[SOLVED] Yesteday's updates broke wireless Broadcom BCM4310 chipset HP Compaq 6720s

[pytheas22]

I've found a post that fixed the problem, thanks to Nathan.Flow who posted it here.

1. Download latest stable ndiswrapper. And compile and install it (make, make install).
2. Download your latest AND CORRECT drivers. I've an XPS M-1330 with Broadcom BCM4310 USB, and I downloaded drivers from here.
2. Follow this instructions.

Hope that works for you also.

Just to be clear: ndiswrapper is not really a solution, just a work-around. ndiswrapper is a utility to drive wireless devices using Windows drivers. The problem that everyone's having with BCM4310 is that there's a bug with the native Linux driver in the most recent release (which has been pushed out via Ubuntu updates), which hopefully will be solved very soon. It's better to use the native Linux driver whenever possible...ndiswrapper is from the days when few vendors offered any Linux support and using Windows drivers was the only option. Fortunately those days are gone in most cases and ndiswrapper is not necessary for most people, although it will still work. But Broadcom's drivers, which were painstakingly reverse-engineered because Broadcom has always been really nasty about open-source support (despite the fact that it makes millions putting its chips in wireless routers that ironically run Linux), offer more features and are easier to fix than ndiswrapper, so you should use wl where possible.

If you want to use ndiswrapper as a temporary solution to this problem, however, you need to add the line:

blacklist wl

to the file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist, then install ndiswrapper (plenty of guides online). To go back to the native driver when it gets repaired, remove that line from /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist and replace it with the line:

blacklist ndiswrapper

(I don't have any qualms with ndiswrapper, but I've been troubled lately by mass confusion--particularly among the Broadcom crowd--about what it is and what it is not, which I think results from badly written documentation, so I wanted to point this out.)

[itsjustarumour]

Just to be clear: ndiswrapper is not really a solution, just a work-around. ndiswrapper is a utility to drive wireless devices using Windows drivers. The problem that everyone's having with BCM4310 is that there's a bug with the native Linux driver in the most recent release (which has been pushed out via Ubuntu updates), which hopefully will be solved very soon. It's better to use the native Linux driver whenever possible...

I totally agree with pytheas22's comments above. Nsiswrapper is just a workaround, and as this wireless problem is caused by a bug then really this is something that Ubuntu should fix - and hopefully fix very promptly - without having to resort to Ndiswrapper.

On a more personal note, I've been using Ubuntu for 2 years and during that time have spent literally many tens of hours trying to get Ndiswrapper to work (or work properly) on various Ubuntu installs, and with very mixed results. To be honest I've reached a point where I just consider life too short to spend any more time battling with it. I for one will just be sitting tight and awaiting a fix from Ubuntu for the wl driver - its a pain in the a*se, and if I get REALLY desperate I'll just have to re-install the OS without these updates (yet more pain in the a*se!) but frankly, for me at least, anything is preferable to Ndiswrapper!

[mexpolk]

Yes that's a work around...
that's why I didn't put a smiley face icon.

Aldo, interesting workaround from pytheas22.
Simpler than mine! But I have to argue that wl driver never worked for me, before this update couldn't make SSH, couldn't make F-Spot signup to Facebook, etc. Only with wired network.

For me, Hardy has been the hardest release ever!

[pytheas22]

Aldo, interesting workaround from pytheas22.
Simpler than mine! But I have to argue that wl driver never worked for me, before this update couldn't make SSH, couldn't make F-Spot signup to Facebook, etc. Only with wired network.

Well really your solution is just as simple as mine...I just didn't list all the steps to installing ndiswrapper since there are plenty of guides online. I did point out that you have to blacklist the "wl" driver first, because not all ndiswrapper tutorials mention that and it can be a confusing source of problems for new users. ndiswrapper won't work on a BCM4310 card unless wl is blacklisted.

[itsjustarumour]

Looks like a fix for this is on its way very soon.

To quote dev Ben Collins on the bug thread at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...24/+bug/243930

"I've uploaded the fix for this to hardy-proposed. Needs to be processed."

Don't touch that dial, folks!

[Hoaxe]

so i can stop freaking out now?

[itsjustarumour]

Lol, I guess so!

[loolee]

Hi
I've the same problem on Hp6720s.
I don't want to use ndisWrapper, could you help me please?

Tnx

[itsjustarumour]

Hi
I've the same problem on Hp6720s.
I don't want to use ndisWrapper, could you help me please?

Tnx

Hi Loolee,

I should just hang fire until the official update comes out to fix this

[carltonh]

Still no luck on the Dell Inspiron 1525 that I bought yesterday, but I can also report that the liveCDs for Sidux 2008.02 and Sabayon 3.5 don't work either. A little surprised on Sabayon not working because it supports the bcm4318 out of the box.