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Keep in mind, I'm a complete newb who has never installed before.

My computer is a standard Acer Aspire 5000 (from 2006) and was wondering if anybody else has done this install and can tell me if anything went wrong... like no wireless internet connection, or being really slow, etc...

Oli
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Damian Downfall
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2 Answers2

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Try it. The standard Ubuntu CD can be booted to and you can test it out before you install anything.

The wireless is a Broadcom BCM4318 and that should be supported by the b43 driver but you'll need the firmware-b43-installer to get it working which will mean you need a cable plugged in for part of the installation process:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer

Again you can test that in the LiveCD without harming the computer. You'll need to reload the driver though (rebooting isn't an option, for obvious reasons):

sudo modprobe -r b43 bcma
sudo modprobe b43

I do appreciate this is probably all Greek and does nothing to lessen the image that you need to use the command line to deal with Linux, but it's an old computer with only old, ropey drivers available... Sometimes a bit of copying and pasting is a necessary evil.

Oli
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  • Well, at what point do I need to put in the commands? Right after the install? Also - I'm trying to do the LTS install, I've tried the current version install and the disc just won't read past the loading screen. So this time I'm doing the install from a flash drive. – Damian Downfall Oct 11 '13 at 09:55
  • I'd attempt to do this all from a Live CD just to see if you can get it working. You'd need to do it again after installing but at least you'd have an idea what works and what doesn't by that point. – Oli Oct 11 '13 at 09:57
  • Okay, so from what I understand so far, I'm gonna run those commands during a Live.. So what exactly do these commands "do" and how does it not affect my laptop if it messes with a driver? – Damian Downfall Oct 11 '13 at 10:13
  • The first updates the local package list (from what's available online), the second downloads an applications which gets the latest firmware for the driver. This allows the included b43 driver to actually talk to the hardware. The third unloads the b43 driver and the last loads it again (this time with the right firmware). By that point Network Manager should spring into action and let you connect to a wireless network. – Oli Oct 11 '13 at 10:18
  • And if you do this in a live environment, you're just running from the CD and RAM. Once you turn off the computer, nothing is saved, nothing persists. It's good for testing driver issues like this. For all I know, you'll boot into the ISO and the wireless might "just work"... You might not need any of this. – Oli Oct 11 '13 at 10:20
  • Very good to know. Thanks, you were very informative. The commands do make sense to me, I was just making sure (I'm a bit OCD about having everything set and perfect before making changes) so I guess you could call me a "prepared nerd". – Damian Downfall Oct 11 '13 at 10:23
  • Here's more info on the Acer Aspire 5000 video card (640 x 480 resolution) issue: https://askubuntu.com/a/462144/327339. Be sure to see my comment under that answer too. Also, regarding the WiFi, BE SURE TO TURN ON THE MECHANICAL WIFI SWITCH TOO OR ELSE NO DRIVER WILL TURN ON WIFI on the Aspire 5000. On the front of the computer there are 3 audio plugs. Just to the left of that are two long clear plastic buttons. The left one is to turn on bluetooth. The right one is to turn on WiFi. Once you press them they will light up. – Gabriel Staples Aug 28 '17 at 00:34
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Hi I'm a noob at this but I installed lxle64 on my Acer 5000. It installed fast and flawlessly as far as I can tell. Everything seems to work and it is very speedy for this old laptop.

user258933
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