Ubuntu 8.10... where is it and wireless please help!

Hi There,

I'm new to linux and need a bit of help. After having terrible trouble with linpus over the last two weeks that I have owned my AAO150 I decided to give Ubuntu a try. Used my old xp machine to put a disk image on a USB stick and got ubuntu up... lovely! I couldn't get my wireless to work or get on the net via a wired connection so I thought a restart may be in order... only problem is when I restarted I'm back in linpus and can't seem to find out how to get back to ubuntu let alone fix my internet problems. Any advice will be much much appreciated.

I'm hoping ubuntu will also be easier to add my Epson DX6000 all-in-one too as it took 6 days with linpus to get it working properly.

Thanks in advance,

Love Rebecca xxx

 

I'm afraid I have more questions for you than possible answers, but here goes.

Not sure why you're booting into Linpus. Did your 150 come with WInXP? If so, did you wipe it? Mine came with XP, and I've kept it. I'm not up on the various models and what comes with each. Perhaps a dumb question, but did you install Ubuntu on your AA1 or just run from the live USB stick? If so, did you install the bootloader, and if so, where?

Can you connect (wired) to the web when you boot the live USB stick? From the Ubuntu website:

And if none of the above seem to be of any help, from the live USB stick, open a terminal and type

Code:

sudo fdisk -l

and show us what you get

 

Hi there,

I've sorted the ubuntu install issues but I still can't seem to get my wireless working. I did get it on but after a restart it won't even switch on using the switch on the front of the AAO. I am connected wired now (after a bit of a headache!)

Rebecca xxx

 

Code:

 dpkg -l linux* | grep ^ii

and post the results. Let's see if you've got the linux-backports-modules-<kernel version>-generic package installed

 

Hi Rebecca,

Re-reading your first post, you say that you have put an image onto a USB disk - well this will be on the USB disk, not the drive inside the AAO. When yoo boot Ubuntu, it is booting from the USB disk in "Live" mode. It looks and feels like your installation will feel if you were to install it, but its only a preview really. No changes are saved to the OS, as i said its like a preview, so if you restart you will loose changes made in Ubuntu (hence, you can't get the wireless to work because it requires a restart but the changes are lost). Also, the reason why Linpus boots when you restart is because by default the AAO boots whatever it finds on the internal drive, and as you don't seem to have installed Ubuntu it will just boot Linpus again.

If you want to install Ubuntu, boot the live USB as before and select the install option. Follow the install through, and then follow these instructions here to get the wireless to work.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=6791&p=44447&hilit=ubuntu#p44447

You can read more on Linux Live disks here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD

Sounds complex, but its basically a way of previewing the OS before you install it. You can do most things in the "preview", albeit a little slower than if it were properly installed, but your chanegs arent saved.

Post back how you get on.

 

With 8.10 that's not always true. If 8.10 was booted and used to create the USB key with a persistent section, then it's quite possible to get wifi working on the AAO under Ubuntu 8.10 on a bootable USB thumb drive; I have one right here.

 

You are absolutely corret dirk, but seeing as most of the tutorials cover how to do it in Unetbootin and Rebecca says the following:

Which tends to imply that it's not persistent if it was lost after a restart, but until Rebecca replies i'm only assuming - you could be absolutely right!

How did you create your USB disk please Rebecca?

 

Hi,

I seem to have the same problem with my wifi connection. Worked for a moment after following the guidelines on https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne . The only thing was that it didn't seem to accept the WPA encryption very well, so after a restart my wifi couldn't find any wireless network anymore. When I try to make it connect to a hidden wireless network and fill in the ESSID, it makes an attempt at connecting but fails to in the end.
So here are my results after entering dpkg -l linux* | grep ^ii in a terminal:
ii linux-backports-modules-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.4 Ubuntu supplied Linux modules for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii linux-backports-modules-intrepid 2.6.27.7.11 Generic Linux backported drivers.
ii linux-backports-modules-intrepid-generic 2.6.27.7.11 Backported drivers for generic kernel image
ii linux-firmware 1.2 Firmware for Linux kernel drivers
ii linux-generic 2.6.27.7.11 Complete Generic Linux kernel
ii linux-headers-2.6.27-7 2.6.27-7.16 Header files related to Linux kernel version 2.6.27
ii linux-headers-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.16 Linux kernel headers for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii linux-headers-generic 2.6.27.7.11 Generic Linux kernel headers
ii linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.16 Linux kernel image for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii linux-image-generic 2.6.27.7.11 Generic Linux kernel image
ii linux-libc-dev 2.6.27-7.16 Linux Kernel Headers for development
ii linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.12 Non-free Linux kernel modules for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii linux-restricted-modules-common 2.6.27-7.12 Non-free Linux 2.6.27 modules helper script
ii linux-restricted-modules-generic 2.6.27.7.11 Restricted Linux modules for generic kernels
ii linux-sound-base 1.0.17.dfsg-2ubuntu1 base package for ALSA and OSS sound systems

Seems to me the drivers are installed correctly I think. Anyone know what the problem is? I like Ubuntu much more than Linpus, would be a shame to have to switch back.

 

Here's mine (Ubuntu install not using network manager)

Code:

ii  linux-backports-modules-2.6.27-8-generic   2.6.27-8.7                                  Ubuntu supplied Linux modules for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii  linux-firmware                             1.2                                         Firmware for Linux kernel drivers
ii  linux-generic                              2.6.27.8.12                                 Complete Generic Linux kernel
ii  linux-image-2.6.27-8-generic               2.6.27-8.17                                 Linux kernel image for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii  linux-image-generic                        2.6.27.8.12                                 Generic Linux kernel image
ii  linux-libc-dev                             2.6.27-8.17                                 Linux Kernel Headers for development
ii  linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-8-generic  2.6.27-8.13                                 Non-free Linux kernel modules for version 2.6.27 on x86/x86_64
ii  linux-restricted-modules-common            2.6.27-8.13                                 Non-free Linux 2.6.27 modules helper script
ii  linux-restricted-modules-generic           2.6.27.8.12                                 Restricted Linux modules for generic kernels
ii  linux-sound-base                           1.0.17.dfsg-2ubuntu1                        base package for ALSA and OSS sound systems

I see a few differences, but nothing that jumps out at me as being especially problematic. I ran "lsmod | grep ath" below and got the output shown.

Code:

~$ lsmod | grep ath
ath5k                           108420  0 
lbm_cw_mac80211        211248  1 ath5k
lbm_cw_cfg80211           42260  2 ath5k,lbm_cw_mac80211
led_class                       12164  2 acer_wmi,ath5k

If your output shows ath_pci, then you have the wrong module loaded (unless you're deliberately using the madwifi driver)

 

Indeed it shows ath-pci, but why, I wouldn't know. I didn't install madwifi (tried installing that before when trying ubuntu 8.04.1) but didn't do that when I installed 8.10. I assume the madwifi was erased when I reinstalled Linpus after the 8.04.1 experiment and then installed 8.10.
This is what I get when doing ~$ lsmod | grep ath
ath_pci 99096 0
wlan 211952 1 ath_pci
ath_hal 198864 1 ath_pci
ath5k 106496 0
lbm_cw_mac80211 210728 1 ath5k
lbm_cw_cfg80211 39696 2 ath5k,lbm_cw_mac80211
led_class 12164 2 acer_wmi,ath5k
In Hardware Drivers however I see 2 drivers for Wireless Lan cards: support for 5xxx series of Atheros 802.11 wireless LAN cards, and also: support for Atheros 802.11 wireless LAN cards. Perhaps I should deactivate one of these 2?

 

Got it, I deactivated the second one and now it works perfectly. Thanks a lot for your support. One more happy Ubuntu user...
Actually I tried deactivating before but didn't restart after that and of course it was still in use.

 

Yes indeed. The latest Ubuntu kernels are built with the madwifi driver (which is why you the ath_pci module is loaded). That you also have ath5k loaded means it's time to blacklist ath_pci. Edit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist as appropriate.

 

Thanks a lot, it's been working ok now for a couple of days. Once in a while it has a problem with WPA after reconnecting but that can be solved by powering down completely and letting it sit for a few minutes. Have just figured out how the blacklisting is done, so perhaps that should also help. If I now solve the sound problem my AA1 should be fully functional.