[Ubuntu 8.10] Atheros wifi card not working

[ikonizer]

Ok, here goes...

I'm trying to install Ubuntu 8.10 on my laptop, everything is supported right out of the box, except my wireless card. I found a "solution" online for it, but it requires you to be in Ubuntu, and to download a package.

sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-intrepid-generic

Am I missing someone? How are you supposed to download a driver package when you can't connect to the internet in the first place?

Any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

[nhozemphtekh]

use ethernet port?

connect directly to modem via usb?

[ikonizer]

use ethernet port?

connect directly to modem via usb?

I don't have access to a direct connection, I can only get on the internet through wifi, thus my problem.

Can't you just download the package and throw it on a USB drive and trasnfer it over? I wouldn't mind doing that.

[Sensayshun]

Not got any onboard wireless to use for the meantime?

Would love an atheros based card *sobs*.

[Elv13]

Are you sure you have the 2.6.27 kernel? *use uname -a in terminal te check). If you do, it should work, click on network manager applet in the systray to see if you can use any wireless spot.

The old madwifi driver have been removed and replaced with 2 brand new driver (ath5k and 9k) directly in the kernel. No more propiatary HAL, no more x86_64 hell. But those are new and not very good, their range is very limited and the connection is unstable. I am upgradign the kernel at every rc (2.6.28rc6 actually) to get the new patch, but for me Ubuntu 8.10 work fine with my (ath9k) card. What card do you use? (sudo lspci to check)

If it really dont work, try loading the module manually and restarting nm:

sudo modprobe ath_pci
sudo /est/init.d/network-manager restart
killall nm-applet && nm-applet &

[ikonizer]

Thanks for the reply elv, here is a screenshot of my card, and the command you gave me.

[markwolfe Veteran]

What is /est/? (I see that Elv13 mis-typed it above)

It is /etc/ as in "etcetera".

If you type the first few letters, and hit [TAB], it will auto-complete for you.

P.S. Nice wall!

[ikonizer]

Thank you for the reply, I'm going to try that right now.

[ikonizer]

I tried it with the "/etc/" paramters, but no such luck. Yields the same "command not found" error as the last command I tried.

[markwolfe Veteran]

Did you try tab completion? That prevents typos and such.

[Rob2687]

Looks like Network Manager is running in the tray

What's the output of iwlist scan

[ikonizer]

No luck so far. Here's a screenshot Rob.

[Elv13]

is madwifi installed? (do -not- install it if it is not)

[ikonizer]

How do I tell if it is or isn't?

[Elv13]

look in system;admin;synaptic

and you didnt gave me the output of sudo lspci by the way.

[ikonizer]

Ugh, this rebooting is getting to be bothersome.

Here's the lspci output Elv.

[Rob2687]

You can indeed download a package and copy it over from a USB drive.

The package you're looking for is here

http://packages.ubuntu.com/intrepid/linux-...ntrepid-generic

To install a .deb do sudo dpkg -i linux-backports-modules-intrepid-generic_2.6.27.7.11_i386.deb

Any package from the official repositories can be download from http://packages.ubuntu.com/

[fix-this!]

you have to download madwifi drivers. there are plenty of guides for it on the ubuntu forums. im disappointed with 8.10 it was suppose to support atheros out of the box and it does not. this is why i stuck with 8.04, as a matter a fact im going to be installing ubuntu x64 this weekend so i will need that madwifi guide myself for x64.

[Rob2687]

It does support it out of the box. I am using 8.10 with an Atheros card and it has worked as it did in previous versions. A quick Google shows that people are having problems with this specific model.

[ikonizer]

I'll try copying the file over and manually installing it.

As far as the madwifi drivers, I've heard some really bad things about them.

[ikonizer]

Ok, ran into another problem with trying to manually install the package.

[Elv13]

You should not have to install madwifi, and if you do, then it will conflict with the existing dirver and will not work anyway (both have the same name (ath_pci)). If you click on the little network icon on the top of you screen, are you sure that you don't see your network?

If you don't, copy you home directory to your windows partition or an usb stick then do as smooth3006 say, install 8.04. I don't have your problem and most people don't, you should post a bug report on launchpad (ubuntu bug site), it should have work out of the box. When you will have 8.04, copy your home folder back. Be sure to copy the home folder and not its content, if you do, you will keep your customisation and settings.

[ikonizer]

I just installed 8.04, and it doesn't support wireless out of the box for my adapter. Going to try to install the old package as a last ditch effort.

[ikonizer]

Ok, I've tried everything. My wireless card isn't supported and won't work, either on 8.10 or 8.04, so I'm just going to give up and stick with Windows. I know it's not the developers' fault, but I can't use an OS if I can't get on the internet.

[markwolfe Veteran]

^^^ Agreed. Bummer, though. :(