'Bluetooth hardware is off' - Cant turn back on

Hi there,

I have a new macbook (3 months old) and when I first was setting it up I chose to turn bluetooth off - so as not to waste battery on something that I would rarely use.

I have tried today to turn it on, but I click on the status in the menu bar and the option to turn it on is grayed out. So I had a look in System Preferences and tried to add a new device, and I get a dialoge box saying my bluetooth hardware is off and asking me if I want to turn it on. I click the button to turn it on, and nothing happens.

Can anyone suggest something I'm missing or something I could try in order to get either bluetooth on and paired with a new device, or to de-gray the option on the menu bar.

Many thanks in advance!

Oliver