14 replies to this topic

[FL4WL3SS]

I have a 1 year old Toshiba Satellite laptop that came with Windows 7. I use this laptop as my secondary laptop to do ad hoc development work for personal use - I have several environments set up to do development in several number of languages and frameworks. It's basically my sandbox to learn and try new things. Typically, I don't use this laptop for anything else and stripped it down to be a very basic Windows 7 install; no anti-virus running, no firewall, etc.

Last week the wife was using our main laptop (which is locked down) and I wanted to watch the Patriots game, so stupidly, I turned on this laptop and found a stream to watch the game. You can obviously guess what happened next. So, instead of downloading various anti-virus software and trying to clean the thing out, I took the opportunity to do what I've wanted to do for a long time - install a Linux distro.

So I shut the laptop down, downloaded a few distros to try out and went to town deleting the Windows partitions and installing Linux partitions. The first distro I installed and tried was Ubuntu (since I'm largely a Linux noob, this came highly recommended). The install went great and Ubuntu is actually pretty sharp, everything seemed to work right out of the gate with no issues - until I realized I had made a huge mistake.

My laptop doesn't come with an external wireless switch. In my infinite wisdom and haste, I had disabled my wireless card when I found out I had a virus so that I would be sure I was disconnected from the internet; this is accomplished by using the fn-f8 key combination. Well, I hadn't re-enabled the wireless card before wiping the partitions and come to find out, that key combination doesn't work with any of the distros that I've installed. Through all of my research and scrambling I have since discovered that this is a common problem with Toshiba laptops with a Linux install. Basically there are issues with the fn key combinations working.

So I found an old copy of Windows laying around and reinstalled that back onto the laptop figuring I'd get the fn keys to work in Windows again, re-enable and then reinstall Linux. Well, I couldn't get any drivers installed and my Windows install wouldn't recognize any of my hardware, so I said f*** it and reinstalled Linux and tried to find a workaround. I did find a package called FnFX which was created specifically for this problem - I immediately installed it on my machine, but come to find out the Bios on the laptop wasn't written by Toshiba and this program doesn't work on my laptop since I can't enable the Toshiba acpi.

Basically I'm now stuck with a laptop that doesn't have wireless - which pretty much sucking fucks. I'm at my wits end and I really don't have the Linux knowledge to go any further - this is pretty much my last resort to see if anyone here has any ideas. Otherwise, I might be forced to either pirate a copy of Windows 7 and hope I can get it to work or go out and buy a new copy of Windows 7 with the risk of it not working.

Edited by FL4WL3SS, 10 January 2012 - 06:38 PM.

[kneemoe]

aren't the FN buttons accessible pre-kernel? I think you can go into the BIOS setup and the function buttons should work there to re-enable you card.
also
http://www.tomshardw...-button-working - are you sure there isn't a hardware switch? I can't tell without a model number.

Any idea what kind of wifi card you've got in there? (it should say on one of the stickers on the bottom)

I remember the last time I had an issue with Ubuntu and wifi it was due to the nm-applet and replacing it with wicd helped me figure it out
http://wicd.sourcefo...et/download.php

If the above is no help, try this (most notably the "if config wlan0 up" command - I wouldn't try loading those specific drivers until we determine what's in your laptop)
http://ubuntuforums....d.php?t=1664736

Edited by kneemoe, 10 January 2012 - 02:56 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

Yeah, there isn't a hardware switch. It's a Toshiba Satellite 645D.

I've got a realtek card in there - I don't have the laptop with me right now, so I don't have the model number, but I'll check when I get home.

I've checked in the BIOS setup options and there's no built in setup for the hardware, which is stupid. I'll try the key combination while in BIOS setup, but I have a feeling that's not going to work.

[kneemoe]

Is there a display above the keyboard with a light for the wireless? If so that may also act as a button to turn the radio on.
I would also check in the BIOS settings to make sure its turned on, the FN+f8 is sometimes just a call to the BIOS to enable/disable wifi there. I lack reading comprehension

As to checking the key combo in BIOS, its worth a shot, but it doesn't work on at least one laptop I've got in the shop, I had to wait until drivers started loading.


more edits: Check the media buttons above the keyboard, I've looked at a couple 645d spec pdfs and they all list a radio on/off switch in that cluster, that's your hardware switch for the wireless.

Edited by kneemoe, 10 January 2012 - 04:10 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

Yeah, like I said, there's no external switch, it's a pretty basic laptop case.

Also, the BIOS has no settings for any of the hardware, which is pretty bullshit.

[kneemoe]

didn't see you had posted while I was editting - check to see if the media buttons above the keyboard work, there should be one for the WiFi, and that should act as the hardware switch.

[FL4WL3SS]

This is my laptop:


As you can see, no external switches

[kneemoe]

Bah, I looked at 3 different 645D's online and they all had the media keys.
I just found this:
"


OK Jerry, you're the bomb.

It worked for me:

We've seen cases where those buttons were revived by a machine reset. With the battery and AC adapter removed, close the Power switch for ten seconds.

Re-attach those, press the Power button to turn the computer on, and then immediately press the F2 key while the Toshiba logo is displayed. Press F9 to restore the BIOS default settings, press F10, and then select Yes (Exit Saving Changes). The computer will restart.
-Jerry"
from http://forums.toshib...070/td-p/186464

Its worth a shot.

[SumnerH]

Try running this from the commandline:

sudo rfkill unblock all

[FL4WL3SS]

Actually, that's a great call, I hadn't thought of that.

I'm going to try that as soon as I get home.

[FL4WL3SS]

Try running this from the commandline:

sudo rfkill unblock all

I'm pretty sure I found this advice somewhere online and tried it with no success, but I'll try that before trying the reset option above.

I'll check back in when I get home.

[SumnerH]

I'm pretty sure I found this advice somewhere online and tried it with no success, but I'll try that before trying the reset option above.

I'll check back in when I get home.

If that and the BIOS reset don't work, post the card make and the output of "lsmod" and "lspci".

[FL4WL3SS]

Bah, I looked at 3 different 645D's online and they all had the media keys.
I just found this:
"


OK Jerry, you're the bomb.

It worked for me:

We've seen cases where those buttons were revived by a machine reset. With the battery and AC adapter removed, close the Power switch for ten seconds.

Re-attach those, press the Power button to turn the computer on, and then immediately press the F2 key while the Toshiba logo is displayed. Press F9 to restore the BIOS default settings, press F10, and then select Yes (Exit Saving Changes). The computer will restart.
-Jerry"
from http://forums.toshib...070/td-p/186464

Its worth a shot.

Holy shit bro, that worked.

I, uh, owe you one.

[FL4WL3SS]

Yep, definitely works. I'm on wireless right now.

I searched for a solution for hours, this is a huge relief. Thanks for the suggestions kneemoe and sumner

[kneemoe]

good deal - glad to hear it worked