Jade88 Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Hi, I'm new to this forum. I have some Unix background (years ago), but this is the first time I have used the Ubuntu operating system. I just installed Ubuntu 12.10 on a Dell Latitude laptop. I got a ransomeware virus on the laptop and decided I was going to try something other than Windows. During the install I realized that the wireless connection was not working. I am thinking this was caused by the ransomeware. I ran the lspci command in the terminal and it showed that I had the Broadcom BCM4311 Network Controller. I was trying to read online if others had this problem, but I could not find a solution that was easy to understand. Would anyone on this forum know how to get the wireless card to start working again? Thanks in advance for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corrine Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Hi, Jade88. Welcome to SNF! I'm glad you decided to come here for advice. Fingers crossed that someone here will have the right solution for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenditman Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Here is a page from the Ubuntu Docs that deals with that exact wireless controller. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade88 Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 Thanks so much. I still can't get the wireless to work. I went to the page you suggested and followed the directions titles 10.04(Lucid Lynx). I also tried installing b43-fwcutter. When I went to Sysytem Settings>Software Sources> Additional Drivers it says using Broadcom 802.11 Linux STA wireless driver source from bcmwl-kernel-source. This is selected. The other option is Do not use this device. I also noticed that the wireless switch light does not go on anymore after the computer got infected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenditman Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Two things I would try. 1 - Check that the device is not disabled in the BIOS. If it is on in the BIOS, try # 2. 2 - Boot from a LiveCD/USB (I usually use PartedMagic) to see if the wireless works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenditman Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I went to the page you suggested and followed the directions titles 10.04(Lucid Lynx). Did you try the instructions for 12.04, since that is what you said you installed in your first post? 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) - 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) Open a Terminal and if you haven't already done so, update your package list: sudo apt-get update If you have a b43 card use the command sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer or, if you need the b43legacy driver, use: sudo apt-get install firmware-b43legacy-installer or, if you need a LP-PHY version (e.g BCM4312), use: sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer Restart the computer or reload the b43/b43legacy module as outlined in the Switching between drivers section below (replace b43 with b43legacy where appropriate). Note: Since 11.10 the package linux-firmware-nonfree also contains b43 firmware (changelog). This may contain a different/newer version of the firmware depending on release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Thanks so much. I still can't get the wireless to work. I went to the page you suggested and followed the directions titles 10.04(Lucid Lynx). I also tried installing b43-fwcutter. When I went to Sysytem Settings>Software Sources> Additional Drivers it says using Broadcom 802.11 Linux STA wireless driver source from bcmwl-kernel-source. This is selected. The other option is Do not use this device. I also noticed that the wireless switch light does not go on anymore after the computer got infected. First of all, the virus in Windows is no longer present when you boot into Linux. However, it could have turned the wireless adapter off and you need to turn it back on in Linux. Next, the Dell Broadcom wifi is notorious for being difficult to get working in Ubuntu and isn't what I'd recommend for someone new to Linux. And the apt-get commands require that you already have an Internet connection. Does the laptop have a wired connection to use in setting up the wifi? Actually, it might be easier to use another distro such as Mepis or Bodhi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade88 Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 Thank you for all of your help. I have tried all suggestions and still no luck. I do have a wired connection that works. Lewmur, you suggested Mepis or Bodhi. I may have to try that unless someone else has a suggestion. I have also read about the Broadcom wifi issues, and it seems like it may not be easy to fix. I can keep trying if anyone has any other ideas. I hate to give up I really wanted to get this working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Hi Jade88, Welcome! So glad you made it! Here's something that might help: [sOLVED} ubuntu 12.10 - No Wireless Dell d430/d830 with Broadcom BCM4311 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) The guy who fixed it with this started out from a different direction, but it fixed it for him and the person he posted it to: After running 12.10 updates on my laptop with Broadcom 4312 wireless my wireless broke with the new 3.5.0-18 kernel update.To fix I went into Software Sources & disabled the STA driver then I'm assuming at least the last 3 commands in this fixed it: Code: sudo modprobe -r b43 ssb wl sudo apt-get remove bcmwl-kernel-source sudo apt-get install build-essential dkms linux-headers-generic sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source I didn't have to reboot or anything. It just immediately found my wireless adapter and connected wirelessly again. Edited March 17, 2013 by LilBambi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Welcome Jade88, welcome to the forums As far as your issue, I would follow the link that Fran (LilBambi) mentioned as it seems to work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Thank you for all of your help. I have tried all suggestions and still no luck. I do have a wired connection that works. Lewmur, you suggested Mepis or Bodhi. I may have to try that unless someone else has a suggestion. I have also read about the Broadcom wifi issues, and it seems like it may not be easy to fix. I can keep trying if anyone has any other ideas. I hate to give up I really wanted to get this working. lspci -vvnn | grep 14e4 Use the above code to determine which Broadcom adapter you have. If you show [14e4:4311], then you are in luck as I have a Dell sitting in my lap with that adapter. I will install 12.10 on it and see what it takes to get the wifi working. Problem is it's almost midnight, so I won't be able to get to it tonight. I'll try in the morning and let you know my results if you haven't found another solution by then. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade88 Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 I ran lspci -vvnn | grep 14e4 Result: Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11a/b/g [14e4:4312] (rev 01) Looks like it's not the same. Thanks to everyone for all your help!!! I am going to try the other suggestions in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I ran lspci -vvnn | grep 14e4 Result: Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11a/b/g [14e4:4312] (rev 01) Looks like it's not the same. Thanks to everyone for all your help!!! I am going to try the other suggestions in the morning. It's close enough. They take the same driver. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Welcome, Jade88! Having fun with your Broadcom wireless, huh? Been there, done that one. There's a pretty knowledgeable crowd here. but if they can't get you squared away, I'll put in a call for the Broadcom/Ubuntu Slayer - Urmas. He got me squared away on a Broadcom a while back --> read more about it... here --> http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?showtopic=39979entry307893 and here --> http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?showtopic=56341entry355329 It wasn't pretty, but it's an entertaining read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I ran lspci -vvnn | grep 14e4 Result: Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11a/b/g [14e4:4312] (rev 01) Looks like it's not the same. Thanks to everyone for all your help!!! I am going to try the other suggestions in the morning. This worked. Click the "Dash" button and type "Software" in the search field. An Icon should appear labeled "Software Sources". Click it and wait for the window. In the top bar click "Additional Drivers". Your Broadcom device should appear. Click the "Do not use this device" and then "Apply Changes". Once it's done its thing, open a terminal and type "sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer". It should search for the download and when it finds it ask if you want to install. Type "y" and let it do its thing. When finished, reboot and wifi should be working. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade88 Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 I got it!!!!! Thanks so much for everyone's help. This group is so helpful and knowledgeable. I followed the directions from the link LilBambi provided. Lewmur, I was going to try your fix next if that didn't work. Earlier in this process I was thinking I should deactivate the driver listed, but wasn't sure if I was right. Glad I didn't give up. Again, thanks so much. I will be spending some time reading the tips under Bruno's Classroom to familiarize myself with Linux 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I got it!!!!! Thanks so much for everyone's help. This group is so helpful and knowledgeable. I followed the directions from the link LilBambi provided. Lewmur, I was going to try your fix next if that didn't work. Earlier in this process I was thinking I should deactivate the driver listed, but wasn't sure if I was right. Glad I didn't give up. Again, thanks so much. I will be spending some time reading the tips under Bruno's Classroom to familiarize myself with Linux Awesome! Glad that worked for you Jade88!! I thought it might. Great job on following the instructions too .. command line and all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corrine Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I'm so glad I referred you here. I knew the knowledgeable folks at SNF would be able to solve the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Linux is our game in these parts. Stop by often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Welcome Jade88. There aren't many issues that the regulars who hang out in the Bruno's All Things Linux section can't solve. Plus, no matter how basic your question might seem to the snobs/know-it-alls at other Linux forums, everyone here answers with a respectful attitude. As a result, you don't have to be afraid to ask questions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Excellent, glad you got it working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichase Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Jade88, Welcome To BATL !!!!! Always great to see a new face. As mentioned earlier sometimes getting those broadcom wifi adapters working can be tricky in Linux. I believe most of us that solely use Linux have seen it before. We are a wonderful bunch and we REALLY enjoy helping new Linux Explorers not only learn Linux but ENJOY it as well. Edited March 19, 2013 by ichase 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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