So, my original Xbox 360 wireless dongle for PC has stopped working, and I bought an aftermarket one. The problem is that this new dongle is getting recognized as a wired controller instead of a wireless receiver. I believe I need to set it up as an unknown device and install the right driver for it, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
Here's what I've already tried: I've uninstalled the device drivers multiple times, and then I tried installing a Wireless Receiver driver, but it wouldn't pair with my controller—it looks like Windows 11 just switches it back to the controller driver. I even tried disabling automatic Windows driver installations, but it still finds a way to revert. I went so far as to modify the driver file in Windows, which worked briefly, but after installing some recommended software, it went back to being recognized as a controller again.
From what I've seen, Windows 11 has some tricky caching behaviors and strict protocols that complicate things. Is there anything else I can try besides installing Linux or buying another expensive dongle?
2 Answers
It sounds like your attempts are pretty thorough! Just a heads up, I've had issues with Windows audio drivers acting up after tweaking settings like that. If you play around with the gpedit, make sure to monitor your system sound settings too, just in case they get wonky after.
Your aftermarket dongle might be reporting the wrong vendor/product ID, which is why Windows is defaulting to the controller driver. Here’s what you can do:
1. Open Device Manager, find the "controller" device, and try updating the driver manually. Choose "Microsoft" and then "Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows (xusb21)".
2. After that, you can try pairing your controller by pressing the button on the dongle and then on the controller.
3. To stop Windows from changing things back, you need to grab the device's hardware ID from the Properties tab. Use gpedit.msc to prevent the installation of any devices with that ID. After that, uninstall the device and make sure to delete the driver, then plug it back in and choose the receiver driver again.
If it still doesn't connect, then unfortunately, it sounds like your dongle's firmware may not be compatible with the Xbox 360 controllers. You might need to go with an original receiver or a tried-and-true clone.
I can give those steps a try. The dongle is recognized as a controller, but it should have the right firmware since it works with an aftermarket controller I have. I just feel like I've tried everything, even clearing the driver cache.
I tried similar methods before, and if the firmware isn't compatible, it can get really tricky. Sometimes, these aftermarket products just don't play nice with everything.
I've experienced that too! I lost system audio for a bit after trying that configuration. Now it's back, but not sounding as good as before. Windows can be a pain!