I used LAN for 2 weeks, and now wireless is unavailable. Help?

All was fine before. WHat did 12.04 do? WHY did 12.04 go afoul?

Hi

I am guessing they are some versions of Ubuntu?

anyhow I suggest you use your LAN connection to install (if missing) wicd-gtk

now depending on your desktop there are variants of that package

now run it

maximize the screen so you can see it has a preferences button
---you are likely to see that eth0 is already showing up as your wired connection

now do a scan
if it detects your router....you need to tell this app what kind of password to use
----it is not a mind reader

input the password, hopefully a passphrase for WPA2 and see if you can click on connect

good luck

Hi aus9

I didn't un-install any packages, and I HOPE Ubuntu is not un-installing packages by itself (although with GRUB 2 becoming more Windows-esque, one never knows).

WPA2 passkey is still in settings under wireless.

Nothing changed [physically], when I plugged in the LAN line 2 weeks ago (that was done to upload a BIG datafile quicker).


ed.:
I knew nothing changed physically; it changed by DELL!!!

cb1204@cb1204-Inspiron-5720:~$ exec sudo -s
[sudo] password for cb1204:
root@cb1204-Inspiron-5720:~# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
1: brcmwl-0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
2: dell-wifi: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: yes
3: dell-bluetooth: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: yes
root@cb1204-Inspiron-5720:~#

Any experience here?

"unblock all" didn't get it either...

Solved - I did 3 or 4 things, and don't know which worked, because I was aggravated, and didn't reverse each step that DIDN'T work, to make sure that a combo of executions wasn't necessary.

First was remove, then blacklist Dell-Laptop module

Then it attempted to log on, but asked for WPA-PSK sec key, already in the NetMan Settings. ???

Then I disabled the physical wireless switch (it was logging on in Win7 automatically), re-enabled, and saw it tried to log on, but stopped.

I switched again (OFF???), and it logged on.

Is physical 'ON', and 'OFF', supposed to be reversed in Win, and Linux?

No on my dell

left is off
right is on (with possible explain)
hard right is search for network, temporary but not permanently on

its a kinda windows thing.
IMHO by turning off, windows lost its lock

handy to know when you dual boot