Ubuntu: Enabling wireless on Vaio

Having set up widescreen my next challenge is to set up wireless.

The problem: I can see wireless networks but just can't connect to them.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about Ubuntu, Linux or networking. My approach to these problems is to keep "messing" up until eventually something works (hence F-U buntu). I'm using a Vaio. Follow my advice at your own peril.

Again I start by opening the terminal. Applications>Accessories>Terminal

I then ran the command "lspci" to find out what my computer is running on. You get a long list of nonsense. Right at the bottom you should see something like:

06:04.0 Network controller:

Followed by your network card. Which in my case is:

Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

If you can't find it try looking right at the bottom of the list that is generated. If it still is not showing up than ubuntu probably isn't even detecting your wireless card and I'm not sure how your accessing this site at all, but I can't help you.

If you have a different card I don't know whether the following will help you at all. I suggest you try if you like, otherwise do a google search with the name of your card and Ubuntu. Good luck.

Right that should have got rid of everyone with no hope of ever accessing wireless again. Time for the fix.

We need to make sure we have all the tools we need. So in the terminal command ubuntu to go fetch them. First with:

"sudo apt-get install wpasupplicant"

and then:

"sudo apt-get install network-manager-gnome network-manager"

If you are running a recently installed version of Ubuntu feisty you should probably have these but it does not hurt to check ;)

Next we are going to use the gedit command (this is the one that tells Ubuntu to disregard it's better judgement and let you mess with an important file) to change our network interfaces.

As a rule I backup any document that has to be opened with gedit (afterall if Ubuntu thinks it's a bad idea for you to open it, it is probably important and fragile) I have a folder entitled 'Things I might have broken' in my Home folder where I save these.

Create a similar folder then in the terminal input:

"sudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces"

Save this file as xxxbackup into your 'Things I might have broken' folder. Close and then run "sudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces" again.

The file that pops up will contain some couplets (pairs of lines) saying auto lo, auto eth0 or similar.

Put a # next to every line apart from:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

The # symbol basically tells Ubuntu to ignore the line-its referred to as commenting because geeky hackers can whack stuff in their code using the # symbol for other geeky hackers to read.

I have no idea why you comment the majority of this document. The tutorial told me to and if you can explain the logic please leave a comment below. Regardless the interfaces document should now look something like this:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

#auto eth0
#iface eth0 inet dhcp

#auto eth2
#iface eth2 inet dhcp

#auto ath0
#iface ath0 inet dhcp

#auto wlan0
#iface wlan0 inet dhcp

Save the file and close. (Do not alter the title of this file).

Now for the more involved bit-open Applications>Accessories>Text Editor (do not use open office!)

Input the following:

ENABLED=0

Then save it to your home folder with the title "wpasupplicant"

Next we are going to use a "sudo" command to give Ubuntu a kick up the backside and force it to move the file to where we really want it (the default folder which you can't normally save to).

In the terminal (if you don't know how to open this by now you are lost)..

Input the following command to change the location or path of the document:

"sudo cp /home/wpasupplicant /etc/default"

Basically sudo says DO WHAT I TELL YOU YOU LITTLE WUSS
cp tells it to change the path (or location) of the document
/home/wpasupplicant lets it know the current path
/etc/default lets it know the new path.

Next input the following command-it sounds a little sinister and I have no idea what it does...

"sudo touch /etc/default/wpasupplicant"

(Make sure there is a space between touch and /etc-basic I know but I didn't the first time)

Once this has been done re-start your computer. I had an irrational fear that I wouldn't be able to get back online so I copied all the instructions I was using and saved them to my desktop-those with paranoid leanings might want to do the same.

When you log back in left click the network manager icon in the top right hand corner (you know, the one that looks like two monitors side by side. The one you have clicked about 50 times in futile rage before you found this site).

Select your network from the list. A menu will pop up asking you for your password -ensure you choose the right password type i.e. WEP or HEX (try and look up any info you have from when you first set up your wireless).

It will think for a while and then ask for a password to set up your 'keyring' this is some device that Ubuntu uses to store passwords etc.

Anyway this is all self explanatory and you should now be seeing some blue bars at the top of the screen which mean you are now connected to your wireless network.

Congratulations!

I used the following tutorial as a basis for my post-if I have not been able to help you maybe they will.

If you find this useful please let me know a) what helped and b) what system you are using.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me crack this!

Ubuntu: Enabling widescreen on a Vaio

Currently my ubuntu only displays on 1024x768 which is very frustrating.

This post is going to walk through my attempt to resolve the problem.

(I use a Sony Vaio with an intel graphics card. if you don't I have no idea whether this will work for you)

Open Applications>Accessories>Terminal and input the command "lspci" This lists the specs of my system and tells me I'm running an intel graphics card. If you have another card i.e. nvidia this probably wont work.

Input into the terminal: "sudo apt-get install 915resolution" this basically tells Ubuntu you are in charge of the system so run along and get me whatever the hell it is I need to make you work on my whole screen. Beatch.

Still in the terminal tell Ubuntu to list the resolutions it currently has available-with the following: "sudo 915resolution -l" again you are telling Ubuntu that you wear the trousers (with Sudo) and then asking it to list the resolutions it thinks it has available:

Intel 800/900 Series VBIOS Hack : version 0.5.2

Chipset: 915GM
BIOS: TYPE 1
Mode Table Offset: $C0000 + $269
Mode Table Entries: 36

Mode 30 : 640x480, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 32 : 800x600, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 34 : 1024x768, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 38 : 1280x1024, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 3a : 1600x1200, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 3c : 1920x1440, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 41 : 640x480, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 43 : 800x600, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 45 : 1024x768, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 49 : 1280x1024, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 4b : 1600x1200, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 4d : 1920x1440, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 50 : 640x480, 32 bits/pixel
Mode 52 : 800x600, 32 bits/pixel
ModeIntel 800/900 Series VBIOS Hack : version 0.5.2

Chipset: 915GM
BIOS: 54 : 1024x768, 32 bits/pixel
Mode 58 : 1280x1024, 32 bits/pixel
Mode 5a : 1600x1200, 32 bits/pixel
Mode 5c : 1920x1440, 32 bits/pixel
Mode 60 : 1280x770, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 61 : 1280x770, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 62 : 1280x770, 32 bits/pixel
Mode 63 : 1280x800, 8 bits/pixel
Mode 64 : 1280x800, 16 bits/pixel
Mode 65 : 1280x800, 32 bits/pixel

I don't understand any of it. Never the less I'm going to tell Ubuntu to replace mode 3c: Mode 3c : 1920x1440, 8 bits/pixel

With the resolution I want-1280 x 800. Why replace 3c? No idea, thats what the tutorial told me to do.

This is achieved with another 'whose the daddy' command in the terminal:
"sudo 915resolution 3c 1280 800"

With the change made we get Ubuntu to list the available resolutions again using:
"sudo 915resolution -l" and we should see that 3c has changed to meet our spec.

Now we need to test that the change has taken effect...this bit is tricky because you need to open a pseudo terminal (this is a black screen with text only input)

WARNING: When you open the pseudo terminal you wont be able to see this page or anything but the pseudo terminal so note the following instructions down on paper-the first time I tried I hadn't written down the instructions and had to just turn off my lap top : (

Open the pseudo terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+F1

Input your username and password to login.

Kill all gdm (think this might mean graphic display modes or something) by typing:
"sudo killall gdm"
Then launch the gdm again by typing:
"sudo gdm"

Doing this should bring you out of the pseudo terminal and back to the regular desktop which will appear in Widescreen (if the above has worked). If your anything like me you'll then dance around for a bit and admire your newly honed 'programming' abilities.

At this point you will want to come back to this site to find out how to finish the job-(so save the page)

Now you just need to make sure that Ubuntu remembers this setting everytime you boot. Open the terminal again (applications>accessories>terminal)

"sudo gedit /etc/init.d/bootmisc.sh"

gedit is a way of telling ubuntu that frankly you don't give a monkeys whether or not it thinks you should be changing this file, you own the computer and you will do what you please.

Anyway once this has run you should get a window of complicated text that seems to dictate what ubuntu does when it boots.

First of all save a back up copy to your desktop just in case you break it. Then close and repeat the Gedit command above. Scroll down until you reach the section:

"PATH=/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
[ "$DELAYLOGIN" ] || DELAYLOGIN=yes
. /lib/init/vars.sh"

and input the line:

"915resolution 3c 1280 800"

Note if you cahnged 5c or 38 then obviously use that instead of 3c.

The script should now read something like:

#!/bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: bootmisc
# Required-Start: $local_fs hostname $remote_fs
# Required-Stop: $local_fs
# Default-Start: S
# Default-Stop:
# Short-Description: Miscellaneous things to be done during bootup.
# Description:
### END INIT INFO

PATH=/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
[ "$DELAYLOGIN" ] || DELAYLOGIN=yes
. /lib/init/vars.sh

915resolution 3c 1280 800

do_start () {
#
# If login delaying is enabled then create the flag file
# which prevents logins before startup is complete
#
case "$DELAYLOGIN"


Save and close. Then restart Ubuntu and hopefully everything should be working.

If this doesn't work. Try the Ubuntu support irc channel, browse the web a bit more, go back to windows or buy a mac. Sorry I can't help you.

I used the following tutorial to help me solve this problem (though it was written for someone with marginally higher Linux IQ than mine).

Thanks to everyone who helped me crack this.