Device Wizard to set up your device.

a To make your Apple wireless device discoverable, turn the device off and then on again.

b In the passkey pane, select “Let me choose my own passkey” and enter a numeric code.

Wireless Mighty Mouse: Enter four zeros (“0000”).

Apple Wireless Keyboard: Enter six to sixteen digits.

Passkeys for wireless devices are used to encrypt the information transmitted from the

devices to your computer. You don’t need to remember the passkey.

=====================================

FWIW I have no problem using a Bluetooth Mouse that was setup under Windows running on the Boot Camp partition and then using it when running a Virtual Machine of the Boot Camp partition because when running the Fusion Virtual Machine the Bluetooth mouse does not need to be attached to the Virtual Machine in order to function and it I did attach it to the Virtual Machine I then loose use of it on the Host although it worked without conflict in the Virtual Machine even though it has been setup while running Windows from the Boot Camp partition nor were there any problems going back and forth.

Now obviously under normally circumstances one would not want to connect the Bluetooth Mouse and or Bluetooth Keyboard directly to the Virtual Machine as the Host no longer would be able to use it and it you didn't have another way to release it back to the Host one would be in trouble.

[dms_dc]

Hi and thanks for the response.

Regarding the setup instructions (assuming I can and must get a hold of a USB keyboard and mouse), I am aware of them. However, I cannot figure out why my Win XP does not have a Bluetooth device control panel. So even if I manage to borrow a wired keyboard and boot into XP from Boot Camp at last, I don't see how I can follow the instructions. Some searching has found other people in this predicament. See the attached for my XP control panel - no Bluetooth!

Regarding your experience, it sounds like if I can ever set it up, the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse should work both in Boot Camp and with Fusion. If I understand what you said correctly, once I somehow manage to add those Bluetooth devices in Windows, when I'm running in Fusion, Windows would think they were disconnected, and Fusion's own way of managing the keyboard and mouse input would be maintained. Unless I was crazy enough to directly connect them to the virtual machine, in which case I would be hosed. So if I can ever get past the no Bluetooth control panel issue and can get a hold of a wired keyboard/mouse, it should work fine either way. Is that right?

Regarding Tiger and Boot Camp Beta, I am not sure of the legal fine print; I downloaded the beta long ago and only now am trying to set it up. As far as I understand, once I upgrade to Leopard, I don't have to redo the Windows side at all and just need to update the Boot Camp drivers to 2.0.

[admin]

If I understand what you said correctly, once I somehow manage to add those Bluetooth devices in Windows, when I'm running in Fusion, Windows would think they were disconnected, and Fusion's own way of managing the keyboard and mouse input would be maintained. Unless I was crazy enough to directly connect them to the virtual machine, in which case I would be hosed. So if I can ever get past the no Bluetooth control panel issue and can get a hold of a wired keyboard/mouse, it should work fine either way. Is that right?

Yep. Guests see a PS/2 keyboard, regardless of what type of keyboard (e.g. USB, Bluetooth) you actually use on the host; the exception is if you directly connect a device to the guest.

[WoodyZ]

At the moment I have Windows Vista Ultimate on the Boot Camp partition however when I had Windows XP Professional on the Boot Camp partition I had no problem configuring Bluetooth Devices although I am using the Boot Camp Drivers off of the Leopard DVD not the Beta Boot Camp Drivers that are no longer allowed to be used legally regardless of when you downloaded the Boot Camp Beta and are just getting around to trying it.

If you didn't have keyboard and mouse functionality when you booted into the Boot Camp partition Windows XP install how did you install the Beta Boot Camp Drivers?

If you installed them through the Virtual Machine of the Boot Camp partition then it will not install the Bluetooth Stack or have a Control Panel applet unless you connect the Apple Bluetooth Adapter to the Virtual Machine before you install the drivers and if you did that then without a USB Mouse or Trackpad how did you get out of the Guest as rebooting after the drivers are installed does not release the Apple Bluetooth Adapter back to the Host?

Did you just turn the computer off and back on?

[dms_dc]

Yes, that makes sense that the Bluetooth stack was not installed yet. I was able to fix everything by finally digging up a USB keyboard and mouse, booting up into XP from Boot Camp, and reinstalling the Apple drivers. At that point, finally there was a Bluetooth control panel, and I was able to pair up the wireless keyboard and mouse. Other than having to call MS to re-activate Windows yet again and having to force the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to reconnect in Boot Camp after restarts, it seems to be working fine. So that confirms what you both have said, that Fusion and Boot Camp handle the Bluetooth input devices separately without conflict.

Yes, with the initial Windows install, of course I no longer had input after it rebooted. At that point I turned the computer off, booted back into OS X, and pointed Fusion to the new Boot Camp partition. So the raw / Boot Camp install was never properly completed until I found the wired keyboard/mouse.

I understand the Boot Camp assistant is expired now, but I doubt they really expect everyone will stop using their Windows installations until they upgrade. In any case, I cannot read the actual license now without cheating the Assistant into running. The Windows drivers and the Boot Camp software itself don't stop working, so I assume they don't want anyone to start installing it now from scratch.

Anyway, it's all moot, because I'll be upgrading to Leopard anyway. I just want to confirm that the Mac, Fusion and Boot Camp all can coexist happily, which seems to be the case so far.

Thanks.