Inspiron 8500 w/ TrueMobile 1300 DISABLED

Question

Okay, I just got a brand new Inspiron 8500 with both the Bluetooth option and a Truemobile 1300 802.11g MiniPCI card. The problem is that I can't seem to ENABLE my radio(s) (both the Bluetooth and 802.11g indicated that they are disabled.)... I can press Fn-F2 to toggle between a radio tower with yellow circles, and a radio tower with a big red circle and slash. But no matter what, when I go into the Truemobile Wireless utility, the enabled box is unchecked. If I try to check it and Apply, a box pops up saying that I must enable it using Fn-F2. As well, my wireless network connection indicated that it is unavailable. HELP! This darn thing just doesn't want to enable, and so far tech support hasn't been much help. Matt

johnallg · Answer

What does the BIOS report being in the mini-PCI slot and is it shown as enabled?

liquidpt · Answer

On Page 3 (BIOS ver A03) under Wireless Configuration I have: Onboard Bluetooth: Not InstalledMiniPCI Device: WirelessMiniPCI Status: EnabledWireless Control: /Application Wireless: On ThanksMatt

johnallg · Answer

If you are sure you have the Bluetooth option, it isn't being seen.  Reseat the module and the harness. <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed / replaced from this post by Dell>

liquidpt · Answer

You are the man! 4 times on the phone with Dell Tech Support didn't fix that. The radio is enabled now, just a matter of connecting ThanksMatt

johnallg · Answer

We aim to please!!

rltvstc · Answer

If you ever need to force the 1300 radio on, see: http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6518

jmueke1 · Answer

Hi, I am having the same problem and the link above is dead, where can I find this article on how to turn on the blue tooth radio on the inspiron 8500?

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

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