My bluetooth has disappeared. My mouse isn't recognized and there's no bluetooth icon in my system preferences. I'd say that the last Software Update thingie this week caused a problem. Has anyone else had the issue? What should I do?
Couple things you could do.
1. Trash the Bluetooth preferences file. It's located in /Library/Preferences and it's called com.apple.bluetooth.plist. System will recreate it. Check System Preferences. Bluetooth okay? If not, then,
2. Reset your SMC. How you do this depends what kind of Mac you have. See this article for specific info on your model:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Let us know if that works. Hope you still have a corded mouse!
Happy Mac'ing!
Dan
Before I do something unwise, there are two folders. One is called System and has an X (OS X style) on it and the other says system folder. When I search on Spotlight for 'com.apple.bluetooth.plist', it finds nothing. In System, there is Library, but no bluetooth, but if I go to PreferencePanes, there is a bluetooth PrefPan. In System Folder, there is Preferences, but no bluetooth. In the stand-alone folder Library, there is no bluetooth either. I have found Bluetooth Firmware update, and Bluetooth File Exchange.
I'm thinking that I should run the SnowLeopard installer. I'm on a MacBook which is coming up to 2 yrs old. Further advice is welcome. After that, I guess I call Apple.
You will not find "com.apple.bluetooth.plist" using Spotlight as it does not index the /Library folder or /System. The /Library folder is at the root of your boot hard drive, i.e. the one that appears in the top right corner of your desktop and contains, at minimum /System, /Library, /Users, and /Applications. Confusingly, there is also a /System/Library folder - do not alter ANYTHING inside the /System folder, ever. The /Preferences folder inside /Library (/Library/Preferences) is where you will find the file "com.apple.bluetooth.plist". The folder you see called /System/Library/PreferencePanes is where the actual pane you see in System Preferences lives - and it is the preference pane that creates the file "com.apple.bluetooth.plist" in the /Library/Preferences folder, located in the same /Library folder as the PreferencePanes folder, alphabetically just after PreferencePanes.
If you have an Intel Mac - which you must in order to install Snow Leopard - then you have no need for /System Folder - a holdover from running System 9 on PPC Macs previous to Leopard. Throw it out - it does nothing but take up space. As well you may have a Classic Apps folder - also useless on an Intel Mac, you can throw it out.
If you have no file called "com.apple.bluetooth.plist", that's okay, it's because the PreferencePane is not creating one. Again, reset the SMC as per the instructions, and you should be okay. Let us know how it's going.
Happy Mac'ing!
Dan
Thanks very much. That reset has solved it, and I've trashed the files that you told me to. Your knowledge is much appreciated, as is your time sharing it.
Hey! That's great! I don't know why it works, as the SMC reset notes don't mention the BlueTooth module, but an SMC reset usually does fix this problem. One of those "this is why I didn't want another Windows machine?" moments, isn't it? Thankfully those moments are few, and that's when your fellow users will either know how to solve the problem, or at least point you to the right resources.
Happy Mac'ing!
Dan
Quote from: GNV on November 30, 2010, 09:20:54 PM
My bluetooth has disappeared. My mouse isn't recognized and there's no bluetooth icon in my system preferences. I'd say that the last Software Update thingie this week caused a problem. Has anyone else had the issue? What should I do?
Glad to hear you resolved this. If it's of any interest, I too experienced this a month or so ago on a MacBookPro unibody, which I normally use with both a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
I was taken aback a bit when a PRAM reset made no difference, but before I packed it up for a trip to the Apple Rideau Genius Bar, I checked the Apple Knowledge base, and sure enough, it recommended the SMC reset (pop the battery, and then hold the power on button for 5-seconds). And I too was then good to go!
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964) Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
...ben
I've book-marked that Apple Support reference just in case. Could it be an upgrade to something that put our systems off. There was a system upgrade about that time and something else as well, security? virus care?
Quote from: GNV on December 11, 2010, 09:24:11 PM
I've book-marked that Apple Support reference just in case. Could it be an upgrade to something that put our systems off. There was a system upgrade about that time and something else as well, security? virus care?
Not anti-virus s/w. It's conceivable it was a system update but at the time I didn't remember one. ...ben