Ubuntu Hardy heron begginers help

Ecco

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So, after reading quite a bit about how great ubuntu it, i took the plunge and installed hardy heron on my machine.

Now i am stuck. I cannot connect to my wireless network. I dunno if the system can even see wireless networks, i dont know how to see if the card is working with the drivers/installtion setup.

I have tried google, and no luck. I find too many solutions all showing different solutions and i have tried some, but it doesnt look like i have everything i need on my installion, in the synaptics thing.

Can somebody assist and point me in the right direction for finding help with getting wireless right on my machine?
 
hp g5055ea
Intel dual core
1 gb ram
120gb hard drive
Broadcom wifi card
realtek network card

what else you looking for?
 
When you go to System -> Administration -> Network, do both the Realtek and the Broadcom network devices show up in the list?


I get a screen which shows a set of 3 connections, wireless connetion, wired connection, point to point connection.

Nothing else
 
Perfect.

Unlock the Network Settings window, with the unlock button, then follow these instructions (ONLY STEP 1, NDIS Wrapper should really not be required):
http://beginlinux.com/desktop_training/ubuntu/1097-ubuntu-wireless-setup

Post here when you get stuck.
I'll try to help, but I've never actually done it, but I am quite experienced with Network settings in general.
 
Last edited:
nah, the first part is not working.

Should i do the ndiswrapper thing?
 
I use ndiswrapper on my Acer Aspire One and it works 100% - tried all the other stuff and was just a pain to go that route and too complicated.
 
Why have you chosen Heron though?
Intrepid has a better connection manager and supports more chipsets. I have a broadcom which now is supported in intrepid, Heron required me to manually install drivers.
 
Why have you chosen Heron though?
Intrepid has a better connection manager and supports more chipsets. I have a broadcom which now is supported in intrepid, Heron required me to manually install drivers.

Because i have a heron cd.
 
The wireless issue in Linux continues to be a major issue while companies don't provide drivers. That said it is little comfort for your situation. But generally you will find that looking for a Linux distro that installs with the latest kernel will more than likely mean you do not need to run through hoops.

Not really a helpful post in terms of where you find yourself but trying to at least provide an understanding of what you should expect.
 
cool also starting to understand that despite all that has been said, ubuntu really isnt for use by first timers. Way to complicated and getting help is even worse.
 
If you're a noob it's always best to start on recommended or Linux friendly hardware. The official ubuntu forum is a great place to get help too.
 
If you're a noob it's always best to start on recommended or Linux friendly hardware. The official ubuntu forum is a great place to get help too.

Yeah. I started a thread on the official forums. LOL in the absolute begginer section, am sure i will get there, eventually.
 
It looks like your adapter is being detected, but just to make sure, in a Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) type
Code:
lspci
and give us the output. You can copy from the Terminal to clipboard using CTRL + SHIFT + C

If your adapter is being detected (likely), then you can proceed to see if your adapter is able to scan. Again, in a Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal), type
Code:
iwlist scan
and give us the output. Your wireless adapter's alias should come up, whether it scans or not (if it is unable to scan, it will say something about no wireless extensions).

If your adapter is able to scan, you can now try and connect to your wireless network. In a Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) (Hmmmm... This is getting tedious... Maybe you should make a shortcut? ;) ) type:
Code:
sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid yournetworkname
and then, when prompted, enter your user password.
This is assuming your adapter is named "wlan0". It may be eth0, eth1, ath0, ath1... It just depends on what your install decided to call it. "essid" should be written verbatim. "yournetworkname" should be replaced by the name of your wireless network.
If this works, then you're in business. Try (in a Terminal again):
Code:
iwconfig
The results of this command should confirm whether or not you are connected.

If you have issues with those instructions, post back, and I can try to clarify or provide extra troubleshooting help.

If you'd like to go the ndiswrapper route, you need to download and install it. If your wired network adapter is working, you could use this to get the ball rolling (easier). If not, you need to go https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper and follow the instructions.
The instructions will take you through downloading the ndiswrapper-utils and ndisgtk packages (which are required to use ndiswrapper), installing them, figuring out which wireless driver you need, getting it (whether it be downloading a known-to-be-working driver or using the Windows driver), installing it and setting up your connection.
 
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