I have a dynex DX-EBNBC wireless card. It will not work. By that I mean the lights on it don't even light up to show it's plugged in. Ubuntu suggests there may be an "off" switch but there isn't. It has been further suggested that it may be a software switch turned off by windows. Only windows can turn it back on. Problem: I don't have windows. OK that's not a problem but windows broke it. How do I fix it? Any ideas? I know this card is supported by ubuntu because I did a quick search before reformatting to check on hardware. People have reported using this exact card under ubuntu.
OK I'm all linux now but......
- Thread starter Rigit
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MrLinux
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- Dec 28, 2007
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The card should work using the generic drivers; first thing to check is that the card is inserted correctly; next try booting with the card already inserted and see if it is detected (this is assuming it it a PCMCIA card?), some PCMCIA controllers don't detect card changes correctly and need to be re-configured to run in a polled mode.
OK my netgear card started up today. It has 2 lights and one is lit all of the time. I'm not sure on the meaning of the lights. Sometimes they flash on and off together. Other times they alternate. But I do at least I have internet now. I like the Dynex card better though.
I know there must be a way to get linux to turn the card back on though. Some help would be greatly appreciated. That card seems to have more stable connections at higher speeds. Although wireless s a whole new thing with linux. Almost unusable under windows. The connection is so tenuous to the point of being minute to minute on whether or not you actually have a connection.
cydewaze
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- Jan 31, 2007
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On my wireless card, the two lights together mean it's connected, and the alternating means it's not. Not sure if yours is the same or not.
What sort of wireless security are you using. I had a lot harder time getting WPA to work than I did with WEP.
What sort of wireless security are you using. I had a lot harder time getting WPA to work than I did with WEP.
cydewaze :
Guess it's not a WPA problem then! 
No it seems that windows flipped some sort of "off switch" It's a software issue. Only windows can turn it back on but I don't have windows. I know there has to be a fix for this. This dynex card can't be trash just because of that. For now the netgear card I have is working.
I've never heard of a "software switch" for a wireless card. In order for such a switch to function, the card would have to have some sort of permanent memory. There would be a way to reset or clear this memory if it did in fact exist.
More likely, the drivers were not installed for the card. The lights usually indicate two things: Link and Activity... but it depends on the manufacturer. Sometimes the Link and Activity light are the same light, while the other light indicates link speed. If there are no drivers installed and functioning for the card, the lights will not work. If you can find the proper Linux driver for the card, then you can turn it back "on"... but my guess is that unless there is a physical switch somewhere on the card or computer... the card isn't enabled because it doesn't have a driver installed. There is no other way to permanently disable the card... because to do so would be absurd. No one would buy or use a wireless card that could only be turned on or off with Windows. Now, it's not unusual for manufacturers to put out wireless hardware that only has drivers for Windows... but it's extremely unlikely that a card disabled in Windows will continue to be disabled after the OS is completely wiped and reinstalled. The only other option you can check is to see if the card has been disabled in BIOS... which is possible if the card came as part of the computer.
More likely, the drivers were not installed for the card. The lights usually indicate two things: Link and Activity... but it depends on the manufacturer. Sometimes the Link and Activity light are the same light, while the other light indicates link speed. If there are no drivers installed and functioning for the card, the lights will not work. If you can find the proper Linux driver for the card, then you can turn it back "on"... but my guess is that unless there is a physical switch somewhere on the card or computer... the card isn't enabled because it doesn't have a driver installed. There is no other way to permanently disable the card... because to do so would be absurd. No one would buy or use a wireless card that could only be turned on or off with Windows. Now, it's not unusual for manufacturers to put out wireless hardware that only has drivers for Windows... but it's extremely unlikely that a card disabled in Windows will continue to be disabled after the OS is completely wiped and reinstalled. The only other option you can check is to see if the card has been disabled in BIOS... which is possible if the card came as part of the computer.
linux_0
Splendid
- Dec 18, 2005
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I've seen the same thing, sometimes you have to power down for a few seconds when switching from windows to linux and possibly the other way around, although Linux is usually very well behaved.
Some ethernet and wireless drivers actually load certain firmware onto the ethernet or wifi chip so it's possible the different firmware versions may not play well with some operating systems. It's also possible the driver may leave a chip in a strange state which in turn can cause issues.
Some devices have their own RAM, NVRAM, EEPROM or flash for storing configuration data, firmware and other info.
I've had ethernet chips go bad or become unstable on some motherboards too.
In this particular case it sounds like a driver or device configuration problem or a bug with this revision of the device.
Some ethernet and wireless drivers actually load certain firmware onto the ethernet or wifi chip so it's possible the different firmware versions may not play well with some operating systems. It's also possible the driver may leave a chip in a strange state which in turn can cause issues.
Some devices have their own RAM, NVRAM, EEPROM or flash for storing configuration data, firmware and other info.
I've had ethernet chips go bad or become unstable on some motherboards too.
In this particular case it sounds like a driver or device configuration problem or a bug with this revision of the device.
audiovoodoo
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- Sep 17, 2006
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Wasn't there a similar issue with early builds of 9.04 blowing out network cards with a duff firmware? I know there was a lot of discussion about it at the time.
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