I just installed slack 14.1 on an Acer Aspire One model 532h-2588. When the installation was done I installed wicd from the extra directory. wicd connects to my wifi network but no webpage will load in a browser. ping returns no connection either. I searched this forum on keyword wicd but found no solution to my problem, and I don't know how to proceed from here. The netbook used to connect in Windows 7, although I accidentally trashed the windows recovery partition, so slack is all I have now. Also, slack 14.1 and wicd connect fine on my other Acer netbook, model D250-1026. Thanks, Mike.

Open up wicd-curses or wicd-gtk
Go to preferences, advanced settings, and try changing the backend to ioctl.

I've had success in the past using that method.

Also, check that wpa_supplicant and dhclient/dhcpcd are not running before wicd starts.
Could be worth disabling some rc script such as rc.wireless

Is this a wired or wireless connection?

When you say 'ping returns no connection', what were you pinging?

Try pinging your own IP address, then ping your router ( if you have one ).

What do you see in /etc/resolv.conf ? You should see the IP addresses of your nameservers.

Have you entered any configuration into WICD? Is the access point using encryption? Did you enter the keys?

If you run the command /sbin/ifconfig do you see an IP address for the interface you are trying to use?

wicd got buggy for me a couple of years back.. I switched over to just using wpa_gui to set up my config. Easy as wicd, already there.. and doesn't have the issues.

Camorri, I pinged www.google.com; etc/resolv.conf has the ip addresses for opendns, which I use on all my computers; I followed the directions in the wicd readme file for configuring wicd; I did enter the encryption keys; I didn't run ifconfig but I did look at KDE info center, which probably uses ifconfig, and it shows the same ip address as the wicd gui.
Coralfang, I will try your advice later, I am at work now and the netbook is at home.
Thank you both, Mike.

Hi,

I'm not sure why you want to use Wicd but if you want to try an alternative tool, just give NetworkManager a try.

Simply run

and choose NetworkManager.

FYI, if you are familiar with distros such as Ubuntu, they use NM for such a task.

please run this:these commands may be able to help us norrow down and determine where your issue may lie.

I left out that this is a wifi connection.
I switched to ioctl and it seems to be working, but according to wicd it is not supported.
I guess my problem is solved, but I don't see how to mark it "solved." I am going to try some of the other suggestions posted on this thread because I don't like running something that is not supported. Thanks everyone who replied. Mike.

Well, I spoke too soon, I now have the same problem as before. I will post again if I find something that works. Mike.

Agree. I used to have problems getting and/or keeping connected with wicd, but none since I started using NM.

It's usable when it works. Unsupported simply means that the wicd developers won't help with any bug reports related to using it, probably because it's not their area of focus to deal with.

Slackware has changed a tad and networkmanager KDE uses is WICD. XFCE4 has an applet also for it. I would only install WICD if I need the CL interface for WIFI. please read this updated Slack doc http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:beginners_guide and scroll to Graphical Network Configuration Services.
and remember slackware has three /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 and /etc/rc.d/rc.networkmanager if you installed WICD from extra /etc/rc.d/rc.wicd
the first two was presented to you at install time. you made a choice.

here is the problem if you have /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 executable it will break /etc/rc.d/rc.networkmanager if you have The install scripts from wicd
will make /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 none executable but if you have /etc/rc.d/rc.networkmanager executable then this will also break things with.
/etc/rc.d/rc.wicd Just one at a time hope this helps.

I have a laptop (it happens to be a Dell Inspiron 1750 but that doesn't really matter) that is normally connected via Ethernet to my LAN (and it has a fixed IP address). When I take it somewhere out of the building, it gets connected via Wi-Fi using WICD (I can also connect it to an internal Wi-Fi but I don't do that because Ethernet is much, much faster).

Essentially, simply plugging in the Ethernet cable to the machine and booting it brings it up and running; WICO auto connects to the wired Ethernet connection on boot (there's no configuration for doing that by the way).

One thing I have found is that WICD (never have tried NetworkManager) when connected with Wi-Fi (which means DHCP) overwrites /etc/resolv.conf -- royal PITA, that. I don't know why (and, so far, neither does anybody else really) but the "solution" when connecting with Wi-Fi is:
(where /etc/resolv.bak has the DNS server addresses I use (which happen to be those provided by HughesNet). You probably don't what to use your router DNS server (I note that you're using OpenDNS) because routers tend to lose their minds and stop providing DNS services (not all of 'em but mine do).

Now all my machines (four of them including the laptop) are fixed IP, including two network printers and a plotter. I don't use DHCP on the LAN just cuz I'm lazy and don't what to have fiddle with DCHP settings and all that nonsense -- one line per server/device in /etc/hosts and that's that. Too, if you have a network printer, you can set the thing to a fixed IP address and CUPS will be able to find that address without any problem (on every computer you have if the address(es) are in /etc/hosts). Makes life a little easier.

WICD works and works fine on that laptop, both in- and out of building. You have to configure it for each connection you make (at the library, the bar, at school, wherever) and then you can simply use a drop-down and connect; but, keep in mind that you may -- may! -- have to fiddle with /etc/resolv.conf.

Hope this helps some.

Update: I found a similar thread here that blamed the poor quality of Belkin wireless routers for problems like the one I am having. I have a Belkin router, so I brought the netbook to work with me and set it up to use NetworkManager, (NetworkManager gave me the same problem at home with the Belkin router). It works fine on the office wifi router, so I will be shopping for a non-Belkin router soon. Thanks again to all who replied. Mike.

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