Bluetooth device is not recognized in XPS1530

Question

Hi there,   After I got me notebook, I noticed that there were some programs that I would never need. So I formatted the hard disk, merged every partition together and installed Vista. I have installed every driver from Dell support site. Everythin works except one: Bluetooth. I wasn't able to intall the driver for Bluetooth because it was not recognized by the system. During installation of the driver a screen pops up at the beginning saying that I should turn the Bluetooth device on using Radio switch! But I cannot do it. It is neither listed in the device manager nor elsewhere. There are no other devices listed in the device manager either. I am sure there IS bluetooth in my machine because I ordered it and because the BIOS DOES show that a Bluetooth is installed. When I got the computer the first time, there were driver and software for Bluetooth installed in the machine too. But somehow it disappered after I formatted hard disk and installed Vista. Vista doesn't see it and because it is not seen, the driver won't install asking me to turn the bluetooth on!   Any suggestions what could be happening? Anyone who 'lost' track of Bluetooth after reinstallation of Vista? The Technical Support cannot help either. The only option remaining is that Bluetooth device be replaced by some technician, which I don't want to go through if there is an easier way.   Thanks in advance.

dgkpcon · Answer

Do you have 355 BT adapter?...If so there is a upgrade patch for this on the driver page.

RedFox314 · Answer

The wifi switch also turns the bluetooth on and off. So if you installed windows with the wifi switch off, it wouldn't have been installed. With me the bluetooth radio disappears from the device manager when I turn off the wifi switch. So that might be the cause of your problem.   I hope this helped.

Grayhair53 · Answer

Nothing for nothing but I really do not think the update will help. 1530's are new machines, if you check the Release Date it is 1/26/2007, even though it was posted on 11/28/07 so I would have to think that it was already installed at the time of manufacture.

Kafkar · Answer

Redfox314, EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!   I HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM!!!!   Thanks for everybody who has posted so far. I have solved the problem in a way that I figured out.   It is as Redfox314 mentioned: When you turn off the switch, Bluetooth COMPLETELY DISAPPEARS FROM YOUR DEVICE MANAGER!!!!! It is as if you don't have such a device any more. And know this:   IF YOU REINSTALL WINDOWS VISTA (AFTER A FORMAT) WITH THE WIFI SWITCH 'OFF', BLUETOOTH IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY VISTA AND THE WIFI SWITCH IS AS GOOD AS NOTHING!!!!!   Yeah that's right. I did it and since tech support couldn't help but say 'reinstall again', I formatted my hard drive and reinstalled Vista again. This time the WIFI switch was ON. You know what happened: NOTHING!!!! ZERO!!! Bluetooth still didn't show any trace of existence in VISTA (But note that it was seen as an installed device in BIOS).   So, here is the question: Then how did you come out of this paradox? Here is the answer:   As it is stated in the this thread http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_general&message.id=251855&query.id=36084#M251855    there is a utility to enable Bluetooth. But here is the stupid thing: IT IS NOT LISTED AS AN XPS PATCH AS OF TODAY!!! BUT IT IS LISTED FOR Inspiron 9400/E1705. So, YOU CANNOT FIND IT UNDER THE DRIVERS SECTION FOR XPS 1530!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Here is the link for the patch: Or in other words, select the Network section for Inspiron 9400/E1705 and download the patch for Bluetooth and run it. IT WORKS FOR XPS1530 AS WELL!! AND DELL TECH SUPPORT IS PROBABLY NOT AWARE OF IT!!!   Hope this helps for people who experience the same problem.   Take care.   Kafkar

balkanized · Answer

I have a xps1330 with the same bluetooth issue. I havent re-installed the computer since I got it, and havent really had the use for the bluetooth untill a few days ago, only to discover that there is no bluetooth on the machine at all. So, to make a long story short, I found that same 'patch' or whatever that you also recommanded, which is supposed to turn on the bluetooth device in case the OS was installed with the wifi switch off. BUT the message I got is, 'No capable device found.' Check in BIOS and everything seems fine. So im thinking, if this didnt do the trick, would it help to try re-installing VISTA with the wifi switch on? Maybe the monkeys at the factory didnt do it proper the first time around.

Kafkar · Answer

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me at that time. The dell technical service guy suggested doing a reinstall with the switch on, but nope. Bluetooth wasn't there. Only after running the patch it was discovered.

Here is a hint: There is a bluetooth symbol next to caps lock and wireless signs that should turn on when you boot your computer. If your switch is off or you disabled it, it goes off before Vista starts. If the light doesn't appear at all, it means that the device "itself" is shut off. Only patch was able "to turn on" the bluetooth and vista recognized it.

Try installing the driver of bluetooth, if it cannot install and says "turn on device with radio on/off" switch, you can surely say that it is off (If you are SURE THAT YOU HAD IT INCLUDED WITH YOUR CONFIGURATION)

If neither patch, nor reinstall (that's what dell rep would ask you) works, then they can send a technician to replace it.

Note: You can also do the factory restore thing, if you haven't deleted that partition.

Again:

-Try patches (even other patches you can find)

-Try factory restore

-Try reinstall OS and the drivers with the switch ON (order is important: 1) NSS 2)Chipset 3) The rest)

-Try BIOS settings, make sure it is "WIFI Switch turns on Bluetooth or Bluetooth&Wireless or ALL"

If nothing works, call DELL and let them solve your issue.

Good luck

Oz.

grobinson6000 · Answer

thanks!

i have a vista 32bit XPS 1530, which has the 355 bluetooth device.

my bluetooth adaptor quietly stopped working one day, and dissapeared from everything except the bios. i believe this is the computer equivalent of a 'senior moment'... :p

i kept getting stuck at the point where the 355 driver installer (downloaded the standard way from dell support) says 'turn on bluetooth switch / (fn)(f2)'.

this 'patch' now has my bluetooth adaptor recognised and working again!

Kafkar · Answer

@grobinson6000 wrote:

thanks!

i have a vista 32bit XPS 1530, which has the 355 bluetooth device.

my bluetooth adaptor quietly stopped working one day, and dissapeared from everything except the bios. i believe this is the computer equivalent of a 'senior moment'... :p

i kept getting stuck at the point where the 355 driver installer (downloaded the standard way from dell support) says 'turn on bluetooth switch / (fn)(f2)'.

this 'patch' now has my bluetooth adaptor recognised and working again!

You are welcome, glad to hear the patch was useful for you.

Oz.

Audette · Answer

I found that the patch didnt really help with my XPS 1330. Even though it enabled my bluetooth module, it would not allow me to update it with the XPS drivers. also when trying to connect my phone, it would only connect the phone as a remote control. I couldnt access the phone for anything else.

Reinstallation of Vista solved my problem. BUT I changed the BIOS settings so that the wireless switch only controlled bluetooth and also made sure it was on when the reinstallation began. Once Vista was installed, the bluetooth icon was visible and all that needed to be done was to download and update drivers and everything was working perfectly :)

ilanf · Answer

Dear kafkar

i have a new inspiron 1525 with the same problem after formatting and reinstalling vista.

tried downloading the patch but got stuck with the massage - "turn bluetooth on with the fn+f2

or radio on/off button". on my bios the bluetooth is enabaled.

what can i do next ?

by the way i didnt understand - " Try reinstall OS and the drivers with the switch ON (order is important: 1) NSS 2)Chipset 3) The rest)" - how can i do it when the switch can't be turnd on ? can you elaborate on that ?

thx a lot

ILAN

p.s - i dont have the privilege of a technician cause i bought the laptop in the states but idont live there.

Kafkar · Answer

@ilanf wrote:

Dear kafkar

i have a new inspiron 1525 with the same problem after formatting and reinstalling vista.

tried downloading the patch but got stuck with the massage - "turn bluetooth on with the fn+f2

or radio on/off button". on my bios the bluetooth is enabaled.

what can i do next ?

by the way i didnt understand - " Try reinstall OS and the drivers with the switch ON (order is important: 1) NSS 2)Chipset 3) The rest)" - how can i do it when the switch can't be turnd on ? can you elaborate on that ?

thx a lot

ILAN

p.s - i dont have the privilege of a technician cause i bought the laptop in the states but idont live there.

Hi ilanf,

So, to make it clear: You ran a format-reinstall while the bluetooth was disabled, right?

Although I don't have Inspiron and haven't tested this problem-solution there, here is my response:

The patch I have found was able to activate (or so I assume) the bluetooth device in the notebook, which was somehow inactivated during a previous format-reinstall of OS, while the external switch was OFF (and so was the bluetooth). Yeah, Bios might recognize it, but cannot activate/turn it on. In other words, bluetooth becomes like an inresponsive device (BIOS "sees" it but doesn't "reach" it or something). The patch I run was able to give life back to it (bluetooth light on the notebook turned on and icon in control panel re-appeared) and I just run a format/reinstall of OS to make sure that everything was fine with the drivers (while the bluetooth was enabled of course).

Just Reinstalling the OS would probably only help if there is another problem. And the order of NSS-Chipset-other drivers is the recommended way of every reinstall. Not directly relevant to your problem.

So, again, you are right: If Bluetooth cannot be turned on or recognized by windows-Vista right now, you better not have high hopes after a simple reinstall. You can give it a shot if nothing works though.

So, the patch I mentioned doesn't work right? Did you try other patches or updated drivers? You might try searching for updates-patches-drivers for other DELL notebook models, like I did.

Remember: You need to find a way of awakening the bluetooth that has shut itself down. And this is not your fault but a DELL fault that it becomes like that.

Keep me updated if none of these work.

Good Luck

Oz.

Message Edited by Kafkar on 06-24-2008 02:02 PM

roy_ricky · Answer

Resolution:      Download this utility to enable it from this link:   http://ftp.dell.com/network/R159805.EXE    And then install Bluetooth drivers from this link for   http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&dl=false&l=en&s=gen&docid=493198523027003CE040A68F5A2864F6&doclang=en&cs    Thnx Ricky

2998cc · Answer

thanks mate, worked for me on the M1730 as well... :robotvery-happy:

roy_ricky · Answer

You are most welcome friend. :)

desliefaith · Answer

thanks guys...fixed it for me!

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Bluetooth device is not recognized in XPS1530

Was this post helpful?