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This belongs in the category weird and freaky.

I have one of the fancy "Ezel hinge" Acer R7 touch screen laptops. (i5, 12 GB RAM)

Installing Linux to dual boot with Windows 8 is a pain... and so I have my LinuxLive Ubuntu USB stick. Hooray.

To install, I load the desktop first. Then I run

sudo software-properties-gtk

I go to the third party driver tab... and I turn on the broadcom 802.11n wireless adapter. (Broadcom STA something something.) It detects it and installs it just fine. It works like a charm!

Then I install with my new found internet access.

Then after a UEFI boot-repair, I finally dual boot. Hurray. I go to turn on my wireless adapter... rinse repeat.

sudo software-properties-gtk

It detects, etc. etc. Then, I hit apply changes just as before. The progress bar gets about 2/3 and then Ubuntu reverts to the previous "none".

This happened on 13.04 and since 14.04 came out a day ago, I redid it all. Exact same problem. I expect there is something going on here that Ubuntu can't find the driver to load it ... and I lack the skill to troubleshoot that particular problem. Maybe the installed source files aren't set up right in software center? IDK.

PS> I am not sure the exact chipset, trying to get that figured out.

Lorenz Keel
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BAMF4bacon
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  • Please do what is in the accepted answer in the link below so we may see the information needed to help diagnose the issue. http://askubuntu.com/questions/425155/my-wireless-wifi-connection-does-not-work-what-can-i-do – Wild Man Apr 20 '14 at 03:58
  • OK I am following the no wireless directions to get this thing over to the linux box. – BAMF4bacon Apr 20 '14 at 04:22
  • duplicate entry – BAMF4bacon Apr 20 '14 at 04:23
  • There is a link in the instructions in the answer to run the script without internet. – Wild Man Apr 20 '14 at 04:26
  • Alright. Got it! As an extra special treat, I ran the script while working on Linux Live and then I ran the script on Ubuntu, where the driver refuses to install.

    Link --> 'Wireless Script Results'

     – BAMF4bacon Apr 20 '14 at 12:47
  • Do you have an either net connection? was you connected to the internet when you tried to install the driver? According to the information you posted you do not have an eithernet card. Also it shows the wl driver installed on the one you said was working but all the other information said it still was not working did you have another connectiion that may have beeen on at the time? – Wild Man Apr 20 '14 at 15:46
  • I have one wifi device, zero ethernet devices. – BAMF4bacon Apr 20 '14 at 21:15
  • Can you take your computer to where you can get a wired connection? to install the driver need an internet connection. Or another computer with one. – Wild Man Apr 20 '14 at 22:04
  • I have various internet sources. But the computer does not have an ethernet port. I can boot to Linux Live and use the internet, and I could theoretically download compile there. Or I could use my Windows partition. Or I could use any of 6 windows computers laying around. I just don't know the particulars of accessing the source files and where to put them. – BAMF4bacon Apr 20 '14 at 22:29

1 Answers1

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OK so here's how I fixed this. For anyone wondering, this is for when your fresh Ubuntu install can't access the internet (Bleh)

Essentially the problem is that Ubuntu did not install the driver package.
So it's a straightforward problem, but a wee bit complicated to fix.

So, first,

I read this thread here. I followed Luis Alvarado's post (currently the #2 solution.)

  • lspci -nn -d 14e4:
  • I looked up in his table to confirm I needed bcmwl-kernel-source installed, which btw, Ubuntu had already told me both my driver and missing source file when I tried to install the driver
  • I installed Ubuntu 14.04 Linux Live with a 4GB persistent partition to USB stick (persistent allows the USB drive to keep updated software installed between boots)

  • booting from here, my Wifi worked. I installed Synaptic install manager

    sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install synaptic

  • I loaded synaptic and found bcmwl-kernel-source and told it to reinstall

  • I did NOT hit apply, I went to file and created a download script
  • I saved this to the desktop, made it executable, and tried to run it. It didn't work
  • I pulled from the script the DEBIAN filename (.deb) that I needed, googled, and downloaded it. I stuck it on my windows partition so I could carry it over to the new install.
  • REBOOT to Ubuntu (the broken one without the drivers)
  • I double click the .deb file and then try to install it. IT FAILS
  • I click on the detail link and grab the name of the 4 missing prerequisite files I need (this probably varies from install to install etc etc)
  • I go back to linux live, download the files, REBOOT to Ubuntu
  • I install the .deb files in the order given in the order fail details
  • BOOM, my wireless adapter started working

If anyone knows how to pull the files straight from Linux Live Disk, I think that answer might be easier for people.

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BAMF4bacon
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