The bluetooth adaptor in the laptop has a hardware version - my mistake.
Yes, it is possible for a Windows Update to inadvertently re-enable a disabled Bluetooth adapter. Windows Updates often include driver updates and system changes that can reset certain settings, including the status of hardware devices like Bluetooth adapters.
reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters /v DisableBluetooth /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /freg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters /v DisableBluetooth /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /fYes, but this happened to me so long ago that I can't even remember when.
Worse, choosing to disable Wake Timers to prevent Windows Update from waking the system (and potentially re-enabling Bluetooth as a result of waking up to install updates) does not offer you any guarantees either. See: Windows 11: Windows Update wakes up the PC from standby, then restarts the PC
I wouldn't bet my life on it. Bluetooth has a proven track history of being one giant security Loophole with a capital 'L'.
If Windows re-enable a device in Device Manager without my consent, would Window then deactivate it again after update / use? Or would it stay enabled / activated?
What if its a new laptop from a big widely recognized company with a good reputation?
What version they use and what firmware it's on is what matters. Just because its a large company with good reputation (does that even exist?) means absolutely nothing. But bluetooth can be vulnerable on just about anything. I really wouldn't worry too much about this. You are far more likely to get attacked in other ways than bluetooth. New vulnerabilities are found all the time for everything.
That's the whole problem, there is no real way to be sure outside of continuous close-monitoring the behavior. It's also one of those reasons why some motherboards/laptops let you permanently disable the internal Bluetooth adapter via a setting in the BIOS. Then again, especially if you use a different kind of Bluetooth adapter for whatever reason, likely this setting will have no effect on it.
You could always decide to enable PNP Activity auditing. Then set up a task in Task Scheduler that gets triggered by the event and runs a script to notify you each time when the script detects that the device in question matches your Bluetooth adapter.
Whats your experience with this?
There are not any brands that are known for best up to date bluetooth drivers or versions (as far as I know). All I am stating is that just because a company has a good reputation or is well known does not mean that they have good security or the latest patches.
AFAIK it all simply depends, and, there is no easy way to be sure.
Yes, I have experienced it a very long time ago. I can't remember specific details.
Not impossible, but highly unlikely to happen?
Are we many years back in time, or within the last couple of years?
AFAIK it is still likely enough to happen that I wouldn't bet my life on that it never will happen. Also AFAIK, it isn't a matter of if it will happen, but when it will happen, and, security cannot exist if worst-case scenarios are systematically going to be ignored as a result of what's called wishful thinking, as having a false sense of security often turns out to be one of the biggest possible threats.
Within the last year or two.
Depends on what?
Your guess is as good as mine. (Knowing Microsoft, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it actually turned out that it part depends on the weather.)
Yes, and, it can also occur in various other scenarios most of which I presume would be practically impossible to try and identify correctly. Although normally it happens only rarely, Windows can change certain settings by itself as if Windows has gotten a mind of its own, even on systems that can be guaranteed to be perfectly clean with no 3rd party software/apps installed that could possibly explain the behavior.
dism /cleanup-image /online /restorehealth and sfc /scannow commands. There very often is no easy way to tell what causes the symptoms, or to prevent them before they happen. Some settings can also be reset back to their default as a result of other unknown factors like some kind of design flaw that causes these settings to be "forgotten" after the user had doubly verified that the settings had been correctly applied prior to discovering the inadvertent reset.You believe, that Windows can randomly and without notice:
Yes, it can happen due to various reasons, such as system updates, driver updates, or changes in system settings.
