Solving the MSI Wind Wi-Fi problem on Linux Mint 7

The first thing I noticed when I first used my newly-installed Linux Mint 7 on my MSI Wind was that my Internet connection was noticeably slower and I kept getting disconnected. I thought it might have had something to do with my Internet service provider or our super old router at home, but this problem also occurred at other places.

While searching at Google, I found that there were many ways to solve the problem. Apparently, the Realtek Wi-Fi card installed on the MSI Wind is really problematic on the Linux Mint. I tried three solutions, and the last solution was the only one that worked. I will refer to these three solutions as actions.

First Action: Updating the Wi-Fi Driver
1. I checked the model of my Wi-Fi driver by typing this in the Terminal:

lspci | grep Wireless

This is what came out:

02:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8187SE Wireless LAN Controller (rev 22)


2. I opened the Package Manager (from the Menu) and used the search function to find the Realtek driver. Check the package that has the rtl8187se-modules and click "Apply". Updates for the Realtek driver automatically installed.




Second Action: Blacklisting the Drivers
Borgy had a hunch that Linux Mint might be loading the wrong driver for the wifi card at startup, so we blacklisted (meaning: prevented Linux from loading those drivers) some drivers that might possibly be used in place of the correct wifi driver. How this was done:

1. Check the list of all drivers installed by typing this in the Terminal:

cd /lib/modules/2.6.28-11-generic

2. Find the drivers listed below which contains: . -name rtl\*

3. Blacklist the drivers that do not contain "rtl8187" by typing this in the Terminal:
sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Third Action (this one worked): Installing WICD

WICD, which stands for Wireless Interface Connection Daemon, is an interface to connect to networks. The default network manager of Linux Mint 7 is the GNOME Network Manager. Maybe the GNOME Network Manager doesn't work well with the Realtek Wi-Fi card, but for some reason replacing this with WICD worked.

1. To download WICD, type in the Terminal:


sudo apt-get wicd

2. This will allow the Network-manager and the GNOME Network Manager to be removed and WICD will be installed.

3. Restart your computer.

You may also download and install WICD from the Package Manager.

One drawback for using WICD is that I have to manually connect to the Internet every time I turn on my computer. This is done by clicking the WICD icon located beside the date and time on the bottom right part of the desktop. If there is a way to automatically connect, please tell me!

Here's how the WICD window looks like:
Read more...

Linux Mint 7 - my first Linux experience

My MSI Wind U100+ came preinstalled with Windows XP, which I have been faithfully using for around 6 months, until two weeks ago when Borgy showed me screenshots of the Linux Mint 7. The Linux Mint 7 is based on the Ubuntu 9.04 and uses the GNOME desktop, which makes it easy to use for Linux beginners like me who are not familiar with Linux commands.

Image below is the Linux Mint 7 GNOME desktop:

These are the reasons why I've decided to switch to using Linux Mint 7:

1. The Menu. I instantly fell in love with the Menu because I like how the applications are grouped together. I could not get a screenshot of the menu, it wouldn't work (I don't know why), so I found some screenshots from other websites.

I got the screenshot above from http://www.linuxmint.com/img/screenshots/gloria/22.png

Mint Menu screenshot 2 from http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-7-gloria-p2

2. The Terminal and its Cowsay Fortune. The Terminal is the Windows command prompt counterpart of Linux. I like the animal ascii drawings with its quotes. I'll write in more detail on Cowsay in a separate entry. :)

3. The virtual desktop/ workspace. This is useful if you have many applications on the taskbar but don't want it cluttered on the current taskbar. It allows you to place applications on what seems like "another" desktop, but is actually the same one. I like the transition effect to the next desktop, made by Compiz, because it makes the desktop look 3D.

4. No virus on Linux! When I learned of this, I became convinced I wanted to use Linux. My netbook is always getting viruses and malware/ spyware, so every few days I always run my NOD32 anti-virus and Ad Aware.

5. There are applications that already come installed with the Linux Mint 7, which makes it easier to switch to a new OS. There is no Microsoft Office, but this is replaced with the free OpenOffice.org. Microsoft Office 2003 documents are compatible with the OpenOffice.org. Other applications include Java, GIMP image editor, Pidgin Instant Messenger, Rhythmbox Music Player, Firefox web browser, and many more.

I like the simplicity of the Linux Mint. I've tried the beta version of Windows 7 and it didn't really appeal to me. Sure it looks cool but I found it hard to navigate, especially the menu which just confused me. Function must rule over design.

I still retained my Windows XP in case I need to use programs that require Windows XP, like the Nokia Manager. Thanks to Borgy for installing Linux Mint 7 here on Rox (the name of my netbook). He installed it by "dual boot" with Windows XP, how he did it, I do not know. Thanks again! :)

Read more...