GX600 (MS-163a) bluetooth problem

Hello,

I am having the same problem presented in this old post, but the post has no solution.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/251472-gx600-bluetooth-problem.html

My situation also has a new twist. My laptop version has a single button to toggle between WiFi, Bluetooth, both, or neither. I could toggle between them and the ACME display and LED would change accordingly (dark blue, green, light blue). But there would still be no bluetooth, and everytime I tried to install the Toshiba BT stack, it would ask me to "plug in" the bluetooth. It never would install regardless of the status of the toggle button and LED. This was with BIOS version 1.0.

Then I flashed to the latest BIOS (with Turbo support - v.112, downloaded from MSI Global ? Notebook - GX600. Now when I press the Wifi/Bluetooth toggle button, I see no ACME pop-up (although it still works for sound volume) and the LED only toggles from green to off. And still when I try to install the Toshiba BT stack, it asks me to "plug in" the bluetooth. I also do not see any corresponding unknown devices in Device Manager.

I have the MS-163a and on the bottom of the laptop is a label saying that I have the MS-6837D bluetooth module installed.

Any ideas on how to get BT working? Has the latest BIOS left out bluetooth perhaps (although that would not explain the problem with the original BIOS)?

I know this is an old laptop, but it still has lots of life left in it. Any help would be much appreciated. The MSI FAQ suggests a BIOS update would solve thi sproblem, but clearly it has not, at least not with the very latest BIOS for the Turbo models.

On a side note, I noticed with the new BIOS that turning on Turbo mode does not automatically speed up the fan. I hope this means that the fan is just smarter now, and not that the BIOS disabled Turbo mode and just lights up the Turbo LED to make me think it is working when it is not...

I am running Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (OEM). Thanks in advance.

 

I would take apart the notebook and check if the bluetooth module is really there.

 

Go to Device Manager and if you have it actually installed you'll see it there either as Bluetooth radio or unknown device.

 

Thanks for the replys. There is no Bluetooth radio and no unknown device in Device Manager, so yes, it really suggests that there is no bluetooth. And yet this model, MS-163a, is always spec'ed with BT and like I said there is the BT label on the bottom. Since I saw others with the same issue I thought maybe there was a bug somewhere, but maybe you are right and I should just pop it open and take a look inside.

The only question for now is, what do I look for inside? How will I know whether there is BT or not by opening it up?

Thanks again.

 

This might help (need to sign up to the MSI forum and login to see the GX600 Assembly movie ).
Login

 

Thanks for the video link, moral hazard. I opened the laptop case, looked in the same area where the bluetooth module is located in the video, and ... nothing. So, "problem" solved.

Now I'm just scratching my head as to why the case says it has BT but it is not there. But I bought this second-hand, so someone must have yanked it. I'm just happy that the computer is behaving as it should and is not unstable.

And I guess I should be pleased that the new BIOS makes the WiFi toggle and LED indicate there is not BT, whereas the old BIOS left me think it was there.