How do I check if my laptop has Bluetooth?

Assuming a usual PC, running Windows (NT5+), I think the easiest method would be to look at the device manager.

On your desktop, right-click and select properties on the "my computer" icon.

Click on the "device manager" tab.

Now you will see all of the devices known to the computer.

Click on the "Network adapters" link ands see what's there. If you have an installed Bluetooth adapter, it should be listed. If not, then you need to "install" it.

Usually Windows (from 98SE on up), will autodetect any new hardware and attempt to install any needed drivers.

Typically, if it cannot find a driver, it will ask you where to look; the choices being your CD, Microsoft's online server, or any other place on your system.

If you have Windows XP, it typically has all the basic drivers you need but might prompt you to insert the Original XP install CD which should haVe been provided with your system. If not, then it should look online to Microsoft's servers and try to find a driver, but you need an active internet connection for that.

If you don't see a Bluetooth adapter in the Device Manager, then you need to know if you actually have one physically installed in the system. Fundamentally, you will need to know physically what hardware you have installed anyway. There are both Bluetooth adapters which either are plug-in cards, or simple USB devices which would simply plug-in externally. Again, any USB device should be auto-detected by Windows XP, and typically by Linux.

Again, assuming Win 98se, or Win Xp or Vista, it should find any hardware installed that it did not already know about.

If instead you are using Linux, while there are numerous "distros

If you have Win98,