This post is for anyone who has RECENTLY gotten skype to work with bluetooth (preferably Linux Mint, but anything will do at this point). I have come accross several posts on various websites but I want here. Most everything I have read either does not work or is simply too old.

Seriously. amy help is appreciated.

P.S. the search function on this site sucks about as much as the look on a cat's face as it looks into the bathtub it's owner is putting it into.

bump.

Someone out there has got to have bluetooth and skype working harmoniously on their system. Even non-Mint system users could offer a little insight. Everything I have tried has been in vain. A little help please.

I believe I read that that is on Jeremy's "todo list." In the meantime, I sometimes find it useful to do a Google search and specify site:linuxquestions.org .

As far is your question ... Sorry, I know nothing about either Skype or Bluetooth.

There is very little information in here (actually: none at all).
Do you think that could be a part of the reason?
Another could be you combining the question with a rant...

what do you mean ?
"skype to work with bluetooth"

skype is voip
bluetooth is hardware

??

can you elaborate ?

Skype is being used in conjunction with bluetooth headsets. I have been able to pair a usb bluetooth dongle with a headset. I don't know how to get audio to pass through.

I must be the only person in the world working on this. I find it difficult to understand why no one else has posted here. Anyway, should someone else come along in the near future this is what I found as a partial working guide:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=798499

However, the audio input is a no go and skype 2.0.0.72 hangs at the end of every test call forcing me to kill it. Unfortunately, I have to reboot and I constantly get a "...another instance of Skype is working" nonsense that doesn't let me re-login.

At the moment, I have downloaded and installed Blueman:

http://blueman.tuxfamily.org/index.p...d=51&Itemid=56

in an effort to ease the pairing task. This is because using the standard BT utility that comes with Mint doesn't setup the audio input as an available service. This prompts me to have to pair the headset twice. It would say that both services are available at this point but in fact neither works.

As always, any input is appreciated.

I don't know that I can help you with your basic problem. But while you are still trying to debug things I think there is a way for there to be less pain when you have to kill skype and restart it.

You should almost never have to reboot a system when a program hangs. While there may be a GUI way to do this, I am more familiar with the command line. (Besides, the command line is more consistent across distros, desktop environments, etc.)

I would think a command similar to one of the following would kill a hung skype instance:

The first command politely asks skype to shutdown in an orderly fashion. The second command very impolitely and immediately kills it. Usually you want to use the first form if it works and resort to the second if it fails to shutdown.

The other issue is whether "skype" is actaully the name of the process. If neither of the those commands work, try to figure out what the process name is with (when skype is running, of course):

I am guessing the complaint about skype already running is from a "lock file" somewhere, which you can remove manually. Start by checking directories (folders) in your home directory. From the command line (I suggest copy and paste what I have posted):

If you use a GUI file manager instead, make sure to enable display of "hidden files." Look for anything that might by a skype directory. Within that directory look for anything that has "lock" in the name somehow. Again make sure you include hidden files. If that file has a size of zero, then removing it will probably cause skype to stop complaining about already running. If it doesn't have a zero size try moving it to your home directory (this way you can always move it back!) and see what happens. You also might be able to find out more info by searching on the term skype and the phrase lock file.

If you can get this to work manually, you can even put both commands in a script and bind that script to a key (aka create a "hotkey") to make things even easier on yourself.

Sorry, but I have no experience with Bluetooth or Skype (or any other VoIP) or Mint.

Well, being the fair-weather linux user that I am, I shifted over to Ubuntu 8.10 in order to give it a whirl. Here I was actually able to get a bluetooth headset to work with skype......while using the live cd !!!!

I think Mint needs to address a few things. But in any event, the situation is resolved. Thanks goes out to everyone who posted in an attempt to help. I really appreciate everyoneś time and effort.