Help! Bluetooth option missing from System Preferences!

Question

Level 1

6 points

Help! Bluetooth option missing from System Preferences!

Hey there,

I just recently had the hard drive replaced in my MacBook Pro and I noticed that the Bluetooth option is completely missing from my System Preferences. Usually, it's the first icon/option under Hardware, like so:

But my icon is completely gone. I used spotlight to actually find the Bluetooth preference dialog, but then I get this error message:

How can I possibly restore my Bluetooth option in System Preferences? This is a total mystery. Thanks, in advance, for your help!

MacBook Pro 15", Mac OS X (10.5.2), 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo, 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Posted on Apr 15, 2008 8:28 PM

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Answer 1

cam815

Level 1

8 points

Apr 21, 2008 8:39 AM in response to yonas

Um... strangely this has just happened to me. Although I used my Bluetooth mouse fine last night. Loaded up the MacBook Pro this morning at work and my Bluetooth Icon in the menu bar has a line through it and Bluetooth is missing from my System Preferences...

I'm really stumped on this one? No updates, no patches, no system changes since last night. Closed the lid, went to bed, opened it today - bam no Bluetooth...

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Answer 2

Apr 21, 2008 11:10 AM in response to yonas

If you look inside the System Profiler (which is in your /Applications/Utilities/ folder), is there a Bluetooth device listed under the USB bus? The built-in Bluetooth adapter is actually an internal USB device. If it doesn't appear as one of the USB devices, either your USB bus is acting up or your Bluetooth module may have become defective.

-Doug

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Answer 3

yonas Author

Level 1

6 points

Apr 21, 2008 11:17 AM in response to Douglas McLaughlin

Hey there. I have actually done this, highlighted "bluetooth" in the left pane, but the right pane says that it's unavailable. I think it's time to take it to an Apple "Genius." Thanks for the reply.

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Answer 4

Apr 21, 2008 12:43 PM in response to yonas

No, you need to look at the "USB" option. Does your Bluetooth module appear listed under the other USB parts? It should be a "Bluetooth USB Host Controller". If if it doesn't appear, then you have a hardware problem with your USB bus or the Bluetooth module. This is not the same as checking the "Bluetooth" section of the System Profiler. It's possible there's a software problem causing that to be unavailable.

-Doug

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Answer 5

yonas Author

Level 1

6 points

Apr 21, 2008 9:14 PM in response to Douglas McLaughlin

Thanks for clearing that up, Doug. I have checked the USB section of System Profiler and unfortunately the *Bluetooth USB Host Controller* does not appear to be anywhere. At this point I'm convinced it's a hardware problem. If per chance it's a software problem, their most likely solution would be to reinstall Leopard altogether. That would really annoy me.

Thanks again for your help!

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Answer 6

Apr 21, 2008 10:20 PM in response to yonas

For the first time ever I am having Bluetooth problems dropping my keyboard at startup in conjunction with Sleep=Freeze. I thought maybe it was related to a USB/BT problem since both were at about the same time. But my BT module is as it should be. But last week my Energy Saver CP just disappeared. I looked through TimeMachine and saw that it had been gone for a couple of hours and replaced it with an backup from a couple hours before that. That was before TM started erasing backups even though there is plenty of room for lots. No BT dropping now, but still not able to Auto-Sleep without the CPU freezing first. But am having a ton of OS related "complications". I think Leopard . . .

. . . am really looking forward to 10.5.3. Any ideas on the Freeze at Sleep?

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Answer 7

Apr 21, 2008 10:36 PM in response to yonas

I hate to give such a "Windows-y" answer, but this happened to me on Tiger whenever the system wasn't shut down properly (or occasionally it would start up on and discoverable when left off): a simple restart fixed the problem.

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Answer 8

Apr 22, 2008 2:34 PM in response to yonas

Yes, that would tend to indicate a hardware problem. There is one more troubleshooting step you can take, though. Unplug all external USB and/or FireWire devices. Shut down the MacBook Pro, remove the battery and unplug the AC adapter. Let the computer sit for at least ten minutes completely unpowered. This should drain any residual charge from all of the ports and "reset" them. Put the battery back in, plug the AC adapter back in and turn the computer on. Before you plug in any other USB or FireWire devices, is Bluetooth back? If so, you can plug your other devices back in and see if Bluetooth sticks. If Bluetooth is still unavailable after a reset like that, your module may be defective. You would need to take in your computer for service.

-Doug

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