loaded Ubuntu but i got no WIFI. HELP?

Linux Support
1

i’ve wiped my laptop free from vista and everything completely, a new start as you might say. Struggled to get Ubuntu up n running BUT, when i was doing this i was NOT connected to the internet as it asked when installing, now i find i have no wifi to the internet

what can i do to sort this problem out?

OR

because i wiped my hardrives clean, do i need to re install the drivers for the wifi as well as things like SOUND and such like and would this mean re installing Vista to do so? because i did read somewhere that ubuntu had all this.

2

actually i’ve got no sound either, what have i done wrong?, remember i reloaded from a completely wiped clean hard drive.

3

We’ll do these one at a time… WiFi first

Can you open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and enter:

sudo lshw -C network

hit enter, and your password when asked… and post back the output.

May be easier if you connect the laptop with an ethernet cable whilst you do this… so you can copy/paste.

Also be aware, Linux commands ARE casse sensitive, and when you enter your password in the terminal you won’t “see” anything being entered, but it IS going in, just type it and hit enter.

Some people have problems getting the terminal to open with Ctrl+Alt+T … so here’s another way -

hit Alt+F2, enter gnome-terminal and hit enter.

yet another way is (if you have a launcher bar on the left of your screen) - Open the Application Lens (magnifying glass with + in it) … type terminal then click the Terminal icon.

Or if you DON’T have a launcher bar on the left of your screen… go to Applications>Accesories>Terminal

Have you got an ethernet cable you can connect your laptop to the router with ?

4

yes im connected by cable, i just want to sort out my wifi

5

Well post the output from the above command then :wink:

6

william@william-Inspiron-1525:~$ sudo lshw -C network
[sudo] password for william:
PCI (sysfs)
*-network
description: Ethernet interface
product: 88E8040 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller
vendor: Marvell Technology Group Ltd.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:09:00.0
logical name: eth0
version: 12
serial: 00:1d:09:3a:6c:43
size: 100Mbit/s
capacity: 100Mbit/s
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical tp 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd autonegotiation
configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=sky2 driverversion=1.28 duplex=full firmware=N/A ip=192.168.1.6 latency=0 link=yes multicast=yes port=twisted pair speed=100Mbit/s
resources: irq:43 memory:fe8fc000-fe8fffff ioport:de00(size=256)
*-network DISABLED
description: Wireless interface
product: BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY
vendor: Broadcom Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:0b:00.0
logical name: eth1
version: 01
serial: 00:16:44:84:fb:bf
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=wl0 driverversion=5.100.82.38 latency=0 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bg
resources: irq:17 memory:fe7fc000-fe7fffff
william@william-Inspiron-1525:~$
william@william-Inspiron-1525:~$

This what i get when i did what you said, i notice it says Network disabled.

anyway, what now?

7

Whilst connected with an ethernet cable… open a terminal and…

  1. Install firmware-b43-installer and b43-fwcutter packages:
sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer

(hit enter, and your password when asked)

  1. Uninstall the bcm-kernel-source package:
sudo apt-get remove bcm-kernel-source

(hit enter, and your password when asked)

  1. In the Application Lens, search for Additional Drivers, and start it

If the Broadcom STA wireless Driver is listed, remove/inactivate it.

  1. Reboot.

  2. Go back to Additional Drivers, and if necessary activate the b43 driver.

Any questions… just ask :slight_smile:

8

it failed

Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
b43-fwcutter is already the newest version.
firmware-b43-installer is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 235 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Setting up firmware-b43-installer (4.150.10.5-5) …
Not supported low-power chip with PCI id 14e4:4315!
Aborting.
dpkg: error processing firmware-b43-installer (–configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
firmware-b43-installer
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

and it failed to delete STA driver as well.

9

SEE MY NEXT POST FIRST

OK, lets try the STA driver…

sudo apt-get remove --purge firmware-b43-installer

then

sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source

now reboot.

now if necessary, go to Additional drivers … and try activating the STA driver

10

due to the update manager running it won’t let me at this moment in time. i will get back to you tomorrow if that is ok with you. when updates are done, i will try what you said and post the out come. many thanks for you time and help, much appreciated. Billy.

11

Solution found (I think)… ignore my last posting, and try this:

sudo apt-get remove --purge firmware-b43-installer

then

sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer

then reboot, and if necessary go to Additional drivers, and activate the b43 drivers.

Seems the issue is that your Wireless card uses the low power chip (LP-PHY), which requires a different firmware package.

Let me know if this works, and we’ll move on to the sound card

12

This specific reason is why you “should” ideally be connected to the internet when installing any kind of OS. I guess the disc just didn’t find your hardware for sound/wifi and that’s why you don’t have the drivers.

13

okay, what i’ve done so far is; wiped my hardrive and reloaded ubuntu while connected to the internet, still no wifi. followed your last instructions about b43, rebooted system and no wifi. went to additional drivers to select it , all i saw was broadcom STA driver was running and nothing else was there/seen, it just ask me i wanted to remove it.

not sue what i should from here!!

14

If you’ve reinstalled Ubuntu, b43-fwcutter may no longer be installed… try running:

sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-lpphy-installer

Reboot, and now see if the b43 driver is available in Additional drivers.

15

okay, i’ve had enough, you’ve been good…no you’ve been great. i like linux ubuntu but there are to many glitches for me. works fine connected cable wise to the internet but no wifi. The sound card sorted since i reloaded ubuntu while connected BUT guess what, the headphone sockets don’t work. SO, i’m gonne spend a few quid and get the latest windows installed with all the latest drivers and bob’s your uncle; i’m so sorry but, when some more (lots and LOTS) money has been spent on linux, it’s just a no brainer .Plus, it’s taken me a couple of days to figure out that most soft ware producers don’t have linux in mind; it’s a big fail for me. anyways, thank you for all your help. Billy.

PS;- shame really, linux is really fast. I think it’s because it’s basic in so many areas and just basic!!. I reckon it’s because, there is no big time software producers thinking about linux; it’s all about apple and widows; the market leaders have the floor!!

16

One question… if you go ahead and spend a few bucks. What are you going to do, if the same problems still arise? After all, it could just be very simple as, your network card may be fried, and you need a new one. Have you tested it in another machine? (If you have another available that is.) Your headphone socket would just be a matter of changing sound profiles, or perhaps even turning it on in ALSA. Linux is not perfect, I will admit that, but I’ve really had no major problems with Linux, or Ubuntu at all. A few nippy ones like, no advanced non-linear video editors, so I have to use windows for that, but apart from that, there is a lot of potential. Major companies, including OEMs are starting to look at Linux, it’s freedom, it’s power, what Windows isn’t capable of doing. Question yourself, do you go with Windows and put up viruses, BSoD, malware, spyware, bots… you name it. Or do you go with Linux, with a community that helps one another, who 99.7% - don’t hold me on that figure, just an estimate - of the time get to the bottom of the problem.

I am, by no means trying to hold you back. I’m just trying to let you see that, sometimes switching back to another OS doesn’t always solve your problems. It can be hardward issues, that the OS can do nothing about.

I believe you are the owner of a Dell correct? If I am correct, there is most likely an intel wireless network card inside. Linux does have known problems with intel wireless cards, specifically the “Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 4965” if I recall correctly. It’s fixable if it’s just a bug. Could be as simple as the network manager refusing to play ball, and thus you could try another.

Just think about it. Would those extra couple of pennies, actually make any difference by going backwards?

17

Both the wireless driver and the headphone socket ARE fixable, but if you want to go back to Windows… that’s fine too. :slight_smile:

It does baffle me a bit, why people are happy to pay to have Windows installed for them, but not to have someone fix their Linux installation… in the long run, it would save them a lot of money.

or stick with the free advice for a while… I’m not knocking your decision, if Linux isn’t for you that’s fine :slight_smile: … my point is just that you don’t seem willing to give it the same chance you give Windows… I’m not trying to talk you into anything, there is IMHO no point in pushing someone into Linux, they’ll come back when they are ready… for “ready”, read - sick of paying for Windows to be fixed :slight_smile:

Good luck in your future endeavors.