X61 Bluetooth option missing in bios

[Zax]

Hi,

I’ve just bought an X61 type 7673-CTO but there is no Bluetooth option in the bios where it usually is in security/io ports. I’ve opened it up and the daughter card is present plugged into its socket in the usual place in the screen rim. I’ve reseated the Bluetooth card but still no option in the bios, I’ve even bought another Bluetooth card 39T0497 but still no option in the bios. I haven’t tried flashing the bios yet although it is on the latest revision. I have a couple of questions for you guys, any help would be much appreciated.

1- Even if this was a non Bluetooth model shouldn’t the Bluetooth option be visible in the bios, the machine doesn’t have a WAN card but that option is in the bios.

2- Could it be that the screen was replaced with a screen cable which had the Bluetooth cable and socket? This would explain why there is a Bluetooth light in the screen rim but it doesn’t come on at all.

3- could installing the Middleton bios fix things or even reflashing with the latest bios? Would the machine even let me reflash with the latest bios again even though it’s already on the latest bios?

I’m waiting for an external CD drive to arrive so I can attempt flashing the bios, I did try doing it by using a bootable USB stick I made and loading the flashing files there but when I run the flash.bat file it just immediately says bios flashed reboot, without going through the usual process.

Any help would be much appreciated, I know I could just get a Bluetooth dongle but I’m a stickler for detail and would much prefer the internal Bluetooth to work. I’ve got my mogo pcmcia flat mouse that I really want to use with the machine. Just trying to relive those glorious thinkpad days!

[RealBlackStuff]

Get the manual from the HMM link above, then compare the LCD-cable P/N or FRU that you have with the numbers in the HMM.

You may have a bad/wrong LCD-cable and/or bad/wrong BT-module(s) (needs to be BCD-2).

Middleton requires you to install Lenovo BIOS 1.25/1.02 first (if not done yet), and then M's BIOS.

[Zax]

Thanks for the advice!

I checked the LCD cable’s FRU number in the manual and it was the same 93P4535 the correct one for the Bluetooth version of the 7673.

My question is how can the Bluetooth option be missing from the bios even if there is a fault with the Bluetooth module or cabling?

[Zax]

Searching a bit more I found out that my X61 is a type 7673w6m and this model didnt come with bluetooth which means the bluetooth module and possibly the LCD cable were swapped in at a latter stage. I read somewhere that the non bluetooth models dont have the socket on the cable. My question now is, is it possible to change this x61 to a bluetooth version?

[RealBlackStuff]

Check if Bluetooth is disabled/off via Fn-F5 keys.

[Zax]

Yes, I've checked this almost every time I boot the thing hoping that it will magically appear! Thing is it's not even in the bios. Could someone who has a non bluetooth version of the x61 confirm if they have the bluetooth option in the bios under security/iO port access, thanks. I thought the bioses were all the same for these machines and it was just wether the extra hardware was there or not. Previously I had an X31, non bluetooth version, I just bought the bluetooth module and the rim with the bluetooth symbol, the light was already there in the panel, i guess it's too expensive to make different versions, just deactivate features and cover them up for lower models. It picked up everything in the bios and in windows, showed up as normal in the fn+f5 panel. Thanks.