E8210 bluetooth setting dissapeared from bios

Hi everyone,

Thank you in advance to all who will try to help me with my issue. Firstly, I have spent considerable time searching for a similar issue just googling and going to forums like this one without much luck.

The problem:

A while ago I have purchased a custom built Fujitsu E8210 from fujitsu site. Upon arrival it came with preinstalled windows and whole bunch of software. I was using it as is for a while and then decided to turn off several things from bios in order to increase the battery life and get rid of the devices I did not use. So I disabled COM and LPT ports, as well as turning off IR port and Trusted platform module. Shortly after that I installed my own winodows xp without all the additional software that came with the computer (except for the necessary ones). Later I disabled Bluetooth as well since I did not use it.
A couple of days ago I reinstalled my windows xp and flashed new version of bios from Fujitsu's support site (v1.23) (used my personal configuration number to get the update) and decided to turn on Bluetooth.
I went to bios and the setting for it have disappeared from "Internal Device Configurations". There is not a trace of it. As if it never existed.
I tried downgrading the Bios, but system would not allow it due to a newer version present. I am linking the problem to the bios update but am not sure. I have not checked the bios settings for over a year or so prior to that. Could it have disappeared during that time, i dunno.

In any case, I was wondering if anybody had a similar problem.

P.S. -- Bios is phoenix.

P.S.S. -- I have tried to reinstall the drivers from Bluetooth drivers cd the laptop came with and from Fujitsu support site. Windows does not see Bluetooth module, thus installing drivers will not help and produces an error message saying "Bluetooth module is not detected"

P.S.S.S. -- The laptop came with the recovery dvd which has an image of windows that computer came with and it also flashes bios to v1.20 or so. I am considering as a last resort doing the recovery hoping that it will reflash the bios but I suspect it will not for the same reason as above and also I dual boot the computer with Ubuntu and don't want to deal with the mess with MBR and etc.

Bluetooth module along with the settings in bios seems like it never existed. I remember it was recognized as some sort of a network device a while ago when I first reinstalled XP, but now there is an "unknown device" in Window's Device Manager, however it is not being recognized and I suspect it is something else (PCMCIA or O2Micro card readers). To answer your question:

Yes, I have tried to force install drivers from the Bluetooth drivers disk the laptop came with and using drivers downloaded from fujitsu support page. Error message said something along the lines "BT Module not detected". I even tried to apply Bluetooth drivers for that unknown device hoping that it will recognize it. Nothing worked. Since the module appears off or missing Windows does not see it, thus reinstalling drivers is futile

Thank you!

Sure I always use wireless. And according to the manual the switch for wireless turns on both WiFi and Bluetooth.

There is no function key for Bluetooth on my laptop at least.

I thought I went crazy copuple of days ago and imagined that I had bluetooth, cheked the manual and passport the laptop came with. Turns out I wasn't crazy. But in the BIOS manual Bluetooth(R) settings is present in Bios>>Advanced>>Internal Devices Configuration". In my bios it is not... The warranty has expired a year ago, so I can't call Fujitsu...

Yep. Tried 1.24 and flash aid utility complains saying the bios is for a different system configuration. Basically it would flash only up to v1.23 including.

I will try to reinstall the system again, however as I was saying the issue is in the fact that I have turned off Bluetooth from bios a while ago. After bios update (I suspect) Bluetooth settings miraculously disappeared, and the BT is probably still just off. Since windows does not see BT module, reinstalling drivers IMHO will not do much good. But again I will try to reinstall (if no one can suggest anything else) both, my custom winxppro and then build the drivers base from ground up. And if that fails again, which I'm 99% certain it will, I will try that restore DVD.

An interesting thing I have noticed after flashing v1.23. The other devices that I had off prior to update (Com, LPT, IR and TPM chip) were still off after the update. That is what got me thinking that BT is still off.

Again, I might me totally wrong, that is why I'm here. This is just something I have never seen before. I have flashed other computer's bioses, and on the contrary the update would add features or fixes, not take them out. I guess fujitsu decided I don't need Bluetooth

Thank you