Ubuntu & wireless

I know nothing about Linux but I was using Ubuntu as a Live CD last night to see what all the fuss is about. I must say I am impressed! The main problem was I couldnt connect to my Eircom wireless internet. I tried entering my SSID and passphrase but nothing happened.

I was tinkering with System - Administration - Network turning off roaming and on again...just basically trying everything turning it off and on but I just couldnt get surfing. I have a Dell Wireless 1370 WLAN Mini PCI Card.

Any one out there scale this obstacle before me?

AndrewMc

Deleted User wrote:

I know nothing about Linux but I was using Ubuntu as a Live CD last night to see what all the fuss is about. I must say I am impressed! The main problem was I couldnt connect to my Eircom wireless internet. I tried entering my SSID and passphrase but nothing happened.

I was tinkering with System - Administration - Network turning off roaming and on again...just basically trying everything turning it off and on but I just couldnt get surfing. I have a Dell Wireless 1370 WLAN Mini PCI Card.

Any one out there scale this obstacle before me?

I'm guessing you're using WEP? Make sure you have the right encryption setting (Passphrase/Hex/Ascii). I tried once connecting to an Eircom router, but Ubuntu didn't pick up an IP address and gave up after a minute or so. I ended up writing a little shell script (to set the encryption and setting a fixed address) for the rare occasions I'm at that location. Probably not the right fix, but good enough for now. Works fine for me on WPA 1 and 2, though.

Tom Dunne

Deleted User wrote:

I know nothing about Linux but I was using Ubuntu as a Live CD last night to see what all the fuss is about. I must say I am impressed! The main problem was I couldnt connect to my Eircom wireless internet. I tried entering my SSID and passphrase but nothing happened.

I was tinkering with System - Administration - Network turning off roaming and on again...just basically trying everything turning it off and on but I just couldnt get surfing. I have a Dell Wireless 1370 WLAN Mini PCI Card.

Any one out there scale this obstacle before me?

I have Ubuntu running fine on a laptop with wireless connection. What's the passphrase - I didn't have to enter any.

buildabong

Might be your wireless card is not working correctly.

I have a Dell 1501 with a "Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card".

Basically I missioned beeg time to get it going then I found this site:
http://ubuntu1501.blogspot.com/2007/01/fixing-wifi-on-dell-1501.html

You have to use Ndiswrapper to get a windows wireless card driver to work.

Try this from a Terminal window: sudo iwlist scanning
To check if your card is running correctly.

Good luck -
Might be a mission at first but once you have everything running it is a true pleasure to use!!!

yeah i've searched a few forums and seen ndiswrapper mentioned a lot. I wanted to get internet working with the live cd though so installing something kind of defeats the purpose.

I'd say my card is working fine since I'm making this post using wireless bb in XP.

Ubuntu is class though. I know its slower as a Live CD but I am still hugely impressed. Installed to the hard drive it must be super fast.

Do you have a dual boot set up? Is it difficult/dangerous?

buildabong

Yea you are using the live CD so might be difficult/impossible to change major settings.

Remember just because your card works in XP doesnt mean it is setup correctly for Linux, basically the "Windows part" of your PC is completely separate from Linux.

I have dual booted my laptop with Ubuntu and XP. If I bootup Windows, Linux doesnt run and vice verse. Linux is not a "added application" but a complete independent Operating system.

Hope that makes sense!!!

Edit: Only dangerous part is losing your data but i backed everything to DVD first so I could Format and Partition my laptop without any worries. I did this a couple of times trying to get things working.

It was a little tricky setting up a Dual boot. You need 3 partitions at least, I have 4.
1 for swap (basically twice your memory - (mine 3gb)
1 for Ubuntu (Linux) operating system (mine 20gb)
1 for you Windows operating system (Mine 20 gb)
My 4th Partition is a share drive so I can share MP3's, vids ... between Ubuntu and XP (Mine almost 37gb)

buildabong

One more thing, i have always believed it is best to format and reinstall Windows every year or so as all the log files fill up and stupid applications and malware slow your PC down eventually.

Even if you have tried and screwed up your PC/Laptop beeg time and are completely fed up with the missioning, you can always stick Dell's Windows recovery CD back in and it will sort out your partitions and install windows back to factory spec.

The only reason i have windows still on my laptop is my TomTom (satnav) software, which doesnt work with Ubuntu (yet). Strange thing is the Tomtom is running Linux

Else, everything else I do in Ubuntu. Best part is no antivirus software is needed and all of my programs are 100% free.

Tom Dunne

buildabong wrote:

Yea you are using the live CD so might be difficult/impossible to change major settings.

You can most certainly change settings to enable wireless - I did it with an Ubuntu live CD.

buildabong wrote:

Remember just because your card works in XP doesnt mean it is setup correctly for Linux, basically the "Windows part" of your PC is completely separate from Linux.

I think the point Callum Mango Stairway is making is that the hardware is working, as is the broadband.

I don't have dual boot - I just backed up everything and installed Ubuntu.

mach1982

When it comes to wireless in Ubuntu, or any Linux it not the card that counts it's the chipset. Find out chipset your card. Also if you real want to use Linux the best way to set up wirelss or networing in generak is to do it through the comman line, it not that it just editing a file.

This site might help ( look at the last post) https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.20/+bug/86932

BTW Dual booting quite stright forward in Ubuntu, you only need realy 3 partions, /, swap and windows. On thing I did learn is that window likes to frist. so jsut resize the win partion make sure you defrag it before.