[SOLVED] Wireless problem on Compaq Presario CQ50-110US

fear_bot · 07-17-2009, 11:11 AM

Ok, I recently installed Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty on my Presario CQ50-110US, everything works properly, except the wireless.

It works every now and then, but when it does, it only connects to unsecure networks, but after I'm finished using my computer, and I turn it off, it doesn't work any more.

I have tried installing MadWifi, but that didn't help me.

Could anyone help me?

Thanks.

portamenteff · 07-17-2009, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fear_bot

Ok, I recently installed Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty on my Presario CQ50-110US, everything works properly, except the wireless.

It works every now and then, but when it does, it only connects to unsecure networks, but after I'm finished using my computer, and I turn it off, it doesn't work any more.

I have tried installing MadWifi, but that didn't help me.

Could anyone help me?

Thanks.

type into terminal

Code:

lspci

paste it into this thread. Also, there should be a switch on the front or side for the wifi. Did you check that it wasn't switched off?

fear_bot · 07-17-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by portamenteff

type into terminal

Code:

lspci

paste it into this thread. Also, there should be a switch on the front or side for the wifi. Did you check that it wasn't switched off?

Code:

cameron@cameron-laptop:~$ lspci
00:00.0 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] Memory Controller (rev a2)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation Device 075e (rev a2)
00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] SMBus (rev a1)
00:01.3 Co-processor: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] Co-Processor (rev a2)
00:01.4 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] Memory Controller (rev a1)
00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] OHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a1)
00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] EHCI USB 2.0 Controller (rev a1)
00:04.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] OHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a1)
00:04.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] EHCI USB 2.0 Controller (rev a1)
00:06.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] IDE (rev a1)
00:07.0 Audio device: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] High Definition Audio (rev a1)
00:08.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCI Bridge (rev a1)
00:09.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] SATA Controller (non-AHCI mode) (rev a2)
00:0a.0 Ethernet controller: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] Ethernet (rev a2)
00:0b.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCI Express Bridge (rev a1)
00:14.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCI Bridge (rev a1)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 11h HyperTransport Configuration (rev 40)
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 11h Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 11h DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 11h Miscellaneous Control
00:18.4 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 11h Link Control
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation GeForce 8200M G (rev a2)
07:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g (rev 01)
cameron@cameron-laptop:~$

The blue light is on for the wifi, also, it detects networks, but is not able to connect to any.

wabbalee · 07-18-2009, 01:15 AM

I see you have a broadcom wireless card, that would most likely work with open source drivers (almost) out of the box (I have the BCM4318) but if you don't want the open source drivers you should install ndiswrapper and ndisgtk (front end for it) not mad wifi as far as I am concerned.

also you MUST make a choice between open source or ndiswrapper, the two cannot work side by side. I would try open source first as it is easier to install, so you must uninstall mad wifi in either case.

go to 'system -> hardware drivers' and see if your card is listed and make sure it is enabled. enable it if it wasn't and reboot. That worked for me in three different situations (a dell laptop and two acer laptops)

good luck

fear_bot · 07-18-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wabbalee

I see you have a broadcom wireless card, that would most likely work with open source drivers (almost) out of the box (I have the BCM4318) but if you don't want the open source drivers you should install ndiswrapper and ndisgtk (front end for it) not mad wifi as far as I am concerned.

also you MUST make a choice between open source or ndiswrapper, the two cannot work side by side. I would try open source first as it is easier to install, so you must uninstall mad wifi in either case.

go to 'system -> hardware drivers' and see if your card is listed and make sure it is enabled. enable it if it wasn't and reboot. That worked for me in three different situations (a dell laptop and two acer laptops)

good luck

I have tried ndiswrapper after searching for a solution, but it did not work for me.

wabbalee · 07-18-2009, 05:35 PM

have a look here for the open source solution, if that did not work for you then explain to us step by step what you did with ndiswrapper? I keep thinking that you need ndiswrapper rather then mad wifi.

fear_bot · 07-18-2009, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wabbalee

have a look here for the open source solution, if that did not work for you then explain to us step by step what you did with ndiswrapper? I keep thinking that you need ndiswrapper rather then mad wifi.

I have my wireless working now, after I did a clean install of Ubuntu and ndiswrapper, but for some reason it still will not connect to secured networks.

padlamoij · 07-18-2009, 09:40 PM

I would strongly recommend spending 20 bucks and ditching the broadcom. They are nothing but a pain. Grab an intel 2200bg and never worry about this nonsense again. I got mine off ebay for $5.

michaelk · 07-18-2009, 09:48 PM

Are you trying to connect to WEP or WPA network?
Are you using madwifi or network manager?
Did you install wpa_supplicant?

fear_bot · 07-19-2009, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

Are you trying to connect to WEP or WPA network?
Are you using madwifi or network manager?
Did you install wpa_supplicant?

I have tried both, neither will work.
Right now, network manager.
I did, but it messed up my wifi after I rebooted, and it wouldn't even connect to un-secure networks.

fear_bot · 07-19-2009, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by padlamoij

I would strongly recommend spending 20 bucks and ditching the broadcom. They are nothing but a pain. Grab an intel 2200bg and never worry about this nonsense again. I got mine off ebay for $5.

Don't have any money, and their is nothing wrong with my wireless card, only have to get WPA working, if not, I'll take off the security on the network, and turn MAC filtering on.

There is no use to wasting a perfectly good wireless card.

wabbalee · 07-19-2009, 07:08 AM

Quote:

I would strongly recommend spending 20 bucks and ditching the broadcom. They are nothing but a pain. Grab an intel 2200bg and never worry about this nonsense again. I got mine off ebay for $5.

@padlamoij:
Every time (past tense now) I had troubles getting my Broadcom to work I learned in the end after I got it working that there was nothing wrong with the card apart from the fact that Broadcom never released Linux drivers and that I did not understand the Linux' way. But that is not even remotely a hardware problem, sounds more like politics and lack of knowledge (on my side in this case) to me. Now that I have the 'hang' of it, it really makes no difference to me using open source or ndiswrapper, technically speaking.

Quote:

I have my wireless working now, after I did a clean install of Ubuntu and ndiswrapper, but for some reason it still will not connect to secured networks.

@fear_bot
instead of network manager you can use a neat third party piece of gui software called WICD. you must uninstall NetworkManager for this, I have used it in Hardy but in Jaunty I don't need it. There is a drop down box somewhere in which you select what driver you use, in your case that would be Ndiswrapper. I don't know about Networkmanager but in WICD you can set the encryption type and key. Personally I never bothered with that as I only have a handful of neighbours around me and I know them all, and really those are the ones you are trying to protect yourself from. I can understand if you live in a more crowded situation that you need some form of security.

Quote:

Don't have any money, and their is nothing wrong with my wireless card, only have to get WPA working, if not, I'll take off the security on the network, and turn MAC filtering on.

There is no use to wasting a perfectly good wireless card.

I could not agree more, and btw I use MAC filtering, that is good enough for me.

Ron

fear_bot · 07-19-2009, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wabbalee

@padlamoij:
Every time (past tense now) I had troubles getting my Broadcom to work I learned in the end after I got it working that there was nothing wrong with the card apart from the fact that Broadcom never released Linux drivers and that I did not understand the Linux' way. But that is not even remotely a hardware problem, sounds more like politics and lack of knowledge (on my side in this case) to me. Now that I have the 'hang' of it, it really makes no difference to me using open source or ndiswrapper, technically speaking.

@fear_bot
instead of network manager you can use a neat third party piece of gui software called WICD. you must uninstall NetworkManager for this, I have used it in Hardy but in Jaunty I don't need it. There is a drop down box somewhere in which you select what driver you use, in your case that would be Ndiswrapper. I don't know about Networkmanager but in WICD you can set the encryption type and key. Personally I never bothered with that as I only have a handful of neighbours around me and I know them all, and really those are the ones you are trying to protect yourself from. I can understand if you live in a more crowded situation that you need some form of security.

I could not agree more, and btw I use MAC filtering, that is good enough for me.

Ron

Thank you, it works for me now, also, I'm here for vacation in Florida, and their are a lot of people around here, that's why I have it secured, and their are only two unsecured networks I'm able to connect to, both only have 20% strength.

Harry83 · 07-25-2009, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fear_bot

Ok, I recently installed Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty on my Presario CQ50-110US, everything works properly, except the wireless.

It works every now and then, but when it does, it only connects to unsecure networks, but after I'm finished using my computer, and I turn it off, it doesn't work any more.

I have tried installing MadWifi, but that didn't help me.

Could anyone help me?

Thanks.

I am sure there is some technical problem with in the Laptop.
Kindly visit your nearest custmer care.

Regards

Harry