Ubuntu not working

[Christopher Lees]

On Thu, 2009-12-24 at 12:00 +0000, Derek Smith wrote:

> Hi,
> because we are unable to have ADSL we have to use Wireless Broadband.
> I am with 'Three'
> Problem - I can access the Internet easily  with 8.10 but Skype and my 
> printer (HP C5380)does not work with this OS.

Skype for Linux exists and works well for many people. What problems
specifically are you having? One common problem is that Skype doesn't
give a way to specify an input and output sound device; you actually
need to do it from the Ubuntu volume control. This is by design (it
actually makes more sense this way).

HP printers also should work. HPs drivers are open-source.


> Whilst 9.04 worked perfectly for 12 months, the problems started when I 
> received 2 x Trojan Horses and Tracing cookies, designed to stop 
> Firefox. These cookies were passed onto a Laptop running 9.04 and Vista, 
> through 'Three' Wireless, and these cookies (3 infections) destroyed 
> Firefox in Ubuntu but Firefox in Vista was okay. The infection was 
> healed but 9.04 no longer works on this computer and 9.10 only occasionally.
> A third computer running XP only had over 20 infections of the Cookie 
> which caused the computer to freeze-up. Once infections were cleared, 
> Internet connection (Bigpond Wireless) resumed to normal.

A cookie is merely a small piece of information that a website can store
on your computer, and access it again later. Cookies are harmless, but
many anti-virus programs flag them as "threats" (they're not).

There's no way that a cookie can have any effect on Firefox. All Firefox
does is store them and send them back to the website on demand.

I highly doubt if the "trojans" or the "cookies" actually affected
Ubuntu at all.

> I have had the Software on the Three modem updated under warranty but to 
> no effect.

Ubuntu 9.10 has known problems with certain wireless modems...
unfortunately. Reliability problems. I mean, these modems are not worth
anything near the $130 you pay for them and they're always unreliable in
moderate signal areas, but Ubuntu 9.10 will sometimes take a couple of
tries to connect.

You can get more success by unmounting the virtual drive that appears
when you plug the modem in, then connecting.

Some people report success with upgrading the kernel using the debs
available at the Ubuntu kernel PPA (lost the URL sorry, Google might
help) but I've yet to give that a good workout on my netbook.

Chris.