How get wifi working.

[ghogsett]

I've just installed UBUNTU on an SD card (16 G) with 35 MB of persistent storage. Three questions:
1. Can't seem to turn on the HP Netbook 1000's WiFi. The led for it is orange (not on) and switching it on doesn't seem to work.
2. Apps that come with UBUNTU can't seem to run. Could be due to not being able to access the 35 MB of persistant storage on the SD card. That file seems to be in error on the SD.
3. How would I install some simple apps without WiFi? Say, a solitaire or something similar? Download to Windows, then what?

Hardware is an HP Notebook 1000 with NO HARD DISK (it failed). Tho't could use UBUNTU on an SD card to run at least some game programs.

Latest UBUNTU iso was downloaded to Windows 7. unetbootin-windows-581 was then used to make the bootable SD card.

Thanks for any help you can give.
Jerry
W6PPK

[duanedesign]

The easiest way to install all programs for your Ubuntu install is to use the Ubuntu Software Center. Unlike Windows, Ubuntu programs come from one place, similar to the apple store.

Here is the official documentation for Ubuntu 12.04. Should help you get acquainted with wireless networking on Ubuntu.
https://help.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu...-wireless.html

If you are using a diffent version of Ubuntu you can select it from here https://help.ubuntu.com/

Here is a link that might help you get started troubleshooting your wireless issues. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wi...eShootingGuide

[newb85]

@ghogsett,

Unetbootin doesn't "install" Ubuntu in the traditional sense. It only creates a Live USB (or in your case, a Live SD) that only differs from a Live CD in it's persistence file. If you aren't planning to pull this SD card and boot it in other machines, you are probably better off doing a traditional install.

Doing so will require that you create Live Ubuntu media other than the SD card you're installing to. I'm guessing your netbook doesn't have a CD drive, so you'll probably need a USB drive of at least 1GB. Use unetbootin to set up the USB drive the same way you set up the SD card. (You don't need to bother with persistence, though.) Then, with the SD card inserted, boot from the USB drive, run the installer, and install to the SD card as if it were your hard drive.

[varunendra]

1. Can't seem to turn on the HP Netbook 1000's WiFi. The led for it is orange (not on) and switching it on doesn't seem to work.

The physical switch to toggle wireless on/off on HP laptops, whether it is a movable one or a touch type, is often too buggy to rely on. Assuming you had windows before the hdd crashed, and the crash is recent, did it work smoothly on it ?

For otherwise troubleshooting info, please run the following command (simply copy-paste it in a terminal) :

wget -N -t 5 -T 10 http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57264241/wireless_script && chmod +x wireless_script && ./wireless_script

It will download and run a script that will collect all relevant info and dump it to a file named "netinfo.txt" in your 'Home' directory. Open that file and copy-paste its contents here in your new post (paste it between 'code' tags generated by clicking on # at the top of the edit box in which you create new posts).

2. Apps that come with UBUNTU can't seem to run. Could be due to not being able to access the 35 MB of persistant storage on the SD card. That file seems to be in error on the SD.

If it is default apps like firefox, libre office etc., then perhaps that persistent space IS accessible and the cause of the problem. It is too small to cope with temp files created in /tmp directory while opening these apps. If it had been inaccessible, the /tmp directory would have been created in RAMdisk instead (virtual disk in RAM) where there would've been enough space for /tmp. Either use a much larger persistent space (at least 1GB is recommended for Ubuntu 12.04), or don't use it at all.

3. How would I install some simple apps without WiFi? Say, a solitaire or something similar? Download to Windows, then what?

You can simply download '.deb' packages manually from archive.ubuntu.com, then double-click on them in Ubuntu to install them.
But this may get complicated if dependencies are not satisfied. In that case, you'll have to manually download all dependencies and install them in correct order. That's why installing them via a package manager (like synaptic, Software Center or apt etc.) is recommended, which needs internet connection. Although you can manually add 'downloaded packages' in synaptic to make the selection and installation easier for you.

If you aren't planning to pull this SD card and boot it in other machines, you are probably better off doing a traditional install..

If the OP only wants to run a few basic apps + basic games, a Live persistent installation would be better for him. It requires far less read/write operations on the source media, thus taking care of the limited read/write cycles flash media or memory cards have. In contrast, a traditional installation would quickly run down the card's life.

[ghogsett]

Thanks, all, for replying and assisting.

So, in essence, I would be better off to use a USB hard drive and install UBUNTU on that. Then, perhaps the apps will work.

Being a newbie, I don't know how to enter command lines. How do you get to 'terminal' ?

Thanks,
Jerry

[varunendra]

Being a newbie, I don't know how to enter command lines. How do you get to 'terminal' ?

For Ubuntu default, the shortcut key is : Ctrl+Alt+T. For other flavours, it should be somewhere in the application menus.
Alternatively, you can press Alt+F2 to bring up "run command" dialogue, then type gnome-terminal and press "Enter".

[ghogsett]

OK, thanks for all your suggestions.
I reinstalled UBUNTU on a 300GB USB drive. Works much better.

However, still cannot access the Internet. Used the HELP to find the WiFi Troubleshooter. Found the WiFi card is Broadcom BCM 4312 and the UBUNTU Community site shows this IS a supported card. But,
cannot get the WiFi symbol to turn on. There is a switch on the front lip of the keyboard with a yellow light. Turning it to the left does NOTHING.

Network is enabled.

Would really like to get this on the Internet. Any suggestions?
Do I need to find a driver or a shell around the Windows driver or ?

To download an APP (e.g. Solitaire or other game), put my USB drive on my Windows computer, download to what directory on the USB Drive? What would a UBUNTU app package look like and does it need "installing" or is it simply copied into a folder as is?

Thanks for all your help.
Jerry

[varunendra]

However, still cannot access the Internet. Used the HELP to find the WiFi Troubleshooter. Found the WiFi card is Broadcom BCM 4312 ..

The problem is, broadcom cards use proprietary firmware which can not be bundled with default packages. You have to install them manually.

If you can connect to internet via cable, please try :

sodo modprobe -rfv b43
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer
sudo modprobe -v b43

If it doesn't work, or gives any errors, please run the code I gave in my first post to run the 'wireless_script', and post back the 'netinfo.txt' file contents as I originally asked.