Windows 7 strange cause and effect phenomenom

[fjgold]

Hi folks, Happy Thanksgiving.
Win 7 RC (build 7100)
I have an Acer notebook with bluetooth (see my sig for specs).
It has a switch on the front right of the machine to turn the bluetooth on and off.
Because I don't use bluetooth I have it turned off and also have no drivers installed for it.

Now here is the strange part, I have both Ubuntu 9.04 and Ubuntu 9.10 installed on a USB external HDD.
These latest versions have a nasty feature/bug that turns on the bluetooth module even if the switch is turned off in Win 7.
If I forget to shut off bluetooth using the hardware switch when shutting down these two distros the module will be on when Win 7 boots.

If the module is on in Win 7 and I plug in a USB Flash device or USB HDD I find that the "safely remove icon" in the system tray is unresponsive. Clicking on it doesn't do anything until I turn off the bluetooth module with the hardware switch and then reboot.
On reboot the safely remove utility works just fine as long as the bluetooth module isn't powered on.
Strange eh.
Not really a problem but more an observation, although it kinda drove me nuts until I figured out what was happening.

Hope this helps anyone having the same issue.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you've encountered a rather unusual behavior related to your Acer notebook with Bluetooth functionality and how it interacts with different operating systems like Windows 7 and Ubuntu. The issue you described with the Bluetooth module being inadvertently turned on when booting into Windows 7 after using Ubuntu on the same machine is indeed peculiar.
Here's a breakdown of the key points you mentioned:
1. Bluetooth Switch:
- Your Acer notebook has a hardware switch to toggle the Bluetooth functionality on and off. When you have it turned off, you also don't have the Bluetooth drivers installed.
2. Ubuntu 9.04 and 9.10 on External HDD:
- You have Ubuntu versions 9.04 and 9.10 installed on a USB external hard drive.
- These Ubuntu versions seem to have a bug or feature that automatically turns on the Bluetooth module, even if the hardware switch is set to off in Windows 7.
3. Impact on Windows 7:
- When the Bluetooth module is inadvertently left on in Windows 7 (due to the behavior of Ubuntu), you encounter an issue with the "safely remove icon" for USB devices.
- The safely remove utility becomes unresponsive when the Bluetooth module is on, and clicking on it doesn't work until you turn off the Bluetooth module with the hardware switch and reboot the system.
4. Observation:
- While this behavior may not be a major problem, it was initially puzzling until you identified the root cause. It highlights an interesting interaction between the Bluetooth module, the hardware switch, and the operating systems installed on your system.
Thank you for sharing your experience, as it could help others who might face a similar issue. If you have any specific questions or need further assistance related to this scenario, feel free to ask!