ubuntu 9.04

[iain187]

Help!

Decided to give it a go, stuck a live CD and it seemed to work so installed it.
The only problem so far is that it seems to be able to detect every wireless network going except mine(!) It can even pick up networks from my neighbours that vista can't(!!!)

I found this link which directly relates to my laptop, which states I need to follow these instructions to install better(?) drivers than the one that ubuntu finds

the first step is to use the terminal and go 'mkdir /usr/src/wlan' I tried that and got 'access denied' - I am logged in on my account - I assume it doesn't have admin privlidges then?

I'm at work now so I'll take suggestions now for when I go home :rasp:

 

[maximinimus]

sudo mkdir /usr/src/wlan

 

[iain187]

can you tell I am new to this

I'm sure I will be back when I get stuck again, thanks!!

 

[KDF]

If your picking up every network bar your own I would hazard a guess that its not your wifi drivers.

Have you hidden your SSID on your wifi ?

 

[iain187]

I was thinking the same, but no the SSID is not hidden - it shows up on the computers so it is working correctly there. I also tried to add a hidden network which also didn't work. That sort of led me to driver update as a next step.

 

[KDF]

find out whats different to your network from everyone elses ? encryption etc ?

If you get stuck on anything just post it up and i'll help you.

 

[Ronnie R]

are you using windows wireless connection or the make of your pc/laptop i.e dell have a wireless AP assistant

 

[iain187]

find out whats different to your network from everyone elses ? encryption etc ?

If you get stuck on anything just post it up and i'll help you.

My old man bought a signal booster thing (I think it is just some kind of switch with wifi access) that doesn't come up in the network list either - I might just try switching it off and seeing what happens. Only difference I can think of without going through the router settings.

are you using windows wireless connection or the make of your pc/laptop i.e dell have a wireless AP assistant

it is just the standard connection applet that comes with ubuntu and the proprietary drivers that it is using. I use the windows wizard in vista, I don't have any software even in vista.

 

[Ronnie R]

try connecting on your phone (wifi) ? thats how i determine whether it settings iphone ftw

 

[iain187]

yeah it's sound, I was using my desktop for help while I was trying to sort this problem on my laptop!

 

[Ronnie R]

hmmm try right clicking on the wireless simple in the bottom right tray and then "properties" i think or settings look ant security and make sure that it matchs what your router is set to?

 

[iain187]

I'll have to do that when I have the ubuntu machine to hand

 

[iain187]

Strange conclusion to this...

My old man bought one of these because he is paranoid about his wireless signal strength(!)

But it is now being used as a wireless dongle for my sisters xbox (sheesh I live in a house full of geeks) So I tried turning it off anyway, and also sitting next to the router to eliminate a range issue (damn walls) or if this sitecom thing was causing problems. Neither solved the issue.

Next I jumped into the router settings and the SSID was being broadcast so I decided to change the channel of the router on a hunch that it is clashing with one of the many networks that ubuntu finds (that vista doesnt!!) and hurrah I am posting this very post from ubuntu.


The only thing that is left is that the sitecom thing is still plugged into my sisters xbox on channel 12 (the router is now 10) so I'm sure I'll hear about that soon...

 

[KDF]

Great News !

I didn't think it would be your drivers seeing as you were picking up other networks. I too have noticed that networks that don't even show up in windows show up on my linux laptop, weird !

 

[iain187]

I've got about 10 networks, I recognise about 4 from Vista(!)
I had a little issue with sound only coming out the headphones but that was easily googled.

Here are the remaining things I am finding:

Flash on websites come up with a big play button, once I press it, it is pot luck if they work or not - not sure what's going on there!

2 things I am going to miss from windows are Office and Remote Desktop Connection - I have read about the windows emulator (WINE?) I hope this can run office? (And maybe football manager but not essential)
Does Ubuntu have a solution for RDC (we have a windows server at work) or do I need to run that through the emulator too?


If I can sort out those 3, I think vista might have to go do like this!

 

[iain187]

a bit further along now.

I think I have a plan of attack for the flash button so that should get sorted this evening.
Found remote desktop connection and got into work so that is sorted!
Couldn't get office 2007 working so I'll try some older versions. I only really want word and excel tbh.

My sister had a winge that her xbox didn't work so I am going to have to address that too however the good news is I'm convinced it's a channel issue because when i turned the box off it didn't solve the initial issue. so if I put both router and range extender to 10, my bet is it works.

so as long as I can get my hands on an old version of office to install I am totally happy.

 

[ViolentJ]

I dunno about WINE but Crossover Office claims to be able to install and run MS Office 2007, it's not free though.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxlinux/

I assume you don't want to try or can't use an alternative like OpenOffice?

 

[iain187]

I've used it before and wasn't not happy with the way it left files once you got back on a win machine, although I assume it is a newer version now, I'll compare once I get it all running I guess.

 

[ViolentJ]

as openoffice is crossplatform you could always install it on the windows machine that you use aswell.

 

[Munday]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I have a couple of questions which would help me greatly.

I have a Sony Vaio (Core Duo 1.6Ghz, 1Gb RAM) which has Windows XP on it. The laptop is grinding to a slow halt and I really don't fancy installing Windows on it again and to be honest I don't think it will really help.
I want to try something else (Ubuntu) but have a few programs I would like to carry on using. Will Photoshop CS3, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Outlook all work on Ubuntu?

Also, do you think I will get increased performance? My laptop is now taking 3-4 mins to boot up and sometimes 3 minutes to open up Firefox once it has booted up.

 

[iain187]

ViolentJ: I could do but it's a last resort, I'll see how I get on

Munday
Firefox is included with Ubuntu.
I am having difficulty with Outlook 2007 but there are other clients to read your mail with if you are not loyal.
Not tried Photoshop (there is alternative applications to try)

I would say my laptop which is a matter of months old is noticeably faster running ubuntu

you can download a live CD from the ubuntu website - you can use this to trial ubuntu without installing anything on your system and see what you think of it

 

[ViolentJ]

Did a quick google on Photoshop CS3 and whether it works seems hit and miss, CS2 seems to be up and working so if CS3 isn't already then I'm sure it soon will be.

I haven't used Ubuntu for a while so I burnt off a 9.04 CD earlier. The live session flies along which is a nice surprise, I've always found that slow in the past so you can have a good play without twiddling your thumbs waiting for stuff to load.

Don't hit that install button though until you know what you're getting yourself into, Linux distros require a bit more brain power. People are spoilt by MS's spoon fed approach.

 

[Munday]

Thanks for the help guys. I tried the Live CD for Ubuntu a couple of years back and there was a mouse support issue so avoided it but will give the new version a go.

Getting sick to death of XP grinding to a halt and being slow in general. What about virus protection/firewall? Are there any slick programs which won't hog my memory?

 

[ViolentJ]

You shouldn't need antivirus software unless you're sharing files with unprotected windows machines. As for firewall I believe UFW is installed by default now. UFW = uncomplicated firewall, which is a front end for iptables.

 

[iain187]

wireless problems: totally solved, xbox and ubuntu working in harmony, was a channel issue.

grey button: being solved as we speak

office: to be sorted after the pub!!

 

[KDF]

Glad to hear things are going well, im actually really impressed with 9.04. Everything I install it on it 'Just Works'

Boots quicker and is just so much more responsive.

 

[shadowsun]

Greetings!

I have some experience with Ubuntu so may be able to help. I use a version of Ubuntu which I actually prefer over it called Linux Mint (http://www.linuxmint.com). It's built on Ubuntu but is much nicer to look at and use while retaining all of Ubuntu's features and charm. It also does a lot more out of the box and many more drivers are included with it.

When ever you install ANY distro of Linux/Ubuntu/Kubuntu/etc... the first thing you need to do is connect your machine/laptop to a hard wired connection to the internet and update it. Why? Because Ubuntu will update itself and can sometimes detect what wireless lan and display drivers you will need and automatically install them - this has worked many times for me. After you've done this you can obviously just use your wireless as normal.

MOST applications will work on Ubuntu, including most Windows software through an application called WINE (a windows compatability layer). For example you can play World of Warcraft or use Microsoft office but be aware some things might have problems which are usually fixable!

ONE THING TO WATCH - If you're on a laptop keep an eye on your temperatures. Windows manages some of the fan control but Ubuntu doesn't do this on all models (especially some Dell ones). There are fixes for this.

Ubuntu and Linux Mint have EVERYTHING you need out of the box, including Open Office (like Word, Excel etc...) and Firefox is pre-installed.

Hope some of my rambling helps!

 

[172.com]

Have they gotten up to Masturbating Monkey yet?

 

[shadowsun]

Have they gotten up to Masturbating Monkey yet?

No, only Farting Fox.

 

[iain187]

Office and Dreamweaver done via virtual machine \o/

I think I will come back to installing those 2 on ubuntu itself when I know what I'm doing a bit more...

Next is iPod support, as soon as that is done I will format this computer to be ubuntu only

 

[KDF]

Office and Dreamweaver done via virtual machine \o/

I think I will come back to installing those 2 on ubuntu itself when I know what I'm doing a bit more...

Next is iPod support, as soon as that is done I will format this computer to be ubuntu only

ipod = gtkpod