Xbox 360 controller will not connect to Windows 10 Wireless Adapter

I just bought a "Microsoft Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10" to connect my Xbox 360 controller to my PC. The adapter installed its driver when I plugged it in, and then said it was ready. I pressed the pairing button on both the adapter and my controller, both search, but never find each other.



This seems to be a known common problem with these, and people solved it years ago by updating the driver for the adapter. I found my adapter in the Device Manager, but the fix says to look under "Other Devices" as an "Unknown Device", but I instead found it under "Network Adapters" as "Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows". I know this is the right device, because when I remove the adapter from my computer, this device disappears.



I try to follow the old fix's instructions: I right click on the adapter device, and update the driver. I browse my computer for drivers. "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer". Here I'm supposed to find "Xbox 360 Peripherals" and after acknowledging the warning and downloading, this driver should make my adapter work. But I cannot find "Xbox 360 Peripherals", even if I uncheck "show compatible hardware", and look though some of the Microsoft drivers. The only compatible driver is called "Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows".



I update and install this only option I have, I get a successful install message, try to pair them both again, but they won't sync. The driver that I updated says it's from 11/30/2015 in its properties, and is a Microsoft driver. My Windows 10 is up to date, and installed an update earlier in the day. The only I fix I can find is that the driver should to updated, and that specific driver that worked, I can't find now.

I also tried downloading the Xbox Accessories App, but even the app acknowledges that it does not work with Xbox 360 controllers.

So now what? Thanks.

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Update, I may have it almost solved. I don't recommend this part, because you may not have to do this step, but I downloaded an old version of Xbox drivers that used to be available on the Microsoft site, but are not anymore. I scanned the .exe I downloaded through virustotal.com and my free antivirus, seemed ok, running it seemed like an official Microsoft product, and should have put "Xbox 360 Peripherals" in my drivers (but I may have already had them), but I still could not see the updated driver from the device update screen in Device Manager.

But here's the big progress: When I uninstall the adapter's automatic driver and software from my computer completely from the Device Manager, and I remove the adapter from my computer, and with the Device Manager still open, I insert the adapter again. Before the adapter gets to run it's automatic configuration download, it does appear as the fix said it should, an "Other Device", where I can follow the fix exactly as the instructions said, and I can find "Xbox 360 Peripherals" like I should. But the problem is, by the time I begin the install the correct driver as the fix said, the automatic setup has finished, and it doesn't let me actually download the "Xbox 360 Peripherals", and switches back to the old "Network Adapters" as "Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows", that doesn't work. I'm trying to figure out how I can make the automatic setup stop now, and changing the automatic device installation setting off is not stopping it yet.

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I can get "Xbox 360 Peripherals" installed on the adapter. Uninstall the current adapter driver, and start fresh. Turn off the internet, and when you connect the adapter, it will not be able to automatically configure, and will be stuck as an "Other Device" but mine said "XBOX ACC". Now you can follow the old fix instructions to put "Xbox 360 Peripherals" drivers onto the adapter. I had 6 driver choices inside peripherals: Controller, Receiver, Charge and Play Kit, and each has a 2019 and 2009 version. I tried all the 2019 drivers, installed them successfully, but now the light that turns on when pairing, won't turn on with any of these new drivers. I restarted my computer after changing the drivers, I removed the adapter after changing the drivers, but the light won't turn on to pair. If I uninstall the driver and start from scratch, and let the adapter automatically install its non-functioning driver, the light will turn on again when pairing. I tried to pair it even with the light not working as the 2019 version Receiver and it would not pair.

I'm beginning to wonder if I have a fake look-a-like Microsoft adapter, or maybe this official product just doesn't work anymore with current versions of Windows. Maybe a 3rd party adapter is the only thing that could actually work nowadays.

*** Moved from Windows/Windows 10/Devices and drivers ***

:)