New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

[heylookitsmewow]

I am new to Linux I just installed Kubuntu 7.0 today for the first time ever. I installed it on an Acer Aspire 5610 laptop. I haven't been able to get my wireless card to connect. It shows it under network settings as enabled but it and the ethernet are grayed out so I don't see how to do anything with it or make it work. Ethernet works fine. Also my graphics are at 1024x768 which is distorted on my screen because it needs to be at 1280x800. In a google search I found this

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaptopTestin...AcerAspire5610

I pasted below what it says about the video and wireless but I have no idea what it's telling me to do. Can anyone translate it into newbie English or give me any other solutions or directions to go for solutions.

Video
The video, by default starts set as 1024x768, even though Ubuntu recognizes the correct resolution (1280x800) and sets it in the xorg.conf file. To make it work, one has to install the 915-resolution package.
aptitude install 915resolution

Apparently just installing it makes Gnome's resolution changing app recognize the 1280x800 resolution so that the user can change it. The only supported resolutions now become 1280x800 and 1024x768, independent of the settings in xorg.conf (*update: in Feisty 800x600 and 640x480 also become available). Adding other resolutions to the xorg.conf file do not enable other "real" resolutions, even though 915resolution -l already shows all resolutions that should be available. Maybe some fiddling with it may enable other resolutions. I didn't try to disable the 1024x768 using it as it is needed so I can use the TV-Out with my TV. Just connecting the cable and using the Fn+F5 does the trick, although I couldn't make both screens show the screen at once. I could only enable one at each time. The step that should display both just doesn't seem to work.


Wireless
The IPW3945 chipset is recognized by the kernel, but isn't initiated correctly (probably due to firmware stuff). To make it work, you have to install the ipw3945 daemon, available in the linux-restricted-modules-generic package: sudo aptitude install linux-restricted-modules-generic This driver is installed by default in Feisty, through the Restricted Drivers Manager.

[askrieger]

Re: New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

Video: Start a konsole (K>System>Konsole). You will see a prompt like "heylookitsmewow@mymachine:~$". Enter the command

sudo apt-get install 915resolution

Enter your password when requested. After the dust settles enter the command

sudo 915resolution

You will have to enter this command every time you boot Linux unless you follow a procedure that you will find in the filie /usr/share/doc/915resolution/README.Debian. You can navigate to that file in Konqueror (click on the little globe with spikes in the bottom panel. Then select "home folder". then enter "/usr/share/doc/915resolution/" in the location bar. If you post the contents of that file here, someone will translate it for you. Please try to limit the size of the post to the relevant parts of the file. I don't have a copy of the README file because I don't have an Intel video chip, so I never installed 915resolution.

Wireless: From the konsole (see above) enter the command

sudo apt-get install linux-restricted-modules-generic

You will note that I have substituted the command "apt-get" for the command "aptitude". This is an irrational prejudice against the aptitude program on my part based on nothing more than a few horrible experiences with aptitude several years ago. You are free to use aptitude if you wish, but you may regret it.

[lingenfr]

Re: New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

Those instructions are good except for the 915resolution. I suggest that for both, you get used to using adept as it will make your life easier. Click the K button in the lower left corner, go to System, Adept Manager (you will have to enter your password), then type in 915 the search and it should come up in the list. Just right click it and select Install and then click the button that says Apply Changes. You likely will not need to do anything else. It makes all the changes for you. Good luck.

[heylookitsmewow]

Re: New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

Thank you both I got the video to work but not the wireless. After I enter "sudo apt-get install linux-restricted-modules-generic" this is what it says:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
linux-restricted-modules-generic is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Do I need to do anything after that? After doing this there is no change.

[askrieger]

Re: New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

The Intel IPW3945 chip has been used in about 30 laptops tested for (*)buntu by the Laptop Testing Team. See this Ubuntu Help Wiki Page

Most of the recent tests (for Edgy and Feisty)say that wireless is fine once you install the linux-restricted-modules package. I'm sure that's a comfort for you. However, SOME say that wireless is turned off by default, i.e. you have to turn it on. Is that the case for your Acer machine?

[heylookitsmewow]

Re: New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

I think the first solution did work it's just me who forgot about the part where I had to scroll down and go into administrator mode. That should tell you how much of a nube we are dealing with. So now the wireless is enabled and no longer grayed out. Now how do I get it to find my router? With windows it searches for available networks and then I can select my router from the list of local networks enter my router password and it just works. Will this do that too and if so how do I get it to search for netwoks?

[heylookitsmewow]

Re: New Kubuntu user having video and wireless problems

Never mind I figured it out. I downloaded Wireless Assistant and it's working.