I got Linux Mint 13 installed on a Dell Inspiron 8600. Everything seems to be running ok, but I am not able to do a wireless configuration. I go through System>Windows Wireless Drivers, but it doesn't detect any drivers. I have tried searching for help, and there appears to be commands I might be able to enter in the shell to get the driver to be recognized, but I'm probably using the wrong codes. I am brand new to Linux, so a lot of the terminology and procedures are Greek to me. I apologize in advance for seeming like a child with my lack of knowledge, but that's what I feel like. Just looking for some help, please.

You do not (NOT!) have to apologize for asking a question. Nobody knows everything from start. I have been using GNU/Linux since 2008, and I still learn new stuff, almost every day. If I never asked questions, and if it weren't for the nice people on forums such as this, I would have gotten nowhere.

Now, with that out of the way...
To find out your wireless card, please post the output of this command (copy and paste into a terminal and hit enter):
If I run that command, my output is:
You should get something similar. Please post the output on this forum.

To go even further, copy the first digits from the line containing the wireless card info (44:00.0) and paste them into the following command:
Please post also that info here.

Best regards,
HMW

HMW, thank you very much for your assistance, being patient, and considerate. I didn't mean to sound whiny, but I had a terrible experience the other night seeking help on Linuxmint.com chat. I was made ridiculed, argued with, put down, shamed, etc. all because I was trying ask a question. I don't do well with trolls and smarmy people, and there is something extremely wrong with people who can't appreciate that at one time they didn't know how to do something and they had to start somewhere. As a result, I am researching a lot online, trying to understand what I am reading, and not much of it is making sense yet. I know I have to start at the bottom and I'm ok with that. You folks here, at linuxquestion are incredible. I don't intend to seek help elsewhere because you folks are doing everything for me that I need, and you make me feel like a human being and an adult. Thank you all.

Now, thank you for the command line. I knew enough to go into the terminal and input the line you suggested. The output it gave me was:

02.03.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless Lan Controller (rev 02)

This has been the problem I have been having. I have not been able to find the command that would 1) confirm that I had the proper driver, or 2) how to enter it to get that information. I hadn't been able to go through Windows Wireless Drivers in System to have it find this. As I said, I am ridiculously new to all this and am totally learning from the ground up. I feel slightly embarrassed to ask to have my hand held like this, but you folks have proven that this is what you are here for. I want to take what I am learning and teach my children because I want us to move away from MS forever. I was able to give up after the terrible night I had recently, but then realized that I should try you guys again. Smart move.
So, if you don't mind, what do I do from here? Based on what I have read, it seems that I need to input the command in the shell to have this driver recognized so when I go through the configuration again it will be recognized. Or, do I even have the driver? I know I have the adapter. I have about 200 pages open online to every conceivable linux mint page I can find, reading about cmd lines, shells, you name it. But it all seems way advanced for me yet.
Thanks for helping me sort it all out.

Sorry, I forgot the second part of your request. I input the cmd line again with the first digits. Here is what I got back:
02:03.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller (rev 02)
Subsystem: Dell TrueMobile 1300 WLAN Mini-PCI Card
Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Ste
pping- SERR+ FastB2B- DistINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66Mhz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort-
<MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 32
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ S
Region 0: Memory at faff6000 (32-bit, non-perfetchable) [size=8k]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: b43-pci-bridge
Kernel modules: ssb

In my research, I got as far as figuring that I needed the b43 driver, but I didn't know which one, and then I didn't know how to enter the cmd to get linux to install it so I could then see it in the configuration.

*note incorrect bold change above

I gave up fighting Broadcom years ago - I refuse to buy anything with their (or Realtek) chips installed.
Doesn't help you tho' - have a look at this blog, seems to cover things pretty well. I'm surprised fw-cutter is still required.

Sorry to hear that. The shame lies entirely on the people in the Linux Mint chat. Not on you.

Here's a protip for you; when you post output from the terminal here, please use code tags as it makes the output more readable.

Ok. You have a Broadcom card. Namely:
This requires the b43legacy driver (https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43) and 'non-free-firmware' (as do my shitty driver, iwlwifi). Make sure you have the firmware first by issuing this command in a terminal (requires that you can access the Internet via cable, you can, right?):
If you already have it installed, it is perfectly safe to reinstall.

Then execute the following commands:

Do you have wireless now? If not, reboot and check again.

Best regards,
HMW

Thank you HMW. I didn't realize until late yesterday how I could copy the code from the terminal to post here. Figured that out, so I will be able to do that better in the future. I spent all day yesterday searching for information related to the b43 driver and how it relates to the Broadcom adapter. I'm not 100% certain, but it appears also that I may need the b43legacy driver? There has been a missing link here in that no, I haven't created an ethernet connection straight to my router. I may try that today. It occurred to me that I need to do that so I can directly download what I need via a connection. After all the confusion at the other site the other night, one person realized exactly what I needed to do, but I wasn't understanding him, and the big problem with seeking help through a chat service is all the conversations going on at once and a mod trying to help more than one person at once. That was confusing. I'm sure I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and they made that clear to me. However, I have a different take on education having children and having taught others myself before. It is difficult, but you don't just throw someone under the bus because they don't understand. I spent a lot of hours yesterday trying things based on clues you folks have given me. You all would probably laugh at the simplicity of the problems I am having, but the cool thing is that you all are patient with me and extremely helpful. I appreciate that. Even with all my failures, I am learning a lot. I enjoy the challenge of learning this way because I think I learn so much more in the long run. Output at the terminal, based on the apt-get input and attempts at installing the b43 driver showed me that I need to go to the ubuntu site to download the software, or follow the link you provided. I will be trying to do the ethernet connection today so I can do that. I will get back to you when I have done that and tried what you have suggested. Thanks again everybody!

Insanely simple process once I connected to the router with the ethernet cable, which got me online. I used the software manager to update the kernel and then used it to install the b43legacy driver. When I had done that, I did apt-get install. As soon as I did that, having already done the wireless configuration, the wireless connected instantly. I had been making this process way more complicated than it needed to be. It helped to connect directly to the router with the ethernet cable too.

Also, I got tired of messing with the dual boot. I went for it and installed Linux Mint and got rid of XP. It feels good. My daughter is going to be the first one in the house to be using Linux on a full-time basis, but I will be getting on her computer to continue learning it. Everything is good now. Now I predict I have a lot of time sitting down reading all about the OS and Linux and learning the terminal.

Thanks to all of you for being patient with me and helping me with this! I'm a Linux user now.

Good for you! If you consider this solved, please mark the thread as [SOLVED] as well (check the thread tools link).

Best regards,
HMW