I need to install Dell wifi drivers in offline mode

[rudeguy]

I'm trying to setup my E1505 for dual boot. Actually that's all done, very easy. I have Win 7 and Ubuntu. Problem is that Ubuntu doesn't recognize my wireless card. So I flipped back over to Windows, downloaded the right driver, copied to usb, flipped back to Ubuntu, copied it to my home drive.

Now what? I'm sure there's a command I can run but my Googling skills have failed me. I can't use the automatic download that Ubuntu gives me because I don't have internet access without my wifi

Halp?

 

[lxskllr]

I'm not finding much for Ubuntu 11.10. I take it this is an old laptop? I came up with this on my own, so I don't guarantee it'll work :^D

Extract the files on your desktop, or wherever convenient, open up Windows Wireless Drivers from your Administration section wherever that is in Unity, click Install New Driver, and follow the prompts. You'll have to point it to the .inf file in the package you extracted.

 

[rudeguy]

I'm not finding much for Ubuntu 11.10. I take it this is an old laptop? I came up with this on my own, so I don't guarantee it'll work :^D

Extract the files on your desktop, or wherever convenient, open up Windows Wireless Drivers from your Administration section wherever that is in Unity, click Install New Driver, and follow the prompts. You'll have to point it to the .inf file in the package you extracted.

Yea, old lappy but it won't die. So I'm messing with it

I have a tar.gz file. I unpack that to whever, I can handle that. But I can't find the stupid admin section that everything keeps talking about.

 

[lxskllr]

Oh, you actually have Linux drivers? I figured you got Windows drivers from Dell's site. I found this page for compiling the drivers manually, but it looks like a PITA.

http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/README.txt

Try downloading this, putting it on your Ubuntu desktop, and double clicking it. Hopefully you have the dependencies, but if you need something else, I can download it for you.

http://ubuntuone.com/4tsx00ig5amKjk1myI5B6L

Edit:
I think I gave you the wrong package before. I changed the link to what I think is the correct one. If you need to download any dependencies, you can get them from here assuming you're on 11.10. It can be tedious chasing them down, but you'll get them all eventually...

http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/allpackages

 

[rudeguy]

when I tried to install it (the first one) it opened up the software center and said "please install this using your normal method" or something like that. The install button didn't light up.

 

[lxskllr]

when I tried to install it (the first one) it opened up the software center and said "please install this using your normal method" or something like that. The install button didn't light up.

Try the second one. I wasn't thinking about version numbers. I downloaded the first one from my system without thinking, and I'm on 10.04.

 

[rudeguy]

Same thing.

 

[lxskllr]

Huh... You can't click the install button?

 

[rudeguy]

Nope

 

[lxskllr]

Ok, I'm just guessing now, but try right clicking the .deb file, and pick "Open as administrator", and see if it'll let you install it.

 

[rudeguy]

Ok, I'm just guessing now, but try right clicking the .deb file, and pick "Open as administrator", and see if it'll let you install it.

no option for that

I did go into the system settings and enable source code and into the file's settings and made it executable. Neither helpled.

I'm giving this lappy one week to get its act in shape. If it doesn't its going in the garbage next Sunday

 

[lxskllr]

I don't know. It seems like they've changed a lot in the last couple years. Maybe someone with a more modern Ubuntu has some ideas. I wouldn't get rid of the laptop in any case. That's still a good machine, and can be used for something.

I'll do some more looking around, and see if anything pops out to me.

Edit:
Try building it manually per the instructions in the first link above. It's a PITA, but it should work. If you do that. follow the directions carefully. It would be helpful to copy/paste it into a document on your Ubuntu desktop. That way you can copy/paste the instructions instead of typing everything in.

 

[rudeguy]

thanks

My rule for stuff like this is its something simple until I'm proven wrong.

The lappy has been passed from me, to my mom and now back to me. The cat pulled half the F keys off. I really only use it to browse the web and transfer files to my phone. Its having extreme problems with the web part so this wouldn't be a bad excuse for me to pick up a cheap netbook since that would be more suited to my needs.

 

[rudeguy]

giving it another go

I connected directly to the router and downloaded the files. Ubuntu found them using the unofficial version or whatever. That all went fine, but still no connection.

When I go to connections, wireless isn't an option. That leads me to believe that there is more to it. When running Windows, Function+F2 turns the wireless on and off. So is there an option like that in Ubuntu? I tried Func+F2 and nothing happened.

Thoughts?

 

[AnonymouseUser]

The driver should already be included with Ubuntu, but it looks like there may be something broken during installation. This might help you.

 

[rudeguy]

The driver should already be included with Ubuntu, but it looks like there may be something broken during installation. This might help you.

thanks a ton!

I don't have a cd, should I redownload Ubuntu to a flash drive and try this?

 

[Jodell88]

That should work.

 

[rudeguy]

yay!

I did the Windows Installer last time, so I'll have to download the ISO.

While we wait...their download server has some good speeds. 11 MB is not bad at all. Especially considering I am only supposed to get 6Mb from my ISP