After all the posts in here advocating Linux, I thought I would give it a try out. I've installed a dual boot version of ubuntu 12.04.4 alongside XP home on my Dell d420 laptop. With XP, the internal wifi module switches itself on but ubuntu does not enable the module and so does not detect it. In comparison the bluetooth module is left on and has an icon in the top right of the screen. HTF do I get out of this trap please?
You may need some firmware added.
Google the wifi adapter and see - what you need is a temporary wired connection so you can do an 'apt-get install' on the missing bits.
Or use the inbuilt stuff
may help
Thanks to TNP for the steer.
Just in case it might help someone else in the same predicament
Using windows device mangler the wifi card is a Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN mini card. Looking that up adding linux in google led to a successful process.
The process turned out to be Use an ethernet cable between laptop and router Boot ubuntu Type cntrl alt T to get a command prompt
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer sudo apt-get remove bcmwl-kernel-source
Completely unintuitive to anyone starting out.
Who ever is behind ubuntu needs to get such essential drivers built in pronto. So far unimpressed!
Its not for want of wanting: essentially there are drivers that are not under full gnu copyright and the broadcomm stuff is one. Its not legally allowed to be part of the kernel - maybe it cant be because they don't release the source.
In mint its a bit better, and IIRC in Ubuntu, because these a software manager as well as a package manager, and that scoots round the hardware and will recommend what it thinks are the best drivers.
Remember a lot of pressure is exerted by Microsoft for these hardware johnnies NOT to release driver source code precisely so that people like you will get upset by the fact you have to jump through small technical hoops instead of the real commercial ones.
You could have done that by searching "b43" in the Package Manager!
I had the same problem with my old Acer. More than that, one new kernel release wouldn't even install if it came across a Broadcom B43 chipset - there were a couple of other Broadcom sets it didn't like too, as I recall. The problem is that the chipset is so old - it doesn't happen with newer kit - so I'm afraid you're unlikely to get your wish for newer drivers. Another way round it is to use an external WiFi dongle of some description (newish) and turn off the internal one.
Anyway, if you think that's tricky, wait until you try to use a Vodafone
3G dongle with it and find that the software is all Windows only until you find their obscure research (?) website, which has an assortment of drivers with no instructions.I abandoned the pleasures of Linux usage after a couple of years banging my head on a brick wall. Every time I curse Windows 8 I remind myself of Linux, and that calms me down again.
tow years ago getting wifi up and making scanners work was iffy.
These days Linux has pretty much caught up.
Especially MINT which has tried to make the installation as seamless as possible.
And a thumbs up for Scribus...on LInux.
needed to sign some year end shit from the accountant - they sent PDFS. Scribus allowed me to import them, add digital signatures and send them back duly signed and dated..
Libre Office also reads WORD files that microsoft word itself cant read.
When you realise that the tools on Linux are actually better than what come on Windows without paying a thousand quid plus...
As it happens, I had a very similar problem this week repurposing an old (Vista based) Lenovo laptop - same wifi chipset. I was installing FreeBSD.
I ended up using the Windows NDIS driver in a wrapper - very easy to do, and it worked first time.
If (and it is a big if!) I'm going to change from XP to Linux then it has to work with a large number of Visio files that I have and need to retain access to. I read that Libre office Draw will open Visio files and libre office is included with Ubuntu hence making that the linux flavour I've started to try first. My motivation to try Linux is that there are doom & gloom merchants out there that claim XP will become vulnerable once the MS support ceases in a few weeks. I don't know enough to judge whether this is a real risk or not but with six old PCs used for various tasks at home, buying Win 7 for each of these is not compatible with living as a pensioner!
I use LibreOffice Draw to create documents that I might have used Visio for previously, it *will* read Visio files but only gained that ability relatively recently, I haven't actually tried that many, but would be surprised if there aren't a few wrinkles.
It doesn't have the library of "smartshapes", you can create some out of simple shapes and add glue-points to them.
Part of the difficulty is the Windows mindset of 'must install drivers'. Which involves scrabbling around the internet (mobile network: no, dongle manufacturer UK: no, dongle manufacturer India: found something but looks dodgy, etc). In Linux the basic drivers are usually included or available as a package. And you use the OS' dongle support, not the app that's branded with whatever mobile network you're using this week.
Ubuntu supports a number of 3G dongles out of the box - plug it in, go to Network Manager, it should appear. Then make a new GSM connection, tell it your mobile network, and you're done. (Though I admit some dongles have contorted hardware that makes it a bit harder)
It's actually worse on a Mac than on Linux, interestingly.
Theo
I gather that Open and Libre Office can be a pain for Windows users looking to get it to print because it doesn't need the rigmarole required for Wind ows. It just assumes you have a printer and calls it.
Depending on what hardware one has I would say go for Ubuntu Ultimate Editi on as it comes with everything and some. But it would be best to look up th e computer before deciding on an OS. What I would need is an OS that will a llow me to use third partyware automagically.
Not that I need it now Opera has become Chrome. (Or is Opera 12 still suppo rted?)
Went through that a long while back on my Dell XPS 1530 - and wireless has been fine since.
However the integrated Bluetooth on the same chip is not working and Ubuntu can't seem to see a BT device.
I have managed by plugging in an old BT dongle (worked fine) but it is still an irritation.
Cheers
Dave R
I've just gone through this process on an XP SP3 desktop. Had problems with Ubuntu v13.x and an earlier one. Persisted and tried Linux Mint XSE and it just worked first time - wireless USB, accessing Windows files. Have some more work to do and need to get to grips with the concepts. Linux folk seem unable to grasp that non-Linux folk don't know Linux.
Libre Office is available on Windows. Why not try it there first?
Another Dave
That's the main one I used, along with Debian stable - I think you'll find the latest version still won't run Wifi "out of the box" on a Broadcom chipped laptop. And many similar things than run just fine on Windows.
Runs on Windows, so Linux is not needed.
Runs on Windows, so Linux isn't needed.
What about a decent video editor? Or the latest games? And a long list of other things. I like Linux, but it is very limited. It's recent attempts to keep up with the trendy GUis have spoilt it too - what used to be tiny and fast is now become as bloated as Windows - but flakier.
But a newcomer would have no idea how to do that or even that you could do it. They just expect things to work.
Go tell it to the hardware manufacturers.
My opinion, probably worthless, is that XP doesn't need updating. I'm still on XP service pack 2 and never update. If you're not trying to buy things or bank on a Windows computer is security important? Agreed later versions of things can do more tricks, but for email, word processing etc, what is going to go wrong if you print a copy for the file and back up occasionally?
I didn't have the Ubuntu wifi problems described, the netbook version worked on my Dell mini and 8 worked on the wifi computer in a spare room, since updated to 10.4. I'll probably try Mint later this year, as another unit with an old version of Mandriva on needs a revamp.
Well if you don?t like it you could always get a refund on the huge amount of money you paid for it. or just RTFM next time.
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