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alitalf
My large laptop computer has been unco-operative in some ways. Minus one point for the hardware, for Linux, and for Windows.
The ethernet connection failed a while back, and because the only way to have a hope of repairing it would have required complete disassembly, I decided to use the wireless networking instead.
I now find that the Ubuntu 8.x installation won't work with the wireless card, though it is supposed to have drivers that support it. The card is an intel 3945ABG.
Ubuntu probably does not enable the card, because it never reports finding any wireless networks, and when I set it up manually, it reports zero signal strength.
Under windows, there is the expected signal strength, but accessing the workgroup on windows networking does not work reliably. I have discovered that the problem is with the computer browser service. If any other computer on the network is elected master browser, all is well. If this one is elected master, then it can't access the workgroup at all.
If no other computer is switched on, it is the master and cannot access its own network shares via the workgroup icon, though it can do via the network neighbourhood links that it stores.
It accesses the internet OK, though.
I also notice that an extra protocol has been installed, presumably by an update I failed to switch off in advance: Microsoft tcp-ip version 6, in addition to the generic tcp-ip protocol. Disabling the version 6 does not solve the problem. The properties button is greyed out when tcp-ip V6 is highlighted, and the normal tcp-ip properties are accessible for the generic tcp-ip protocol.
DHCP is provided by the wireless internet router.
A temporary solution has been to disable the computer browser service. In principle I could set up a domain controller, but I don't want to be obliged to have one particular computer running at all times. It is a waste of electricity if I am not using it specifically, and in summer I could sometimes do without the extra heat.
Has anyone any idea how to address either of these software problems? I am not keen to dismantle the computer just to try to fix the network port because: 1) There is a small but real chance that it will cause further damage. 2) The repair may not be possible anyway. 3) It will take the best part of a day to do sufficiently carefully, with no repair manual.
The ethernet connection failed a while back, and because the only way to have a hope of repairing it would have required complete disassembly, I decided to use the wireless networking instead.
I now find that the Ubuntu 8.x installation won't work with the wireless card, though it is supposed to have drivers that support it. The card is an intel 3945ABG.
Ubuntu probably does not enable the card, because it never reports finding any wireless networks, and when I set it up manually, it reports zero signal strength.
Under windows, there is the expected signal strength, but accessing the workgroup on windows networking does not work reliably. I have discovered that the problem is with the computer browser service. If any other computer on the network is elected master browser, all is well. If this one is elected master, then it can't access the workgroup at all.
If no other computer is switched on, it is the master and cannot access its own network shares via the workgroup icon, though it can do via the network neighbourhood links that it stores.
It accesses the internet OK, though.
I also notice that an extra protocol has been installed, presumably by an update I failed to switch off in advance: Microsoft tcp-ip version 6, in addition to the generic tcp-ip protocol. Disabling the version 6 does not solve the problem. The properties button is greyed out when tcp-ip V6 is highlighted, and the normal tcp-ip properties are accessible for the generic tcp-ip protocol.
DHCP is provided by the wireless internet router.
A temporary solution has been to disable the computer browser service. In principle I could set up a domain controller, but I don't want to be obliged to have one particular computer running at all times. It is a waste of electricity if I am not using it specifically, and in summer I could sometimes do without the extra heat.
Has anyone any idea how to address either of these software problems? I am not keen to dismantle the computer just to try to fix the network port because: 1) There is a small but real chance that it will cause further damage. 2) The repair may not be possible anyway. 3) It will take the best part of a day to do sufficiently carefully, with no repair manual.
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 03:26 pm (UTC)http://linuxtechie.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/making-intel-wireless-3945abg-work-better-on-ubuntu-hardy/
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 03:53 pm (UTC)I posted a query on that forum about whether there is a file I could download using Windows, that could be installed under Linux.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 04:15 pm (UTC)Go to http://packages.ubuntu.com/ and search for the relevant package. You'll then be able to download a .deb for your architecture. NB this is a rather frustrating process if you don't know exactly what you want.
Reading that article, you want the latest linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic => http://packages.ubuntu.com/linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic
That gives two options, one from hardy, and one from hardy-updates. Going with the latter (which seems a smidge more recent) => http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy-updates/linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic
That gives us an i386 download link ( http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy-updates/i386/linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic/download ) but also shows us that it's actually an empty package that depends on linux-backports-modules-2.6.24-21-generic. So, look at that too => http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy-updates/linux-backports-modules-2.6.24-21-generic
That also has a download link.
If you follow both of those, you should be able to download two .deb files. You can then install them as root by doing
dpkg -i foo.deb bar.deb[err, sorry if that was teaching you to suck eggs]
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 03:56 pm (UTC)If they can't help, I will try whatever official Ubuntu forum there is.