[SOLVED] Dell Inspiron B130 Wireless Woes
Posts: 5513
As some of you know, a few weeks ago I posted about my having a problem getting my wireless to work on my Dell Inspiron B130 when it had worked originally. Well, I got it working and have to share the solution! Stay tuned, it's funny (really).
Here are two of those posts:
Wireless card stopped working after 1st package update!
http://www.mepis.org/node/11648
And here was the original query:
SimplyMepis on Dell B120 or B130 Laptop
http://www.mepis.org/node/9219
Well, I have been going NUTS trying to get things working with no success until today. I have now solved the problem and will post the ridiculously simple fix to this amazingly complex search for the problem. But first, join me in saying OMGWTF!
The Original Problem
I purchased the B130 after having asked for advice from this forum. Everything I heard indicated that using it with Mepis was a piece of cake and "just worked". When I bought it, the only change that I made was to take the original hard drive out without using it, and replacing it with a larger one. So Windoze XP has never run on this box (by me at least). I loaded Mepis 6.0 onto it, and then configured it for wireless. As others had said, it worked out of the box.
I used the computer for a couple months, wirelessly, with no problems what so ever. I even did various OS updates/upgrades with no problems. Then one day wireless stopped working. I could not draw any conclusions that any changes, modifications, updates, or upgrades, done by me, had changed wireless in any way. I couldn't POSSIBLY have done anything to break wireless (wait for it...)
I started scouring this forum, looking on the Ubuntu sites, checking if I had made any changes to ndiswrapper and other files. I saved files, and made changes, all to no avail 
Until today.
The Clue
When I booted up my computer this morning, I decided to turn off the splash screen so I could see what was happening in the background. I had grown complacent and wasn't watching. So when I watched all the trace and debug messages roll by, I saw this (this is obtained by the "dmesg | less" command:
[17179584.008000] eth0: Broadcom 4400 10/100BaseT Ethernet 00:00:00:00:00:00
[17179584.192000] ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'
[17179584.196000] ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, git-1.1.7
[17179584.196000] ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation
[17179584.240000] ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.1.1
[17179584.240000] ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
[17179584.240000] Warning: PCI driver ipw2200 has a struct device_driver shutdown method, please update!
[17179584.244000] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:03.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 209
[17179584.244000] ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
[17179584.300000] Synaptics Touchpad, model: 1, fw: 6.2, id: 0xa5a0b1, caps: 0xa04713/0x200000
[17179584.336000] input: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad as /class/input/input2
[17179584.504000] ipw2200: Radio Frequency Kill Switch is On:
[17179584.504000] Kill switch must be turned off for wireless networking to work.
[17179584.504000] ipw2200: Detected geography ZZA (11 802.11bg channels, 13 802.11a channels)
[17179584.764000] ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'WEP'
I started searching Google for "ipw2200: radio frequency kill switch is on" (including the quotes). I found these two links (among others):
ipw2200: Radio Frequency Kill Switch is On - how do i turn it on in edgy? -
Ubuntu Forums
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=303135
HOWTO: ipw2200 + wpa - Ubuntu Forums
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=26623&highlight=ipw2200
And there was this one response:
Have you tried checking the options in BIOS for your Wifi card? For my laptop (DELL Inspiron 510m) these are the options:* Off
* Controlled by OS
* Controlled by OS or FN Key <<-- I choose this
I rebooted and checked my BIOS. Something that I've never done on this box. BTW, the key to get into the BIOS during boot on the B130 is F12.
The setting for my card was like the above: Controlled by OS or FN Key.
But what does it mean?.
The Solution (Silly and Anticlimactic)
The Dell B130 has a key combination. There is an "Fn" key down on the left bottom row, between Ctrl and the Windoze flag, in blue ink. And the "F2" key has printed, in blue ink, an antenna symbol. So while running Mepis, I pressed Fn+F2. Nothing happened. But I rebooted my system. Here's what I saw when I looked at "dmesg | less":
[17179580.328000] ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, git-1.1.7
[17179580.328000] ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation
[17179580.340000] ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.1.1
[17179580.340000] ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
[17179580.340000] Warning: PCI driver ipw2200 has a struct device_driver shutdown method, please update!
[17179580.360000] input: PC Speaker as /class/input/input1
[17179580.524000] b44.c:v0.97 (Nov 30, 2005)
[17179580.524000] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:00.0[A] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 217
[17179580.528000] eth0: Broadcom 4400 10/100BaseT Ethernet 00:00:00:00:00:00
[17179580.528000] shpchp: Standard Hot Plug PCI Controller Driver version: 0.4
[17179580.528000] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:03.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 209
[17179580.528000] ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
[17179580.796000] ipw2200: Detected geography ZZA (11 802.11bg channels, 13 802.11a channels)
I logged into my account and wireless was working
Summary and Conclusion
Somewhere along the way, while doing something else I hit a wrong key and turned off wireless!. The Fn+F2 key is a toggle and survives through reboot. So once turned off by fumble-fingered me, it stayed off until I pressed it again.
Yes, this is a classic example of PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) 
This is also an example of (stubborn) persistence paying off in finding the problem and solution.
I am happily, yet humbly, posting this now through my wireless link.
I hope this helps some of the other folks having problems getting wireless to work with their laptop.
Cheers.
Jon
I have to grin at this, Jon.
Posts: 1634
I have to grin at this, Jon.
Not at your expense by any means, but from having been there so many times myself.
My Dad tells one from his days in antique and furniture repair; which pretty much barks up the same tree:
He was on an emergency job for a large department store in the area, making repairs to an expensive furniture display after store closing time.
While it is not often the case, in this instance drilling was required to allow for pegging a glue joint; and he proceeded about the work on the showroom floor.
He was really sweating while bearing-down on an obviously burned and dull drill bit, when one of the kids from the loading dock wandered by and paused to watch for a moment.
As my Dad stopped drilling for a rest, the kid headed back toward the docks, wondering loudly if the drill would cut better if he were to switch the drill motor from counter(anti)-clockwise rotation to clockwise.
I think I get it from my Dad.
My occupation?
Well, computer geek-stuff, mostly. I could tell you all about it; but, then I would have to delete you.
Oh Yeah, Laugh!
Posts: 5513
Yeah, go ahead and laugh at my expense. Don't you (sniff), know I'm (snort), a Sensitive Geek (bwoo hoo hoo, bawl!).
Thanks Carlops, you had a good idea, and I didn't think of that, but I use satellite for power
And yes EnigmaOne, that's a great story. I just keep trying to justify to myself that I had looked EVERYWHERE for the solution, but obviously not. I keep thinking, "there should have been some sort of warning...".
The day they put "idiot lights" on everything is the day that we'll have blind idiots!
Thanks for your help guys.
Jon
Jon, ROFLMAO
Posts: 2299
..... but glad it is solved......
It could have been worse though.... you could have forgotten to plugin the wireless cable to the cordless wall outlet
Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question