Ok, so I may not be a total newbie. I've dabbled with Linux before. The problem this time is that the computer I'm using might not be the most suitable and every online guide I've tried, I've screwed something up.
The Hardware:
Dell Inspiron B130
40GB HDD
1GB RAM
Intel 1390 Wireless card
Broadcom TX10/100 Ethernet card
They all seem to install fine (with the exception of Debian), but the wireless never works. I tried many guides online, but they haven't solved the problem.
Generally I think it's because most of the guides I've found are fairly old and a lot of what they tell me to try seems to be commonplace on the newest distros.
So, I'm trying to find a distro that will let me get everything going and I can add to it if needs be. Any help at all would be most appreciated.
Thank you. :)
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You could try linux mint.
You could try linux mint. (Based on ubuntu)
www.linuxmint.com
MintWifi in the Wiki - solutions for wireless
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=90&t=3980
Hope this works out
Regards.
To start, I am a Mandriva
To start, I am a Mandriva user, so I am biased (read as take what I say with a grain of salt). I truly believe that Mandriva is perhaps the finest distribution available. That is not to say that there are not any other distributions that compare with Mandriva, I simply prefer it over all the others I have tried.
Mandriva includes a fairly complete set of SysAdmin / Configuration Utilities for the GUI in the Mandriva Control Center. Among these utilities is one for Network Configuration. If your wireless card's chip set is known to Mandriva, if it does not "just work out of the box", you should be able to manage the configuration using this utility.
As a first step, get the Mandriva One Live! CD image and burn it to disk. You can get a list of ftp mirrors from the Mandriva Linux Download WEB page (if this link does not work, google MandrivaLinux).
Note: Make sure you use the option to "make a disk from an image". Depending on which burning software you use, the option may have a slightly different name, although it will refer to using an image file - HTH.
Boot your computer from the disk you just burned.
Boot up will take longer than you should expect when you install Mandriva to the Hard Drive because your CD drive access time is slower, and the contents of the CD are compressed, so please be patient. Your computer will boot to a running Mandriva Linux session.
If you are unable to access the Internet using the wireless adapter (and you are able to access the Internet using a wired connection), run MCC (at "Tools > System Tools > Configure your computer" in the menu system).
MCC will open in the Software Management category. Open the "Configure Media Sources for Install and Upgrade" icon, then click the "Add" button (right).
In the resulting pop-up dialog click the "Full Set of Sources" button (right), then in the next dialog, click the "Yes" button. The utility will retrieve the Mandriva mirror list, from which you will choose an appropriate ftp mirror. (At this time I am unable to connect to the Mandriva site, so I can not continue with the steps to add the Internet Software Media Sources you will need for the following steps, so please follow the prompts until the new sources are listed in the Configure Media window).
With Media Sources configured, click on the "Network & Internet" category (left).
Open the "Set up a new Network Interface (LAN, ISDN, ADSL, ...) icon
Note: You may be asked to install additional software packages. Permit this action.
In the new window, select Wireless (Wi-Fi) then click the "Next" button (bottom-right)
If your wireless card has a known chip set, you will have an entry for wlan0. Choose it, then click the "Next" button (bottom-right).
Note" If your wireless adapter's chipset is not known, Mandriva will show only a choice to "Use a Windows driver (with ndiswrapper - you will not see a wlan0 option)". Since my wireless card is known, I do not use this option although if you have the Windows driver disk for your wireless adapter, you should meet with success when using this option (the remaining steps are for the wlaan0 option).
Select your wireless network (there will usually be only one Network entry, and an entry named "Unlisted - Edit manually", choose the Network entry) then click the "Next" button (bottom-right).
For "Operating Mode" select "Managed" if you are connecting to a Home Network (LAN), or "Ad-Hoc" if you are connecting only to one other computer (not a router / Network gateway).
For "Encryption Mode" select the mode for which your router is configured. I use "WPA/WPA2 Pre-Shared Key" here because it is more secure than most other modes. If that is how your router is configured, enter your encryption key in the appropriate text entry field, then click the "Next" button (bottom-right).
If your router has a DHCP server enabled, select "Automatic IP (BOOTP/DHCP) then click the "Next" button.
The check box for "Get DNS servers from DHCP" should be checked for you. If it is not, check it. If you want to enter your own host name for your computer, clear the check box for "Assign Host Name from DHCP server (or generate a unique one)" then enter the fully qualified host name you want to use for your computer (example: mycomputer.somedomain.server.com) then click the "Next" button (bottom-right)
Make suer the option to "Start the connection at boot" is checked. Any other options are dependent on your needs. When finished, click the "Next" button (bottom-right).
The "yes" radio button should be selected for you. If not, select it then click the "Next" button (bottom-right).
That should be about it. You should have a working wireless Internet connection.
If you are able to connect to the Internet from the CD, install Mandriva to your hard drive (there is an Install icon on the desktop). You may have to set up the Media Sources and your wireless configuration again after you boot to Mandriva from the hard drive for the first time.
HTH,