I apologise for the rant but this is becoming a pet hate of mine. It all started last night when I was out at a clients home sorting out some ‘issues’ they had. One of the items that came up was a Dell Latitude 131L which was running extremely slow on Windows XP. After some investigation work it was apparent that the system really needed to be reset so after checking what the system was used for (some word documents and internet) I suggested that the client try out Linux. They agreed.
I choose Lubuntu 12.04 as it runs very fast on older hardware. The install went smoothly enough and before I knew it the software was installed. There was one problem though – the wireless card was not recognised. After checking the type of card, it was a Broadcom, I went hunting on the internet to find the driver. I found the driver in question and set about trying to install it. I had to unpack the file, after first installing all the required tools for the job, and then make the file. Do you think it would play – would it hell!! After numerous attempts it still would not work so I decided to change distributions and went with Linux Mint 12 instead. Linux Mint is known as one of the best distributions in regards to drivers but still I could not get the wireless card to work. In the end I resorted to reinstalling Windows XP.
I have the same issues with my antivirus software. I use either BitDefender or Kaspersky rescue disks to remove viruses from clients computers. As these are both Linux based I can’t connect them to wireless networks but have to resort to using a cable to connect instead. This is not usually a problem unless you are on a desktop which is in one room connected wirelessly to the router in the next.
This is the 21st century where everything is moving online into the cloud. People are becoming more mobile everyday but I still have issues getting wireless cards to work on Linux. This really needs to get addressed or forget using ‘Desktop Linux’ in the future.
About the Author
Hi I am Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in and around Stirling.
For a list of what I can offer you why not visit my website www.comtech247.net where you will find a list of my services, testimonials, blog and much more
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Jane I did use a Linux Mint Live CD to check the wireless card after I couldn’t get it to work on Lubuntu. The reason I just went ahead and installed Lubuntu without first testing the wireless card was I have never had a problem with wireless cards and Lubutnu in the past. I have though had bad experiences with other distributions. Next time however I will be testing with a Live CD!!!
If you had previous experience of bad wireless drivers on Linux, why did you not try a live CD to check they would work first. It seems a lot of hard work running 3 clean OS installs just to get wireless working … My problem was an inbuilt webcam on my laptop. I tried 5 live CD’s before I gave up. now have a Logitech external … rant over :)
Marc I haver used Fedora or NDISWrapper (didn’t know this existed). The reason I used Linux Mint is that in the past I have found that Mint has better hardware recognition than Ubuntu or Lubuntu even though they are all based on the same code. Also as I didnt know that I would be resetting a Windows XP laptop onsite how could I have a plan of attack beforehand? As for “it can not be that difficult” if you have a look on the internet there are hundreds of posts about Linux and issues with wireless drivers so unless we are all wrong I believe there are still some issues. Sorry to say it but on Windows (except installing XP) I have very rarely had to install a wireless driver on a laptop. On Linux it is still hit and miss.
Hi Chris,
I emphasize with your situation, wireless drivers on Linux can be a pain. Have you tried ndiswrapper?
Did it occur to you to try Fedora 32-bit and (worst-case scenario) NDISWrapper for the wireless so that you could use the Windows XP Broadcom drivers? I don’t see how anyone would expect Linux Mint to perform better than Lubuntu on the same hardware seeing as they are both Debian-based (and Mint is technically Ubuntu-based). Perhaps a plan of attack prior to engaging this Dell would have been advisable? Mind you, I’m not an IT support person but I have managed to get Linux working, with wireless, on ALL of my hardware no matter how bizarre so it cannot be that difficult.