Linux Mint on a USB

Mint Julep · 03-11-2017, 07:43 PM

I have installed Linux Mint 18.1 on a USB. Mint successfully boots up from the USB on an older Dell Inspiron laptop (main OS on that computer is Windows 7), but the Dell Wireless 1397 WLAN card is not recognized. Mint gets me online via Ethernet, and I downloaded what I thought was the correct package to install the Broadcom driver for the wireless card, but apparently not. Is it even possible to update the Linux Mint on the USB to include the Broadcom driver?

wpeckham · 03-12-2017, 01:04 PM

I did. It took me a bit to find the right package, but it was already in the repos just not automated because the Broadcom is so nasty to FOSS. Search the Repos for Broadcom and see what comes up, or google for it in connection to Mint and Ubuntu (the driver is the same).

Once you get it in you might want to copy down the package name. Had I done so I would now be able to tell you what it was, but I forget. (It has not failed me since, and it has been some months.)

Mint Julep · 03-21-2017, 09:12 AM

Linux Mint driver manager allowed installation of the B43 driver (and has to be reinstalled every time I start Linux Mint up). And with the driver installed, the wireless connection is not showing up on Network Connections. Will have to do a little searching on the forums to see if I've done the network configuration correctly. Meanwhile, Spring Break is over and we're back to our normal workday routine, so not much time for forum hopping and/or experimenting until the weekend.

Habitual · 03-21-2017, 10:08 AM

You'll need persistence on that install of LM on the USB to keep the updated environment.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

Habitual · 03-21-2017, 10:08 AM

You'll need persistence on that install of LM on the USB to keep the updated environment.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

beachboy2 · 03-21-2017, 10:50 AM

Quote:

You'll need persistence on that install of LM on the USB to keep the updated environment.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

Quote:

You'll need persistence on that install of LM on the USB to keep the updated environment.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

I heard you the first time!

An alternative guide to creating a Live USB drive with persistence:
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/1491...b-flash-drive/

Shadow_7 · 03-21-2017, 12:42 PM

It seems to be a 4312 wireless so:

$ sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer

Various other firmwares you can manually try from:

https://downloads.openwrt.org/sources/

$ man b43-fwcutter

Habitual · 03-21-2017, 02:19 PM

Forum was on drugs earlier, earlier.