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Level 1

5 points

Bluetooth: Not Available -- Hardware or software fault?

I have the "Bluetooth: Not Available" problem on my MacBook with BT going in and out like a fiddler's elbow. I have tried all the fixes posted here and none has worked. At first it was only a minor inconvenience as I had no BT devices. I worked around the no sleep when BT unavailable problem by using the Deep Sleep widget, which put my MB to sleep even when BT was unavailable. But a week ago a relative bought me a BT mouse as a gift and I would like to be able to use it.

I have always thought this problem is most likely a software issue, mainly because I have seen the same thing on G5 desktops, and have heard that it happens on PBG4s. However, I now think this is a hardware issue.

I have Windows XP installed on my MB and thought I would try my mouse with that system. I reasoned that if the problem is software-related it should work OK under Windows. Well, the mouse was detected OK and worked for about 30 seconds but then it vanished just like it does under the Mac OS. Nothing I tried would find it again.

My warranty expires in 2 months and I would like to find out for certain whether or not my hardware is at fault.

I do not want to be without my MB if I can help it (I was without it for 2 months late last summer due to RSD) but I would like to have a reliable BT function.

Does anyone out there agree that the fact that this also happens under Windows means it is more likely to be a faulty BT module than a software issue?

For the record my BT has switched between available and unavailable 5 times whilst writing this! It is now stuck at unavailable.

MacBook White 2GHz, 1.25Gb, 60Gb Mac OS X (10.4.9) Titanium PowerBook G4

MacBook White 2GHz, 1.25Gb, 60Gb Mac OS X (10.4.9) Titanium PowerBook G4

Posted on Apr 20, 2007 7:48 AM

246 replies

Neo789

Level 1

0 points

Jul 6, 2010 8:21 PM in response to sfthomas

I'm adding my post to this ongoing discussion in hopes others can gain from my arduous experience. Maybe Apple will also keep track of the bazillion people who are also having this problem and publish a recommended repair.

I own the white Macbook Core Duo 1.83Ghz [model A1181]. The bluetooth module was unavailable about 95% of the time, and, of course, the Macbook would NOT sleep properly if bluetooth was unavailable. Each time I tried to put my Macbook to sleep, within about 5 seconds it would make a whirring noise as if it was ejecting a CD, and then wake the Macbook. Argh. VERY annoying. It's very unsafe to close the lid with the screen still on and naturally unsafe to put the Macbook in my bag if it was awake and running. Although I seldom use the bluetooth function, I often put my Macbook to sleep because I have irregular work patterns.

Here are all the things I tried to repair on my Macbook over a 6 week period: reset SMC, reset PRAM, deleted WinXP partition, installed SMCFanControl thinking I had an overheating problem, deleted /var/root/Library/Preferences/blued.plist, then erased and clean installed Mac OS Leopard 3 times - all to no avail. I concluded the bluetooth module might need to be replaced so I took it to the authorised Apple service shop in my neighbourhood and asked them to test my macbook's hardware, reroute the bluetooth antenna wires according to the suggestions on this forum post and finally replace the faulty bluetooth hardware if necessary. Well, I'm happy to report that the antenna wires were moved and now everything is running normal. The tech said he did not need to replace any hardware and just billed me for 0.75 hours of time (approx $70). I'm back in business. I did not find this suggested fix on many places on the internet. Why can't Apple be accountable and simply recommend this fix on older model Macbooks? Oh well - good luck with your repair!

thewk

Level 1

70 points

Jul 7, 2010 1:56 AM in response to Neo789

Do you know how the cables were rerouted? Here is iFixit manual and step 26 shows the antenna cable:

http://ifixit.com/pdf/ifixit/guide298en.pdf

Jul 7, 2010 8:32 PM in response to sfthomas

So this problem has been bugging me for the last few months now and after reading the this forum I think I have figured out a solution and I think it's heat related.

First I reset the SMC by taking my battery out and all of that jazz. At first that work but after about leaving my computer set for about ten minutes it cut out again so I looked for a another solution.

So I tried to remember all the things I have done to my Macbook over the last few months and the only thing that came to mind was that I'm now using my T.V. as a monitor for it and that I had changed the Energy Saver Preferences on it so it could run faster, which in turn probably caused it to produce more heat. So I went to my Energy Saver Preferences and restored them to default and it now seems to working just fine.

Fine meaning it has been working for the last half hour without cutting out and I was able to type this entire post with my Bluetooth keyboard with no signal disruption.

So my suggestion would be to try restoring your Energy Saver Preferences to default and see if that does the trick.

I wish you all the best of luck on solving this issue. And for me it appears to be a software issue.

Jul 31, 2010 7:33 AM in response to sfthomas

Just got off the phone with Apple Support. They had me do the following:

- Power down the laptop (MacBook Pro in my case)
- Remove the AC connection
- Remove the battery
- Connect the AC connection
- Replace the battery
- Power up and immediately hold down the Command + Option + P + R buttons
- Wait for the second "GONG" then let go of the keys
- Log on normally

This seemed to resolve the problem and my Magic Mouse started working immediately. Once I hung up with Support and waited 30 seconds BT went away AGAIN!!! So, I repeated the exact procedure above. Now, it's been up for 10 minutes.

Not sure if this is a permanent fix but worth a try. Post what your experience is to see if it works for all or not.

Aug 1, 2010 3:43 AM in response to LawClerk

There is a separate thread which absolutely worked for me... you need to be a little brave but it works...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1172382&tstart=0

make sure you route the cable on top of all the other cables and you'll also see the result. My Bluetooth used to disappear after just 30mins use. Since following the instructions on the above thread, I left my MacBook running constantly (more than 50 hours now) and it hasn't failed.

Awesome.

Sep 10, 2010 3:45 PM in response to printergirl

I had similar problems on my black MacBook (first release):
- constantly waking from sleep mode
- Bluetooth not available
- System information showed "no information available" on the Bluetooth information tab

Here is what I did to fix the problem (in this order)
1.) Reset my Mac's System Management Controller (SMC) (cf.: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964)
2.) Reset my Mac's PRAM and NVRAM (cf. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379)

Bests,
Charly

Bluetooth: Not Available -- Hardware or software fault?