Hey Guys,
Thanks for being here . . . It seems, I am very late to this party: I'm working with Ubuntu 4.4.0 with xfce 2.2.0 or something like that . . . can not upgrade without internet -- can not get connected on ubuntu without error "interface down" -- used to be able to get online with win 7 pro (now determined "non-genuine"// refusing to accept update keythat is because another crashed machine probably still holds its rights) . . . Working & studying Linux Command line & others; but would love internet connections ASAP . . . especially for UPGRADES and other progressive matters; e.g., "ISO" file info. and further instructions. I trust I am not asking too much at once . . . I will be working to complete this ever-learning experience . . . much love, Peace

Ubuntu 4 ????

if this is 4 then STOP right now
and install the current Ubuntu 16

^ that.

there's never been a ubuntu 4.4.0:
http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/
and never a xfce 2.2.0:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfld#Early_versions
so please check your facts and provide some real info.

i also didn't quite catch what your actual problem is.

1 members found this post helpful.

Newbie speaking a new language correction:
1. GNU Grub Version 2.02~bet6a2-36ubuntu3;
2. Setparams says "'Advasnce options for ubuntu' menuentry 'Ubuntu with Linux 4.4.0-21-lowlatency' . . . ";
3. Do not have reference to xfce specs with me;
4. The challeges are -- a) Can not get proper internet connection; b) wind. pro 7 gives non genuine message; c) Do not know the differences between "ubuntu", linux, xfce and other terminology well enough yet; d) cannot get admin and/or SU access.
Doing a lot of reading -- still mostly 'foreign language'. Working on conceptualizing knowledge of the various parts for the bigger picture. Just need a little help and some clarifications: "characters", "arguments", "options", shelling and bashing scripts and usages. 'manpages' and info pages are great for picking up new terms; yet to see it made plain . . . thanks for your help. Much love -- peace.

Based on previous (not seen) yet reply to "never been . . . ", can any give the specific details and/or request additionally needed info?

well, since you still haven't told us which ubuntu (or other undisclosed linux version) you are actually using, i will just assume that it's something horribly outdated.
based on that info i'd say, use the same internet connection you are using to post here.
download an image of a current linux distro.
dd the .iso to a usb stick (that will most probably also work on $outdated_distro).
install that.

Thanks . . . but, would an "inxi" give me the details that your asking for??? To find where I am going, I need to know where I am at seems strategically sound to me . . .

you honestly have no clue at all what you're running there?

ok, if you have inxi, that helps.
otherwise:

Htp: Thanks for understanding . . . Will do and get back to U . . . much love . . . Peace

Htp: Have been told in the past, given pages to read, found lists of things to be considered . . . lost win 7 internet access . . . lost other single core machine internet access . . . presently on timed "library" access -- usually cut-off before anything gets done. Still working with plenty notes. Very determined against all odds. Pardon this late response. Thanks. Peace

I would guess the OP is running Xbuntu 16.04.1 kernel 4.4.0. As suggested post the output of the command
cat /etc/issue

I assume networking worked at one time? What is the make/model of your computer.

I love it . . . great guesstimation --
robert@robert-Inspiron-1545:~$ inxi
CPU~Dual core Pentium T4300 (-MCP-) speed/max~1600/2100 MHz Kernel~4.4.0-21-lowlatency i686 Up~4:18 Mem~296.2/1974.8MB HDD~320.1GB(6.1% used) Procs~187 Client~Shell inxi~2.2.35

robert@robert-Inspiron-1545:~$ uname -rv
4.4.0-21-lowlatency #37-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Mon Apr 18 20:11:44 UTC 2016
robert@robert-Inspiron-1545:~$

robert@robert-Inspiron-1545:~$ cat /etc/*issue
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS \n \l


robert@robert-Inspiron-1545:~$ cat /etc/*issue* /etc/*release*

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS \n \l

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=16.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=xenial
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 16.04 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 16.04 LTS"
VERSION_ID="16.04"
HOME_URL="http://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="http://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
UBUNTU_CODENAME=xenial
P.S. Yes, internet connection was available on the partitioned "win 7" portion, but being unable to clear the genuine keycode for win 7, I believe the 'non-genuine fix' interrupted access: I never had a chance to go online using "ubuntu". Thanks for the continued help . . . I am enjoy this labor of love . . . peace

Your Dell has a Broadcom BCM4312 wireless chipset. I assume that you can still activate your wireless via:

Go to: System->Administrator->Additional Drivers(Hardware drivers), then click to Broadcom STA wireless driver and enable it. Restart

That driver does not support that chip. I have the same chip and have to use the Windows drivers under Linux.
Even so the support is limited, so I actually bought a seperate Netgear USB wireless dongle that supports 5GHz as well as 2.4. At just over £10 it was cheaper than wasting my time getting the built-in chip working.

Much thanks . . . immediate feedback . . . solid plan of operation . . . Hopefully I will log-in from home next session with a "SOLVED INTERNET CONNECTION PROBLEM". Most important, I love the handson work-it-out learning experience . . . while living up to the Linux/Open Source objective . . . Much Love/Peace
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Most successes were built upon many failures . . . So I keep going -- RRDE