Wireless connection has disappeared! Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on Advent T1600

[varunendra]

I have a pretty fair connection just now, but I don't know how to try 13.10 in live mode.

Create a bootable DVD or USB from the ISO of 13.10 the same way as you created the one to install Ubuntu. I recommend downloading the ISO via torrents to ensure the integrity of the download : http://www.ubuntu.com/download/alternative-downloads

Boot from the DVD/USB and when it asks to "Try" or "Install", choose "Try" option. That is what is called a "Live Session" - running Ubuntu directly from the DVD or USB without installing it.

I recommended trying 13.10 because the driver that your wireless card uses is an experimental one and so its newer versions have more chance of working properly. We can install the newer driver on your current installation but it is not guaranteed to perform any better. Besides we are not yet sure whether the problem is in the hardware or the driver.

Detailed guides for creating Live DVD/USB and booting from them are given on the main download page : http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop (see the links below the "Try Ubuntu before you install it" heading).

I got frustrated and opened up the back panel, which I assume is the "user servicable area". I'd have to take the whole device to pieces to get any more access. To be honest I didn't know what I was looking at/for.

Plenty of images of the card here : http://www.ebay.com/bhp/atheros-ar5b195

The two holes at the corner of the card are where it is fixed with screws, and the two tiny brass sockets almost adjacent to these two holes are where the antenna wires are attached. The Antenna wire heads are simple plugs that are pushed into these sockets and may be pulled out with minor force.

You need to check these two wires to make sure the plugs are not loose. To be extra sure, you can also pull out the card (after removing the screws) and push it back into its PCI slot after cleaning its contact pins.

This card has been reported to be problematic with Linux but the output of iwconfig is making me suspicious of its physical status. We may try a few things, including newer versions of the driver if everything looks okay with its fitting.

[Elfy]

Please use code tags. Thank you.

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[cbthomson]

Thanks Varun,

I've opened it up again and definitely cannot see that card; I even took a snapshot and compared it to the images on ebay to be certain. As mentioned above, any further examination would involve me taking the whole back case off - I had all the screws out earlier on, but it felt like I'd need a little elbow grease to remove it. Whilst I am capable of that, I am also concerned that I might break something and so I held off. Should I give it a try?

Currently downloading 13.10 to see what effect this has on it. I'll try that before taking the back off the device and will provide an update asap.

Elfy, I will ensure I use code tags in all future posts. I had used quick reply and - as you have pointed out - the option wasn't there. I'll do it manually next time if I use that function.

 Cheers.

[cbthomson]

The universal USB installer isn't recognising the USB drive! This is frustrating. I will have to either get another USB or get a DVD to use tomorrow, as I have to be elsewhere tonight. Thanks for your continued help Varun, I'll provide an update either tomorrow or Friday, as tomorrow is going to be a long, long day for me anyway.

C

[varunendra]

Hmm.. can we see the snapshot of the whole back panel when you have opened it? Just the part that you could open easily. The card may not be exactly same in shape or size (the ones listed on the page were all "half sized" cards), but it must be there somewhere. Also, it is accessible in *most* laptops, but not *all* (like some HCL Emachines). So it is possible that your model does not provides user access to it. A snapshot should tell us everything regarding that.

For creating bootable USB, you may also try Unetbootin (most recommended here), or if you are running some version of Ubuntu, you can use its native "Startup Disk Creator" program to create the Live USB. My preferred way is to boot a Virtual Machine (on VMware or VirtualBox) > attach the target USB to it and let it get detected by the VM > use the Live Session in the VM to run its Startup Disk Creator program to create the Live USB. This ensures there are no issues due to version difference.

Another simple method (if you are running Ubuntu) is the dd command. It is a bit risky in the sense that if you used wrong device name as target, it will be permanently overwritten. So be extra careful with this. Assuming your USB drive is "/dev/sdx" (confirm by seeing the output of "mount" command) -

sudo dd if=<the path of your iso file> of=/dev/sdx

Change the 'x' with whatever letter has been assigned to your USB drive.

PS:
I wouldn't advice taking your laptop apart unless you have experience of doing that. A cheap USB wifi dongle can be found for less than $10 on ebay, while replacing a broken case would cost much more than that.

[cbthomson]

Hi Varun,

I've attached an image of the back of the machine just now. Will try to follow your instructions this afternoon and let you know how I get on, thanks!

C

[varunendra]

No wifi card there.

So that essentially means taking the whole case apart just to be able to access the wireless card, which I would never recommend unless you are an expert.

Let's hope the 13.10 automagically fixes everything..

[T Bone]

Hmmmmm, now using 13.10 - and automatically logging in under a user name I used previously: this is "cbthomson" though!

I bought a new USB (last one was encrypted, and kept turning itself off when the computer restarted) and made a startup disk. Alles gut!

Importantly, I am logging in wirelessly using 13.10 - the change has automagically fixed it! I will need further advice though: should I change to 13.10, or should I seek out the driver and install that with my current distro?

Thanks,

C

[cbthomson]

In a bizarre twist; I've rebooted in 12.04 - I've been logged on here as cbthomson, and the wifi connection has started up automatically with no issues! In which case, I'll stick with 12.04 for now; although 13.10 was pretty cool.

Is there anything I can check or run that would give those with more ubuntu tuned minds an insight into this for future issues that other users might have?

C

[trundlenut]

Your wifi card may be under the keyboard, if there are no other removable panels on the back.