Ralink RT2561 wifi card stopped working in 14.04

[varunendra]

Since the target is to try the wireless stuff, maybe you can ignore graphics and try to load basic graphics mode with 'nomodeset' option? Did you try it?

If the Live USB fails to work with your graphics, then it is quite possible installing that kernel will cause graphics troubles too.. unless you know how to deal with it (I don't).

[hoodbrothers2]

How do I boot it up live with nomodeset?

[varunendra]

Press any key during the splash screen to bring up advanced boot menu > select the language > press 'F6' to pop up boot options menu > highlight 'nomodeset' option using arrow keys > press 'Spacebar' to put a cross (means selection) before it > press 'Esc' (the selection would be saved) > press 'Enter' to boot with it.

Explained in detail here, with screenshots : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

[hoodbrothers2]

That's what I thought, but the problem is I don't get a splash screen. When I start my pc with the USB in and set to first boot priority, it says Verifying DMI Pool Data .......... Like normal. Then however it says gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image. After that it says boot: and then just repeats itself. But, if I press tab when it says boot: it gives me a list of options to type: live live-install check memtest hd mainmenu help. I tried typing live, and then pressed enter and it started booting up ubuntu 14.10. But then it starts me in a basic terminal mode after listing some nouveau errors.

[hoodbrothers2]

I tried doing a live boot of ubuntu 12.04, which I used to use when my internet worked. Currently I am typing from my computer, which means my wifi is working. But, right now I am only getting 11 Mb/s which is less than I used to. Another weird thing though is that it detects my monitor as a laptop when I go into displays. Also, when I click on connection information it actually tells me that I'm using the ath9k drivers, which I've never seen before. Another thing I just noticed is that it says I'm using wlan0, when in ubuntu 14.04 I'm pretty sure it tells me I'm using wlan1. I'm not sure what all this means, but maybe you can make sense of it. Also I switched the router to channel 11.

[varunendra]

That's what I thought, but the problem is I don't get a splash screen. When I start my pc with the USB in and set to first boot priority, it says Verifying DMI Pool Data .......... Like normal. Then however it says gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image. After that it says boot: and then just repeats itself. But, if I press tab when it says boot: it gives me a list of options to type: live live-install check memtest hd mainmenu help....

Sounds like a non-standard USB boot method. How have you created the live usb? The lack of splash screen and the 'gfxboot.c32' error could be due to the method used to boot it. The nomodeset option can still be used, but in which step and how depends on the method used to boot the USB, which can be guessed by the program you used to create it.

I personally prefer the "Startup USB Creator" that exists within Ubuntu live, which keeps the booting exactly as the Live DVD (besides offering the persistence on a USB).

Also, when I click on connection information it actually tells me that I'm using the ath9k drivers, which I've never seen before....

In post #34, you mentioned you "got the new card", so not really a surprise you are using a different driver now. And that's precisely why I suggested to start a new thread if you need help with that.

If you do so now, make sure to clearly mention that you are NOT using the same card/driver that this thread was started with, hence the new thread.

[hoodbrothers2]

Here are the steps I took to make the bootable USB: first I formatted a USB on a windows machine. Then I downloaded the image and put it on the USB also on windows. I then took out the USB and put it in my ubuntu machine. I searched startup disk creator in the unity dash, and I think I used the one with the USB icon on it. I chose my image, made the USB bootable by following the steps in the program, and then restarted my computer with the USB as first boot priority. As to the ath9k drivers thing, what I meant was that it actually said I was using drivers in 12.04. In other versions it just left that spot blank.

[varunendra]

The steps to create the USB seem to be okay, not sure why the problem then. But you should be able to add the 'nomodeset' option permanently to it. Here's how -

1) Plug in the USB in a working system (don't boot from it). This system should preferably be running Ubuntu or any other Linux OS. Windows may corrupt the file we are going to edit.
2) Locate 'syslinux' directory on the USB
3) Locate 'txt.cfg' file in 'syslinux' directory, and open it on text editor. (preferably, save a copy of it somewhere as backup first)
4) Locate the 'default' section in the file. It should be at the top.
5) In the 'default' section, locate the line that ends with "quiet splash --". This entire section (from 'default' to the "quiet splash --") should be something like -

default live
label live
menu label ^Try Xubuntu without installing
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

6) Edit the line to insert "nomodeset" before "quiet splash". Make sure there are blank spaces before and after "nomodeset". This line should now look something like -

append noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz nomodeset quiet splash --

7) Save and close the file.

Now, whenever you boot from this USB it should boot with the "nomodeset" option by default. Steps for appending other parameters (as and if required) would be same as above.

About the driver confusion, it seems from your description that 'other versions' did not load a driver at all, I can't say why. But loading of ath9k driver in 'any version' indicates it is an atheros card. To confirm that, you can check the output of -

lspci -nnk | grep -iA2 net

..on 12.04 where it seems to partially work.

[hoodbrothers2]

I did as you suggested by adding the parameter 'nomodeset'. Luckily this time I didn't get any nouveau errors. However, it still gave me the gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image, and it still booted in the basic terminal mode after I typed 'live'. I found this website http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/Common_Problems I'm going to look around some more and see if I can find anything.

[hoodbrothers2]

I replaced the new gfxboot with the one I currently have. That seemed to work, as it brought me to the screen where it asks if you want to download or try without installing. When I click try without installing it loads for a long time, and then gives me an error and crashes. From then on I'm left with a black screen.