WLAN problem (KNetworkManager went "manual")

[Kalle Kniivilä]

I just did my first Linux installation: Kubuntu 7.04 i38. At least  
that is what it says on the CD.

Everything went fine, I first connected to the net with the regular  
network card and a cable. I also managed to get the wireless network  
card up and running, and I could surf on the net fine without the  
cable. For some reason, however, Adept wouldn't work with the  
wireless, so I used the cable to fetch the updated packages. All well  
so long.

However, when I moved the computer back to its usual location, where  
I can only use the wireless network, the wireless LAN wouldn't work  
at all any more. KNetworkManager detects the WLAN fine, it also  
detects my neighbours network, but then nothing more happens, I can't  
log in to my WLAN even though it worked fine just a while ago. Maybe  
one of the updated packages screwed up something?

Even worse, in some mysterious way KNetworkManager turned itself to  
"manual" mode, and there is no way I can see to turn it back to  
"automatic". I wouldn't mind, as long as I could get it running, but  
in the "manual" there suddenly are no WLAN networks I can choose,  
even though there were two of them just a second ago.

I took a look at the network options in the system menu, I can see my  
wireless network card fine, it's active, but I am not able to make a  
connection to the WLAN that way either. In the network options it  
looks like an IP number is missing for the WLAN card - is that  
something I need to find out and type in? Sounds strange, because the  
connection was working before, for surfing (not Adept), and I hadn't  
written in any IP number.

Any ideas about what to do next? I really wouldn't like to move the  
computer to the ADSL-modem again, and I don't have a cable long enogh...

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Kalle Kniivilä
http://www.kniivila.net