Help with Dell Inspiron Mini and Ubuntu Wireless

[garrickth]

My kids received a Dell Inspiron Mini for Christmas. They love it, but Windows is a horrible OS for a child to navigate - and deal with constant pop-up messages and errors. I am a Mac person, but figured Linux would make their lives easier, so I installed the Ubuntu Netbook Remix on their machines. Everything works fine, except the wireless connections. No matter what I try, I cannot get their machines to detect our home network (which they did fine under the Windows OS) - or even seem to know it has the Broadcom card/wireless ability.
I am a Linux novice, so self-help is just not an option, and sending me to a terminal with "just follow this website..." also is not helpful, as even the slightest variation in what a site shows and what I see on these machines - well I simply lack the Linux know-how to make the leaps of self correction.
I just want a machine that does not aggravate my kids, and I would like some help in getting this one feature to work. Can anyone please talk me through this?

Much thanks!

[reed9]

Hello. Please read the sticky on wireless setup. It'll help get us started.

[garrickth]

I ran the process outlined in that thread, and here is the text of the result:

============ lspci ============
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GME Express Memory Controller Hub [8086:27ac] (rev 03)
Kernel driver in use: agpgart-intel
Kernel modules: intel-agp
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GME Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27ae] (rev 03)
Kernel driver in use: i915
Kernel modules: i915
00:02.1 Display controller [0380]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27a6] (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller [8086:27d8] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 1 [8086:27d0] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 2 [8086:27d2] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1c.2 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 3 [8086:27d4] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 [8086:27c8] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 [8086:27c9] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.2 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 [8086:27ca] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.3 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 [8086:27cb] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller [8086:27cc] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: ehci_hcd
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge [8086:2448] (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge [8086:27b9] (rev 02)
Kernel modules: iTCO_wdt, intel-rng
00:1f.2 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) SATA IDE Controller [8086:27c4] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: ata_piix
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller [8086:27da] (rev 02)
Kernel modules: i2c-i801
03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g [14e4:4315] (rev 01)
Kernel driver in use: b43-pci-bridge
Kernel modules: ssb
04:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller [10ec:8136] (rev 02)
Kernel driver in use: r8169
Kernel modules: r8169

============ lsusb ============
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 0781:5406 SanDisk Corp. Cruzer Micro 1/2/4GB Flash Drive
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:0158 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. Mass Stroage Device
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0c45:63e3 Microdia
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

============ lsmod ============
Module Size Used by
nls_utf8 1568 1
nls_iso8859_1 3740 1
nls_cp437 5372 1
isofs 31620 2
vfat 10716 1
fat 51452 1 vfat
udf 80900 0
crc_itu_t 1852 1 udf
binfmt_misc 8356 1
ppdev 6688 0
joydev 10272 0
snd_hda_codec_realtek 203328 1
snd_hda_intel 26920 2
snd_hda_codec 75708 2 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel
snd_hwdep 7200 1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm_oss 37920 0
snd_mixer_oss 16028 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 75296 3 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_seq_dummy 2656 0
snd_seq_oss 28576 0
snd_seq_midi 6432 0
snd_rawmidi 22208 1 snd_seq_midi
snd_seq_midi_event 6940 2 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi
b43 122136 0
iptable_filter 3100 0
snd_seq 50224 6 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_mid i_event
dell_wmi 2564 0
mac80211 181076 1 b43
ip_tables 11692 1 iptable_filter
x_tables 16544 1 ip_tables
snd_timer 22276 2 snd_pcm,snd_seq
snd_seq_device 6920 5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_rawmidi ,snd_seq
uvcvideo 59080 0
videodev 36736 1 uvcvideo
compal_laptop 3728 0
v4l1_compat 14496 2 uvcvideo,videodev
dcdbas 7292 0
snd 59204 16 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec, snd_hwdep,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_se q_oss,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq,snd_timer,snd_seq_device
cfg80211 93052 2 b43,mac80211
led_class 4096 1 b43
psmouse 56500 0
serio_raw 5280 0
soundcore 7264 1 snd
snd_page_alloc 9156 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
lp 8964 0
parport 35340 2 ppdev,lp
fbcon 36640 72
tileblit 2460 1 fbcon
font 8124 1 fbcon
bitblit 5372 1 fbcon
softcursor 1756 1 bitblit
i915 221064 3
drm 159584 3 i915
i2c_algo_bit 5760 1 i915
usb_storage 52576 3
r8169 32064 0
mii 5212 1 r8169
ssb 35300 1 b43
video 19380 1 i915
output 2780 1 video
intel_agp 27484 2 i915
agpgart 34988 2 drm,intel_agp

============ dmesg-firmware ============

============ kernel version ============
2.6.31-16-generic

============ ifconfig ============
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:24:e8:fb:51:4b
inet addr:192.168.1.8 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::224:e8ff:fefb:514b/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:4198 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:3546 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:3836464 (3.8 MB) TX bytes:485014 (485.0 KB)
Interrupt:27 Base address:0x6000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:4 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:4 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:240 (240.0 B) TX bytes:240 (240.0 B)


============ iwconfig ============

Does this help anyone with what I am supposed to do with this Dell mini? Thanks again.

[reed9]

Does this help anyone with what I am supposed to do with this Dell mini? Thanks again.

Yup. You need the broadcom wl driver. If you can get a wired connection, you can download it easily through Ubuntu's driver manager, located in the System or Administration menu.

If you do not have a wired connection, you'll need to download the necessary packages from a different computer, put em on a flash drive, and transfer them over. Packages you need are listed in this thread: http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubu...-problems.html

Or if you're running 64 bit Ubuntu, this thread: http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/wir...-wireless.html

[waterhead]

Regular Ubuntu has a program named "Hardware Drivers Manager", or just "Hardware Drivers", found in the System-->Administration section. Does the netbook remix have something like this?

If it does, it should list an alternate driver for the wireless. It is currently using the b43 driver (incorrectly). The one you want may be called wl or Broadcom-STA or some version of both.

You will want to enable that driver, and hope that it removes the b43 driver. Both drivers must not be loaded together, or the wireless will not work. After enabling the wl driver, reboot and look to see what driver modules that are loading.

lsmod

[garrickth]

Followed your link, and ran this in the terminal:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source


This fixed the issue, and my kids are now enjoying an issue free netbook! Thank you!