Dell Latitude D630 wireless issues running Ubuntu 13.10

Question

I just installed Ubuntu 13.10 on my Dell Latitude D630. I'm new to Linux and don't know too much about it. I've researched a few solutions to this problem, but none have worked, or I couldn't complete the steps.

One main problem is that when I'm using the terminal, every once in a while it just stops and when I try to close it, it warns me that a process is running.

I've been trying to get ndisgtk to install the appropriate driver, but the terminal does that thing and when I tried to just go though the online sources, it just froze on the side bar saying "preparing to install" or some such and made no progress.

Is there any way I can solve the wireless issues?

snarky@snarky-Latitude-D630:~$ lspci -nn | grep 0280
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN [14e4:4311] (rev 01)

Solution

Please get a temporary wired ethernet connection, open a terminal and do:

sudo apt-get remove --purge ndiswrapper*
sudo apt-get remove --purge bcmwl-kernel-source
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer

Note that, as mentioned in the comments, firmware-b43-installer was formerly linux-firmware-nonfree.

Detach the ethernet, reboot and let us hear your report.

Comments

[chili555]

I doubt that ndiswrapper is correct for your device. Please edit your question to add details of your wireless device from the terminal command: lspci -nn | grep 0280

[Alex]

For debian the package is called "firmware-linux-nonfree" ... probably the same for ubuntu.

[chili555]

Not the same in Ubuntu.

[user76369]

Didn't work with ubuntu

[chili555]

@user76369 Do you have firmware-b43-installer installed? If so and it still doesn't work, I suggest you start your own new question.

[user76369]

@chili555 Working now, found that missing part on another post. I've double checked your original answer and you're definitely missing that line. I suggest you add it in.

[chili555]

@user76369 At the time I posted this answer, some 18 months ago, the correct package was linux-firmware-nonfree. Now, in late 2015, it is, as I stated, firmware-b43-installer. I don't expect to revisit all of my thousands of posts back for a decade and update them.