Stuck: debian-7.4 wifi setup OK button remains ghosted
 

I'm trying to set up 7.4 for my usb wifi transceiver but can't really follow the Debian dialog for lack of incorprated guidance.

What I have to give the dialog is

The SSID which I know (there's no scan feature)

That I want IP to be assigned by DHCP

That the chip is recognized as [lsusb]:
ID 07d1:3a09 D-Link System DWA-160 802.11abgn XtremeN
Dual Band Adapter(rev.A2) [Atheros AR9170+AR9104]

lsmod: carl9170 67916 0

device name: wlp0s22f2u4

Change hostname via DHCP

start whenever detected plugged in

The passwd, and that the encryption is wpa2

...but these don't seem to be enough, the OK button remains ghosted

what can I do?

I need this for internet as well as my wifi printer

tia

Did you install wireless tools & libiw30?
What is dmesg telling you?

May I suggest, if you can, update your install before you do anything else. Debian Wheezy is now at 7.6, if you are at 7.4 you haven't updated for quite a while now and will be missing out on security fixes.

Thanks,

I got everything updated/upgraded and also installed a wifi firmware package. I'm posting this form my Debian installation.

Just so I can update my grub menu, does this make my installation a 7.6? What command will confirm version?

You shold've had to do apt-get dist-upgrade

I am assuming your original problem is now solved, if it is please mark this thread as solved using the thread tools just above your first post in this topic.

Grub will update each time a new kernel is updated/installed.

What DE are you using? Gnome has Gnome System Monitor and it will tell you via a gui what version of Debian you are currently running.

Yes, problem solved

Auto grub-anything is what I do NOT want, EVER. All I want from all distros I use (at least as an option) is to keep 2 current links under /boot, one named vmlinuz and one named initrd. Automaticakly updateing these links when required is OK and even preferable.

I'm using Gnome with Debian since I don't want all the eggs in the same DE either. So Suse & Mageia are on KDE which has spoiled me rotten over the years, Slackware on XFCE and Debian on Gnome. I find the Debian hard to use but don't really know yet if that's because of Gnome or because of the OS.

That's good.

Debian updates grub when a new kernel or an updated kernel is installed, it is required and if it doesn't happen you wont get your machine booting.

I suggest learning how to maintain Debian may be the first thing you should do. Debian 7.4 was earlier this year (March-April) so the indications are you have not updated in quite a while. Gnome isn't hard to use but people do have personal preferences so that may be why you have difficulty.

Almost a guarantee it is a Gnome issue. Debian is easier to use than Slackware. So if you can use Slack, you can use Debian.

There really is no need to confirm version. If you install the security updates, your system will be at the latest point release. Regular apt-get update && apt-get upgrade equals no worries.

It WAS earlier this year that I installed it but I've updated and upgraded so I suppose it should be called 7.6 now.

I have on average at least 8-10 different Linux installations PER DISK and if given a chance then I prevent them from making the mess they invariably make of the menu when running grub. If inevitable then I come back and immediately reestablish my own booting.

As for Gnome the fact is I don't know it at all beyond having tinkered with it briefly here and there. Can't even tell if what I have is Gnome or #3, but I have heard loads of fouldtalk about the latter

When installing new OS there's the option to not install grub & let 1 OS control grub.
I usually just have grub on Debian & all I have to do is run

Some OS'es don't give me the option NOT to write boot code, their rationale seems to be that it's better to irritate those who know how to fix a nuisance than to leave a newbie with an unbootable system. I agree with that albeit reluctantly because it would not be too complicated a deal to ask "do you want your new OS to be made bootable or do you wish AND know how to take care of it yourself?". I don't believe there is a single newbie on the planet who would say NO.

As for grub I have always tried to isolate MY stuff from the system so that it will never get stepped on by any system. Regardless of what a windows install or a windows-like install may do to my existing boot, the first thing I do is reboot with such an install or live DVD that gives me cLi and re-esatblish my own with a one line grub directive

becasue I keep the necessary files in the root of every single partition (plus dozens of other places) so I don't even have to remember which partition to use (except to not use the one occupied by the new install). Thus a bulletproof reboot is never more than a minute away. I'll move to grub2 when I'm good and ready, until then in a worst case scenario I just bail out of the grub menu with C and do

grub> root (hd0,x)
grub> kernel (hd0,x)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdax
grub> initrd (hd0,x)/boot/initrd
grub> boot

this will work with those OS'es that do link /boot/vmlinuz to the kernel-in-use to and /boot/initrd to the initrd-in-use with no extensions or version numbers on the links.