AX200 Bluetooth BSOD (0x65) with IBTHFSP.SYS during Phone Link pairing – Diagnostic escalation

[FrancoF]

We are experiencing a reproducible BSOD (0x00000065) triggered by the kernel driver IBTHFSP.SYS during Bluetooth pairing between Intel AX200 and Microsoft Phone Link on Windows 11.

The failure occurs consistently when attempting to establish Hands-Free Profile (HFP) binding. The AX200 module is confirmed to be the Bluetooth interface in use, and the crash points to IBTHFSP.SYS as the faulting driver.

A full technical report has been published, including:
- Crash dump (.dmp) from the affected system
- Screenshots of the BSOD and Event Viewer logs
- Markdown-formatted analysis and escalation structure

GitHub repository: [https://github.com/FrancoTrone64/FrancoTrone64-AX200-IBTHFP-failure-with-BSODs-Win11/](https://github.com/FrancoTrone64/AX200-IBTHFP-failure-with-BSODs-Win11)

We ask Intel to review the involvement of the AX200 Bluetooth stack and IBTHFSP.SYS in this failure, and advise whether escalation to Microsoft or driver-level debugging is appropriate.

This issue affects system stability and Bluetooth functionality in a reproducible way. Diagnostic traceability has been ensured.

Thanks

[Mike_Intel]

Hello FrancoF,

Thank you for posting in Intel community Forum.

For me to better understand and diagnose the issue further, let me ask you to provide detailed responses to the following questions. This information will help me isolate the problem and determine the most appropriate course of action moving forward.

1. What is the brand and model of your system?
2. May I know why are you doing this setup or test?
3. Let me also check, are you designing a system with embedded AX200?
4. Or, did you manually install this AX200 or is it embedded in the system?
5. For me to review the hardware and the drivers installed. Please help generate the SSU logs of the system. Please refer to the link below for the steps:

How to get the Intel® System Support Utility Logs on Windows*

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[FrancoF]

Hi Mike, thank you for your quick feedback. Let me address your questions:

1. The brand is Beelink (mini PC), model EQR6. For full hardware specifications, please refer to the `specs.md` file included in the GitHub repository as part of the technical documentation.

2. Since purchasing the device last February, I’ve never been able to complete a stable configuration of Microsoft Phone Link. Initially, I encountered sporadic crashes while attempting to establish a Bluetooth connection. Over time, these crashes became more frequent and reproducible, especially when both PAN and Bluetooth Tethering were enabled — which seemed unexpectedly required for Phone Link to function.

The turning point came when I analyzed the BSODs and consistently found `IBTHFSP.SYS` as the faulting module. This kernel driver is directly involved in the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) binding process, and its repeated presence in the crash dumps strongly suggests a causal link. The AX200 module is confirmed as the Bluetooth interface in use, and the crash signature points to a conflict between the AX200 stack and `IBTHFSP.SYS`.

Further suspicion was raised when the PC manufacturer advised me to downgrade from driver version 23.090 to 23.060 — implying known instability or incompatibility. This reinforced the hypothesis that the AX200 Bluetooth stack, in conjunction with `IBTHFSP.SYS`, is responsible for both the BSODs and the inability to establish a standard Bluetooth connection without PAN and Tethering.

3. No assembly involved. I purchased the PC with its current hardware configuration, including the AX200 Wi-Fi module with integrated Bluetooth.

4. Embedded — see #3 above.

5. I’ve attached the `.txt` file generated by Intel SSU as requested.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if further details are needed.

Best regards,
Franco

P.S. Sorry for the Italian in the following link — it's a Reddit thread I posted in r/BeelinkOfficial (where a couple of their answer were translated in italian)  where I documented the full evolution of the issue, including test history and early hypotheses. Google Translate might groan a bit, but the technical pain is universal
https://www.reddit.com/r/BeelinkOfficial/comments/1ntb0b5/scheda_ax200_e_relazione_certa_con_ripetuti/

[Mike_Intel]

Hello FrancoF,

Thank you for the update.

Before we proceed, let me set the expectation that you are using a 3rd party OEM system, and our support may be limited because of it. They may have altered, modified or enhanced the wireless controllers and to enable those changes, they may have their own OEM drivers. What we can provide is a generic driver from Intel.

Please try to perform clean driver installation of Inte's latest generic driver. Please refer to the link below for the steps and download link:

Clean Installation of Wireless Drivers

Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi Drivers for Windows® 10 and Windows 11*

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[FrancoF]

While reviewing your feedback and preparing my findings, let me first highlight a critical flaw in the current communication model:

the issue at hand involves multiple actors—Intel, Beelink, and myself (with Microsoft in background, of course) —yet responses remain siloed and directed only at the reporter. This fragmented approach prevents any meaningful joint analysis or escalation.

For a case involving a reproducible BSOD tied to an Intel Bluetooth driver (IBTHFSP.SYS), communication must shift from isolated replies to a shared, traceable dialogue between Intel and Beelink.

I strongly encourage Intel to engage publicly with Beelink via r/BeelinkOfficial, where all parties can monitor progress, contribute findings, and assume technical responsibility.

This is not just about resolving a crash—it's about restoring technical dignity through transparent collaboration.

Once I’ve collected and evaluated the items raised in your feedback above, I’ll share my findings—but not using Intel Community as a front-end, rather via Reddit as outlined above.

Looking forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your active and coordinated approach.

FF

[Mike_Intel]

Hello FrancoF,

Thank you for the update.

I completely understand your suggestion. However, I need to make sure that this is not just a simple driver issue. I need to make sure that we run through the basic troubleshooting steps first before we go big on collaboration and other troubleshooting.

Let me also share the latest Intel generic Bluetooth driver.

Intel® Wireless Bluetooth® Drivers for Windows® 10 and Windows 11*

Kindly update me if you already tried all my recommendations for me to document it and proceed with this issue.

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[FrancoF]

Hello Michael,

Although I had previously stated I would not repeat the same procedure again, I’ve decided to comply with your latest request — if only to definitively close this cycle and confirm, once more, what has already been documented extensively.

I performed a clean uninstall, disabled all network connections, and manually installed the generic Intel Bluetooth driver version **23.160.0**, exactly as recommended. The result, however, differs from the previous installation of the same version: this time, the system **rolled back to version 23.090.0.8**, effectively skipping 6–7 releases.
This outcome — along with the full sequence of screenshots and the final conclusions — is documented in the attached Word file linked to this post.

If version numbering follows a +10 increment logic, this rollback confirms that Windows forcibly replaced the installed driver with a much earlier one, despite identical conditions and identical package.

I am attaching the Word document that includes:
- The full ANTE and POST reinstall snapshots
- Driver tab, hardware ID, and Device Management sourced screenshots documenting either the events before the 23.130.0.3 was installed and what's happened right after the clean-reinstallation process carried out following your last reply
- Confirmation that the rollback occurred immediately after reboot and internet connection was re-established.

This behavior is not new. It has already been observed, documented, and publicly reported. The only difference now is that it happened again — under your exact instructions.

I will not expose the system to further instability. The IBTHFP.SYS driver remains the only consistent trigger of BSODs and failed Bluetooth pairing with Phone Link. I’ve stopped using it, and I’ve stopped expecting it to work.

As a side note, I’ve noticed that you did not follow the recommendation to modify the communication channel in order to directly include the PC manufacturer (Beelink) in the support cycle. As a result, the dialogue continues to resemble a conversation between a Microsoft user and a community moderator — which, if I may say so, doesn’t seem particularly productive, especially considering the OEM nature of the device and the direct involvement required.

I wonder whether this approach was intentional or if my proposal was simply ignored. In the first case, if I may, I would appreciate knowing the reasons — mainly if behind your decision there’s an intentional choice to exclude Beelink from the loop. In the second, I take note and simply reiterate that I no longer intend to act as a bridge between the parties — a role I’ve held for far too long, without any tangible outcome.

My best regards

FF

PS: Beelink has not been looped into this redundant review. If inclusion is intended, this thread should be posted on the Beelink r/Official page.

[Mike_Intel]

Hello FrancoF,

Thank you for the update.

I will do further checking on this matter and post the response on this thread once it is available.

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician