Bluetooth disappeared - Need Help

[Social Media]

Hey,

 

For some unknown reason my bluetooth has just disappeared ?

 

I have run the troubleshooter and it states "there is no bluetooth on this device"

Run Device Manager, no bluetooth present but can be revealed using "view hidden devices"

 

I have downloaded all Bluetooth drivers from manufacturers site and installed them.

 

Still cant get Bluetooth to run.

 

In devices it lists the bluetooth devices but there is no toggle to turn bluetooth on/off, its disappeared too ! all the devices show "bluetooth turned off"

Nothing can be removed from here either.

 

Tried various solutions on the internet cant find anything that works, so if anyone has any bright ideas I would be grateful for the help.

 

I also checked if any recent updates may have done this and only one exists in the last 24 hrs, and that was an antivirus update on windows defender.

 

Very frustrated spent hours on this.

 

Windows 10 OS

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Black Ops

[Eindhoven]

You don't think that details of your hardware would be of use?

[OneMoreFarang]

Hidden devices is anything that was working at some time. Even if that was a long time ago.

 

What is your device, a notebook?

Does it have Bluetooth build in?

Does it have an external Bluetooth adapter?

 

Some notebooks have "stupid" switches. I had it once that a blue light was on near the Bluetooth symbol. That confirmed for me that Bluetooth was on. Later I found out that the light must be orange to show it's on, blue meant it's off. But that is obviously different on different devices.

 

If you give us some more info then maybe we can help you.

You should also turn it completely off, remove the battery, remove the power plug, wait a minute, and switch it on again. If you are lucky that "fixes" the problem.

[Social Media]

11 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Hidden devices is anything that was working at some time. Even if that was a long time ago.

 

What is your device, a notebook?

Does it have Bluetooth build in?

Does it have an external Bluetooth adapter?

 

Some notebooks have "stupid" switches. I had it once that a blue light was on near the Bluetooth symbol. That confirmed for me that Bluetooth was on. Later I found out that the light must be orange to show it's on, blue meant it's off. But that is obviously different on different devices.

 

If you give us some more info then maybe we can help you.

You should also turn it completely off, remove the battery, remove the power plug, wait a minute, and switch it on again. If you are lucky that "fixes" the problem.

This is an Acer Laptop that was and has been flawless until now.

Bluetooth built in.

 

Have tried numerous power down/ restarts  as it re-installed all the drivers.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Black Ops

[OneMoreFarang]

4 minutes ago, Black Ops said:

This is an Acer Laptop that was and has been flawless until now.

Bluetooth built in.

 

Have tried numerous power down/ restarts  as it re-installed all the drivers.

There is no easy answer to your problem.

Maybe the Bluetooth adapter is broken, maybe a cable or connection.

The next thing I would try is a "technical tap", or in other words: Switch the notebook off and hit it with your flat hand. If you are lucky that "fixes" a lose connection.

If that also does not work then it's probably time to see a technician. I know it's a difficult time for that.

 

If you really need Bluetooth but don't want to see a technician in the moment then it's probably easiest to buy a USB Bluetooth adapter online. 

 

[Social Media]

13 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

There is no easy answer to your problem.

Maybe the Bluetooth adapter is broken, maybe a cable or connection.

The next thing I would try is a "technical tap", or in other words: Switch the notebook off and hit it with your flat hand. If you are lucky that "fixes" a lose connection.

If that also does not work then it's probably time to see a technician. I know it's a difficult time for that.

 

If you really need Bluetooth but don't want to see a technician in the moment then it's probably easiest to buy a USB Bluetooth adapter online. 

 

Thanks, yes buying the USB adapter was my plan B ????

[Eindhoven]

38 minutes ago, Black Ops said:

This is an Acer Laptop that was and has been flawless until now.

Bluetooth built in.

 

Have tried numerous power down/ restarts  as it re-installed all the drivers.

 

Seriously? Exact model.

[Social Media]

3 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

 

Seriously? Exact model.

You seem devoid of civility, could you please move on, you have nothing to say that I want to hear.

[Social Media]

1 hour ago, pdtokyo said:

Try this ...

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-bluetooth-in-settings-where-did-it-go/ebe7c3e5-08d4-4e3e-8da0-a3dc7e34e872

... same symptoms that you describe.

Thanks for this but alas nothing worked from this info, looks like the unit inside may be broken as it isnt being recognised, this is the only conclusion I can come to now having tried various solutions, so its plan B and the usb adapter going forward.

[RichCor]

On some ACER laptops the 'radios' (WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE, etc) are managed through an installed Acer background app called "Launch Manager". If included it's usually activated though a Fn Hot-Key,  [Fn-F3] on my laptop (the top row F-keys will have an alternate color scheme icon indicating the Fn (function) hot-key operation affected by the keypress.

 

 

[Social Media]

Thanks for the comments and thoughts guys, the toggle is not there in bluetooth settings, I mentioned that in the OP. It was there but disappeared.

 

I tried the Fn F3 as the F3 has the radio signal on it, but it does nothing ? 

 

I dont mind doing a restore but losing all the apps would be a nightmare, some I dont think I could even get again. The machine is 2016.

[RichCor]

14 minutes ago, Black Ops said:

I tried the Fn F3 as the F3 has the radio signal on it, but it does nothing ? 

Do ANY of the Fn keys function? Could be that the Acer hot-key helper app was removed or the background 'service' stopped. If you overwrote the original windows 10 install then the 'manager' wouldn't have been installed. As @OneMoreFarang pointed out, laptops with "soft switches" usually require a background service, like a hot-key manager, to enable or disable the on-board device. 

 

A trip to the ACER support website and looking up your exact model might reveal a version you can download and install anew.

[Social Media]

11 minutes ago, RichCor said:

Do ANY of the Fn keys function? Could be that the Acer hot-key helper app was removed or the background 'service' stopped. If you overwrote the original windows 10 install then the 'manager' wouldn't have been installed. As @OneMoreFarang pointed out, laptops with "soft switches" usually require a background service, like a hot-key manager, to enable or disable the on-board device. 

 

A trip to the ACER support website and looking up your exact model might reveal a version you can download and install anew.

Yes all the other Fn keys do something etc, but that one doesnt appear to do anything. I went to the Acer website today and downloaded and re-installed the entire driver list for this machine. Tried doszens of "fixes" on the web but none have worked.

I think we are at the windows re-install to fix the machine or the dongle to bypass the issue.

The problem with the windows option is losing the apps I have installed.

 

This was a good site, described the issues perfectly, but the solutions listed didnt work, half of the descriptions didnt even have on my machine.

 

https://troubleshooter.xyz/wiki/fix-option-to-turn-bluetooth-on-or-off-is-missing-from-windows-10/

Edited March 23, 2020 by Black Ops

[RichCor]

2 minutes ago, Black Ops said:

Yes all the other Fn keys do something etc, but that one doesnt appear to do anything.

For my 7-year old Acer laptop I had to locate the most recent version of the Dritek Launch Manager, which turned out for me to be a Windows 8.1 app provided by the Acer support site.  I'd be surprised the 'service' app wouldn't also be provided as part of the WiFi/Bluetooth driver set (it may you manually find it in the installer files and run it to install it). 

 

When I initially ran into this same issue it took me a while to discover how Acer was handling all the Fn key functions to interact (or not) with Windows 10. Discovered the "Launch Manager" only handled turning the WiFi and Bluetooth radios on and off, the other Fn key options are either handled by the operating system or redirected to other software to handle control.

[Social Media]

21 minutes ago, RichCor said:

For my 7-year old Acer laptop I had to locate the most recent version of the Dritek Launch Manager, which turned out for me to be a Windows 8.1 app provided by the Acer support site.  I'd be surprised the 'service' app wouldn't also be provided as part of the WiFi/Bluetooth driver set (it may you manually find it in the installer files and run it to install it). 

 

When I initially ran into this same issue it took me a while to discover how Acer was handling all the Fn key functions to interact (or not) with Windows 10. Discovered the "Launch Manager" only handled turning the WiFi and Bluetooth radios on and off, the other Fn key options are either handled by the operating system or redirected to other software to handle control.

Ok, well I uninstalled and re-installed the "Launch Manager" it activated that key and it toggles the wi-fi on and off now, so thanks for that. It hasnt impacted at all on the bluetooth issue though sadly.

[RichCor]

Interesting.

 

Does bluetooth even show up as an entry in the Windows control panel Device Manager?

 

(On my laptop, it won't if it's turned OFF using the Launch Manager. But if launch manager isn't finding it... then I guess the USB dongle is your next resort.

[Social Media]

9 minutes ago, RichCor said:

Interesting.

 

Does bluetooth even show up as an entry in the Windows control panel Device Manager?

 

(On my laptop, it won't if it's turned OFF using the Launch Manager. But if launch manager isn't finding it... then I guess the USB dongle is your next resort.

No it doesnt show anywhere, not in DM, nowhere to be seen or found.

[gamb00ler]

Being a retired software engineer, I sometimes recommend solutions that require experience many don't have.  I apologize if that is the case here.

 

There are a couple of options to determine if this is caused by a Windows problem or a device problem.

You can download a bootable image that will eliminate Windows as a suspect.  Hiren's BootCD v15.1 (Win10 version) or Ubuntu Live(Linux) can be used to substitute for your Windows installation and allow you to see if your hardware is functioning.  Both can be used from a USB/thumb drive.

 

I have no experience with Hiren's as I mostly abandoned Windows several years ago.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

9 hours ago, Black Ops said:

Thanks for the comments and thoughts guys, the toggle is not there in bluetooth settings, I mentioned that in the OP. It was there but disappeared.

 

I tried the Fn F3 as the F3 has the radio signal on it, but it does nothing ? 

 

I dont mind doing a restore but losing all the apps would be a nightmare, some I dont think I could even get again. The machine is 2016.

A restore does not fix this kind of problem!

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

Being a retired software engineer, I sometimes recommend solutions that require experience many don't have.  I apologize if that is the case here.

 

There are a couple of options to determine if this is caused by a Windows problem or a device problem.

You can download a bootable image that will eliminate Windows as a suspect.  Hiren's BootCD v15.1 (Win10 version) or Ubuntu Live(Linux) can be used to substitute for your Windows installation and allow you to see if your hardware is functioning.  Both can be used from a USB/thumb drive.

 

I have no experience with Hiren's as I mostly abandoned Windows several years ago.

 

 

In principle you are right. But it's not guaranteed that the boot CD recognizes the Bluetooth hardware. Maybe it does and that would be prof that the hardware is not the problem. But if the boot CD does not detect it that is no clear indicator that the adapter is dead.

[Social Media]

3 hours ago, pdtokyo said:

To be clear ... does your setting page look like the example i posted in post #14 (and not showing the highlighted toggle) ?

 

If so, as i said, that is a known software-related problem ...

 

i believe step 6 in ...

https://www.guidingtech.com/fix-bluetooth-missing-from-device-manager-windows-10/ 

... worked for me.

 

You may want to try that.

Thanks but as mentioned previously all these things have been done.

 

Anyway, here's a surprise, I turned the machine off last night having spent 8 hrs chasing my ass and trying anything and everything I could fins as an option on the internet.

This morning, start the machine, its working , all good like nothing happened.

 

Now this really pisses me off ! because I dont know what caused it, or how it came back ? yes, I am happy it is back, but would like to know why and how, guess its gonna remain  a mystery until and if it happens again.

 

Thanks again to those who tried to help, much appreciated guys.

[Orton Rd]

I stopped using the damn thing, always cutting off after a while, a cord does not!

[userabcd]

Hold windows key+X key and open device manager.

 

Click View and click show hidden devices.

 

Open the BT driver and uninstall all the faded BT drivers and then uninstall the generic bluetooth driver.

 

Reboot your pc and the BT drivers will auto reinstall anew.

 

Reconnect your BT devices and they should work.

Edited March 24, 2020 by userabcd

[Social Media]

44 minutes ago, userabcd said:

Hold windows key+X key and open device manager.

 

Click View and click show hidden devices.

 

Open the BT driver and uninstall all the faded BT drivers and then uninstall the generic bluetooth driver.

 

Reboot your pc and the BT drivers will auto reinstall anew.

 

Reconnect your BT devices and they should work.

Clearly you havnt read any of the above posts.

[userabcd]

2 hours ago, Black Ops said:

Clearly you havnt read any of the above posts.

I read them albeit.....afterwards :-))

 

I think you misspelled a word there.

 

But it really should be an easy fix in windows 10 and the steps I mentioned work for me without fail every time.

Edited March 24, 2020 by userabcd

[MJKT2014]

4 hours ago, Black Ops said:

Clearly you havnt read any of the above posts.

That person shouldn't have to as it is you who asked for help.

 

Try a factory reset and see if that sorts it? OK you are scared of losing your apps, but swap out hard drives beforehand and use a blank hard drive to test it on.

Try replacing the bluetooth wireless chip inside the laptop if that's possible. I had to do that on my old laptop, but it was not an Acer.

[RichCor]

10 hours ago, Black Ops said:

here's a surprise, I turned the machine off last night having spent 8 hrs chasing my ass and trying anything and everything I could fins as an option on the internet.

This morning, start the machine, its working , all good like nothing happened.

Oh, sorry.

Maybe I should have mentioned the possible need to restart the laptop after getting that Fn-F3 helper app reinstalled. My bad.

 

Just curious, what happens now when you press Fn-F3, do both radio power options appear?

[Social Media]

1 hour ago, RichCor said:

Oh, sorry.

Maybe I should have mentioned the possible need to restart the laptop after getting that Fn-F3 helper app reinstalled. My bad.

 

Just curious, what happens now when you press Fn-F3, do both radio power options appear?

No, it activates "flight mode" thereby turning off the wireless function

[Social Media]

6 hours ago, MJKT2014 said:

That person shouldn't have to as it is you who asked for help.

 

Try a factory reset and see if that sorts it? OK you are scared of losing your apps, but swap out hard drives beforehand and use a blank hard drive to test it on.

Try replacing the bluetooth wireless chip inside the laptop if that's possible. I had to do that on my old laptop, but it was not an Acer.

Another not read or paid no attention to previous posts.

[userabcd]

On 3/23/2020 at 10:19 PM, Black Ops said:

Yes all the other Fn keys do something etc, but that one doesnt appear to do anything. I went to the Acer website today and downloaded and re-installed the entire driver list for this machine. Tried doszens of "fixes" on the web but none have worked.

I think we are at the windows re-install to fix the machine or the dongle to bypass the issue.

The problem with the windows option is losing the apps I have installed.

 

This was a good site, described the issues perfectly, but the solutions listed didnt work, half of the descriptions didnt even have on my machine.

 

https://troubleshooter.xyz/wiki/fix-option-to-turn-bluetooth-on-or-off-is-missing-from-windows-10/

Strange you do not have some of the descriptions in the above reference on your machine, they are all there in windows 10.