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Re: my new Inspiron - WAS: OT: laptop recomendations

Hi Chris, Hi to Everyone,

Stackpole, Chris wrote:


From: Bernard [mailto:bdebreil@teaser.fr]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: my new Inspiron - WAS: OT: laptop recomendations


Stackpole, Chris wrote:

From: Bernard [mailto:bdebreil@teaser.fr]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 2:41 PM
To: Stackpole, Chris
Subject: Re: my new Inspiron - WAS: OT: laptop recomendations

[snip]

light did not came out and I got two networks available, one is my
neigbour's, the other one is mine. I gave the pasword as required,

and

it seems to reach a connexion... the former icon is being replaced

by

four bars... If I get the pointer on it, it says : "connection to
wireless network Livebox-46db (0%).



[snip]

0% is bad; especially if you have 4 bars shown. Something isn't

right.

Post your hardware please and let the list look at it.

Have fun!
~Stack~


my hardware is available at http://www.teaser.fr/~bdebreil/test.txt

I have managed to get a cable DSL connexion, just plugging the cable
from my desktop, and it worked right away, so that I have been able to
save the trouble of typing one line after the other. "ncftp" was easy
enough to install for the purpose of that transfer.

I just got the output of "lspci" at this stage.


Looking at your hardware I see this:
0b:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Network Connection (rev 02)

OK, I have that wireless card in one of my laptops. I know it works with
Ubuntu and Debian. If it is not working with your current setup,
something is buggered up.
I don't claim that it is not working, I just say that I haven't been able to get it to work as far as getting a connexion to my DSL router (Livebox). To this point, I'd rather suspect that I have not properly set up the parameters. I had a hell of a hard time to get it to work, back a few month ago on my desktop with Debian Sarge. It is very complicated, to the point that, on that Desktop and Debian Sarge, I have only been able to get a WPA connexion on my DSL router box, not on places where I brought my computer (meeting rooms for associations), where it did work only under MSWIN. It worked easier with WEP encryption or no encryption. Therefore, I suspect that, if it does not work with my new DELL Inspiron under Ubuntu 8.04, it likely is because I have not properly setup parameters. Amongst most likely suspects, I would put :
- improper host (my hostname is supposed to be "dell-desktop" ; I don't know how I got this, it is "localhost" on my other computers
- improper way to send parameters to the system. For instance, under Debian Sarge on my desktop, my "interfaces" file include commands that shows passphrase under brackets, while the network manager on Ubuntu does not require brackets. There are a few details on my Interfaces file on Debian Sarge that I can't reproduce on Ubuntu, for instance the mode "Managed" and things of the kind. Such different ways to address parameters, is very confusing indeed ; it leads me to suspect that, as long as I have not found what is the problem, chances are rather slim that I get better results with Debian Lenny or SID. I bet that I would get a connexion right away if I changed the settings or my DSL Wifi to "no encryption", or to "WEP encryption", but I don't see the point of trying, since I don't intend to use any of these modes. What I did was testing that WPA wifi connexion still worked on my desktop : it does. On my new DELL laptop, no connexion works except cabled DSL connexion. However, as I said, the system works, since it detects neigbourhood wifi points, but can't connect. If you find it useful, I might try to convert my DSL wifi router to WEP encryption, but I bet it will work. Besides, I don't know how to overcome the fact that I can't use "sudo" : "unable to resolve host dell-desktop", which prevents me to modify the file /etc/network/interfaces. I must say, however, that the content of this file does change according to what I specify in the Ubunto/Gnome network interface, so this is a proof that it all works together. Indeed that "interfaces" file does look funny right now ; it includes a passphrase that I have never typed, and that is a lot longer than that I have typed. I must precise that, just in case you wouldn't have noticed, I am close to an ignorant as far as wifi config is concerned. At one time, amongst the so numerous options that were offered, I was proposed to type a "network pasword". I thought I had to type the WPA TKIP passphrase, so I did... but, two or three caracters before the end, no more was accepted... So it appears that I was supposed to type something else, or nothing at all. It maybe that my typings were translated into a passphrase, which can't be the right one... All this is so very confusing for a newbee... 

Thanks for more help, on a more ground level basis.
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