Linux Mint 17 Won't Accept Wifi Password

Fabio · 20-01-2015 4:00pm #1

Hi all,

Just in the process of doing a clean install of Linux Mint 17 onto my old Dell XPS M1330. This had/has Windows 7 on it right now and I would like to have it as a dual-boot machine.

Using a live version of Mint 17 on USB stick has brought up a WIFI connectivity issue though which has stalled my little project!

Mint keeps asking me for the wifi password. I enter it correctly, it tries to connect, then tells to it's wrong and to enter the password again. The password is 100% correct, no problem with it at all. I tried a version of Xubuntu as well so it must be a Ubuntu based issue I suppose.

Anyone with any suggestions?

Stuxnet · 20-01-2015 10:24pm

Could try force it via the cli.

Another option, as it is a new install, if you can get a temporary wired connection, either via ethernet or tether off your phone, and run the update manager and or download wifi driver if needed, ...maybe its a bug !!

http://xmodulo.com/manage-wifi-connection-command-line.html

Fabio · 21-01-2015 12:04am

I was just running it as a live USB so I suppose I should just go ahead and install and then use the ethernet wired connection to download updates and see how that goes...

biketard · 21-01-2015 2:51am

Which flavour of Mint are you using? I found that for some reason Mate worked a lot better with my Wi-Fi dongle than Cinnamon did. Mind you, that was one or two versions ago.

L.Jenkins · 21-01-2015 10:47am

Try another live distro such as Debian just to see if there are any issues with Wifi connectivity. Are you using Mint 17 or 17.1? And how old is the machine? Which I don't think matters, but I thought I would ask.

bonzodog2 · 21-01-2015 12:51pm

I wonder if its an issue due to you booting from a read-only medium? And not being able to store the password?

I don't use Mint, but I run BackTrack from a USB key, and I use something like this from the command line

ifconfig wlan0 down
ifconfig wlan0 up
iwconfig wlan0 essid "MyWifiSSIDHERE"
wpa_passphrase MyWifiSSIDHERE MYPassPhrase > /tmp/wpa_supplicant.conf
wpa_supplicant -iwlan0 -c/tmp/wpa_supplicant.conf

you might need to change the interface name and/or paths
you prob need quotes if SSID or passphrase have embedded spaces, in

wpa_passphrase MyWifiSSIDHERE MYPassPhrase > /tmp/wpa_supplicant.conf

Fabio · 22-01-2015 4:02pm

I tried both Mint 17 and 17.1. I also tried Xubuntu to see if that'd work but same results.

It's a Dell XPS M1330 from around 2007, probably has a dreaded Broadcom card in it.

biketard · 23-01-2015 2:25am

If you do a full install and still can't get it to work, would you consider just sticking one of these in it?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71P8Pfd7npL._SX425_.jpg

They're dirt cheap and pretty Linux-friendly.

Johnboy1951 · 23-01-2015 12:27pm

Fabio wrote: »

I tried both Mint 17 and 17.1. I also tried Xubuntu to see if that'd work but same results.

It's a Dell XPS M1330 from around 2007, probably has a dreaded Broadcom card in it.

PCLinuxOS distro apparently dealt with this by having both a current and a legacy package for Broadcom in the repository.

Anything like that available in Mint?

PrzemoF · 23-01-2015 1:11pm

OP, check the logs to see what's wrong. Ask for help if you don't know how.

I'd start with "iwconfig", "ifconfig", "dmesg" and "journalctl -b"

Capt'n Midnight · 24-01-2015 12:19pm

For any OS, do the install while hooked up to a network cable and let updates do their thing. Then if there is a problem you can start troubleshooting.

If you have an android phone you can set it up as a wifi hotspot for testing to see what security options work.

Dozen Wicked Words · 10-02-2015 1:39pm

I have an issue, slightly off topic but broadly similar subject.

I have installed Mint 17.1 on my acer aspire 5551 laptop, first toe in the water for Linux, have not gone near terminal yet, love it so far, though its not that big a leap appearance wise from windows.

Only issue I have come accross so far, and its a bit annoying.

Mint doesn't find my router, finds my phone when I use it as a hotspot, no issue wired. I have found a workaround which seems to work but seems very odd.

It sees my PS3 as a network, I try unsuccessfully to log on to it, as would be expected, it gets stuck on the password login (again, no surprise as my PS3 isnt a router), but when I click cancel from that login, my router appears on the list of networks and I can log in no problem. Anyone have any ideas why this happens, just seems very weird!

Oh, and all updates installed.

PrzemoF · 10-02-2015 2:09pm

Welcome to the "scary" world of linux! :-)

You should only have to log into the wifi network (your router) once. Do you have to do it after a reboot as well?

I'd suggest to get faimilar with the command line (how to open a terminal, what means "sudo") - that's very handy to diagnose problems "remotely" without having to explain things like "right click that icon that looks like a antenna"
Don't try to remember it - use it as a cheat sheet: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal

Dozen Wicked Words · 10-02-2015 2:25pm

PrzemoF wrote: »

Welcome to the "scary" world of linux! :-)

You should only have to log into the wifi network (your router) once. Do you have to do it after a reboot as well?

I'd suggest to get faimilar with the command line (how to open a terminal, what means "sudo") - that's very handy to diagnose problems "remotely" without having to explain things like "right click that icon that looks like a antenna"
Don't try to remember it - use it as a cheat sheet: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal

Youre right about getting to grips with the basics of what linux is all about and the command line, it's on the to-do list. My level of expertise on computers is minimal, but love having a tinker and its not the be all and end all if I fupp up.

I continually have to do the whole PS3 thing, it never recognises my router, or connects automatically(only works if PS3 is turned off, if its turned on, it doesnt appear in my connections list). Tried using the driver manager, that told me my broadcom deelie wasn't working, it had one driver, which I tried and made it worse (even my PS3 disappeared off the list).

I'll definitely start tinkering with the terminal, part of the reason I changed was I had intention of messing with linux on an old pc (which I never got) and was just fed up with how slow my laptop had become on windows, even after a complete factory reset so I thought I'd try it on my laptop instead. Rather than messing about (doing the sensible thing) and dual booting with windows I just went for the complete install!

I'll get there eventually, and enjoy the process.

L.Jenkins · 10-02-2015 2:50pm

You'd be looking for a Ubuntu solution for the issue, so check out the Ubuntu and Mint Community forums to see if anyone else is having a similar problem. I would agree with jacking in a network cable and running a few updates first.

PrzemoF · 10-02-2015 3:04pm

@Dozen Wicked Words: can you connect to the router over a cable for a while? It will make diagnosing wifi problem a bit easier (copy & paste)

1. open terminal (I don't know how to do it in mint, but that's just a program called "Terminal"
2. type "lsusb", hit Enter and post the results here
3. type "lspci", hit Enter and post the results here

I want to find out what broadcom wifi do you have. Example results from my virtual box machine:

[przemo@localhost ~]$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 80ee:0021 VirtualBox USB Tablet
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
[przemo@localhost ~]$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:05.0 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801AA AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)
[przemo@localhost ~]$

P.S. If you feel adventurous try this guide: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx

Dozen Wicked Words · 10-02-2015 3:23pm

PrzemoF wrote: »
@Dozen Wicked Words: can you connect to the router over a cable for a while? It will make diagnosing wifi problem a bit easier (copy & paste)

1. open terminal (I don't know how to do it in mint, but that's just a program called "Terminal"
2. type "lsusb", hit Enter and post the results here
3. type "lspci", hit Enter and post the results here

I want to find out what broadcom wifi do you have. Example results from my virtual box machine:
[przemo@localhost ~]$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 80ee:0021 VirtualBox USB Tablet
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
[przemo@localhost ~]$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:05.0 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801AA AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)
[przemo@localhost ~]$

I'll be able to give that a go tomorrow, have to get sorted for work shortly, thanks, and theres no hurry at all in having a look at results once I've posted them. I'm not in any hurry.

Itzy wrote: »

You'd be looking for a Ubuntu solution for the issue, so check out the Ubuntu and Mint Community forums to see if anyone else is having a similar problem. I would agree with jacking in a network cable and running a few updates first.

Yeah, had a brief browse, no luck so far. It's not a pressing issue as I said to PrzemoF, as I have my bodge workaround, and also a PC with windows (if I can get my kids off Minecraft long enough to have a look). (Did all the updates, have a shield with a tick to prove it!)

Appreciate all the replies I've had since I only posted this on here a short while ago.

Dozen Wicked Words · 11-02-2015 11:17am

Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0402:9665 ALi Corp. Gateway Webcam
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

00:00.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] RS880 Host Bridge
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] RS780/RS880 PCI to PCI bridge (int gfx)
00:04.0 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] RS780/RS880 PCI to PCI bridge (PCIE port 0)
00:05.0 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] RS780/RS880 PCI to PCI bridge (PCIE port 1)
00:11.0 SATA controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
00:12.0 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 USB OHCI0 Controller
00:12.2 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 USB EHCI Controller
00:13.0 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 USB OHCI0 Controller
00:13.2 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 USB EHCI Controller
00:14.0 SMBus: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SBx00 SMBus Controller (rev 41)
00:14.1 IDE interface: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 IDE Controller (rev 40)
00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA) (rev 40)
00:14.3 ISA bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 LPC host controller (rev 40)
00:14.4 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SBx00 PCI to PCI Bridge (rev 40)
00:14.5 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] SB7x0/SB8x0/SB9x0 USB OHCI2 Controller
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor HyperTransport Configuration
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor Miscellaneous Control
00:18.4 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor Link Control
01:05.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RS880M [Mobility Radeon HD 4225/4250]
01:05.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RS880 HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 4200 Series]
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetLink BCM57780 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 01)
08:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM43225 802.11b/g/n (rev 01)

PrzemoF, as requested the above are lsusb and lspci

I connected over wifi again using the usual method, try to connect to my PS3 in standby, cancel, and once I have done that, my network list shows up my router, which I connect to, happy days. It's a quirk I could live with if I have to. Enjoying the nippyness of Mint so far (would it be fair to call it Linux lite?)

PrzemoF · 11-02-2015 11:57am

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

[..]
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetLink BCM57780 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 01)
08:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM43225 802.11b/g/n (rev 01)

PrzemoF, as requested the above are lsusb and lspci

I connected over wifi again using the usual method, try to connect to my PS3 in standby, cancel, and once I have done that, my network list shows up my router, which I connect to, happy days. It's a quirk I could live with if I have to. Enjoying the nippyness of Mint so far (would it be fair to call it Linux lite?)

So your wifi chip is Bradcom BCM43225. There are a few modules (drivers) that support it (broadcom is a mess), so I need some more info:

1. open terminal
2. lsmod | grep "b42\|ssb\|wl"
3. post the results

lsmod lists currently loaded modules
| (pipe) passes output of lsmod to grep
grep searches for b42 or ssb or wl

I want to find out what you're using right now.

Dozen Wicked Words · 11-02-2015 12:19pm

PrzemoF wrote: »

So your wifi chip is Bradcom BCM43225. There are a few modules (drivers) that support it (broadcom is a mess), so I need some more info:

1. open terminal
2. lsmod | grep "b42\|ssb\|wl"
3. post the results

lsmod lists currently loaded modules
| (pipe) passes output of lsmod to grep
grep searches for b42 or ssb or wl

I want to find out what you're using right now.

62379 1 b43

PrzemoF · 11-02-2015 12:24pm

Let's try manually first (you should lose you wifi after that):

sudo modprobe -r b43

and get it back after this:

sudo modprobe wl

if that doesn't work you'll have to do some more work (see method 1): http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/218

Dozen Wicked Words · 11-02-2015 12:45pm

PrzemoF wrote: »

Let's try manually first (you should lose you wifi after that):

sudo modprobe -r b43

and get it back after this:

sudo modprobe wl

if that doesn't work you'll have to do some more work (see method 1): http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/218

So after entering first thing I get asked for password, entered that, with no confirmation (think this is normal?) enter second command and get

modprobe: FATAL: Module wl not found

I will have a go with the tutorial, might just carry on with the imperfect way I do it now though! Thanks for your help anyway.

PrzemoF · 11-02-2015 1:02pm

Yes, lack of confirmation is normal in linux/unix world. It's called the Rule of Silence [1]
The error message "modprobe: FATAL: Module wl not found" means that modprobe cannot find & load wl module, so we have to install it. Give that tutorail a go. It's fairly complicated for a newbie to be honest, but for now I don't have any better idea. If you're stuck or confused - ask.

[1] Rule of Silence - Developers should design programs so that they do not print unnecessary output. This rule aims to allow other programs and developers to pick out the information they need from a program's output without having to parse verbosity. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy

human 19 · 14-02-2015 1:55am

@ OP Fabio., if you are still around. The fact that it is asking you for a password means that the network connection is recognised.

You may disagree with me as you say you are 100% sure that your password is correct but in my experience over the years...if it is asking for a pasword, and not accepting it ...then the entered password is incorrect. Check for capitals, spaces, etc

Capt'n Midnight · 14-02-2015 11:31am

human 19 wrote: »

You may disagree with me as you say you are 100% sure that your password is correct but in my experience over the years...if it is asking for a pasword, and not accepting it ...then the entered password is incorrect. Check for capitals, spaces, etc

*nostalgia*
back when you had to enter WEP passwords in hex because of incompatibilities

if all else fails remove non-alphanumerics from your password, but make it longer to compensate

like I said try an android phone in tethering mode or other access point to see what you can actually connect with and see which options break it

stupid stuff, if b/g/n and channel 12 or 13 then try a lower channel no

BopNiblets · 14-02-2015 11:16pm

Fabio may be gone, but just throwing this out here: type the password into Gedit to make sure it's right, you may have set it up with US language or something...
I know some languages switch the @ and " on me sometimes

Dozen Wicked Words · 24-02-2015 10:32am

Just an update on my problem. Its resolved itself, without me doing anything. I hadn't used my laptop for a while, turned it on this morning and it has automatically found my router and connected, I didn't do anything and it hasn't been online to update so who knows! Thanks for all the suggestions anyway.

human 19 · 07-03-2015 9:41pm

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Just an update on my problem. Its resolved itself, without me doing anything. I hadn't used my laptop for a while, turned it on this morning and it has automatically found my router and connected, I didn't do anything and it hasn't been online to update so who knows! Thanks for all the suggestions anyway.

I was wondering , reading the above, if the PS3 was masking your router. Was the PS3 blocking or masking the router signal. Would it be something to do with frequencies? I know sod all about networking but when the router is recognised after the ps3 is cancelled....??

As you didnt update anything on the computer..was firmware updated on one of the devices?

Dozen Wicked Words · 07-03-2015 9:47pm

human 19 wrote: »

I was wondering , reading the above, if the PS3 was masking your router. Was the PS3 blocking or masking the router signal. Would it be something to do with frequencies? I know sod all about networking but when the router is recognised after the ps3 is cancelled....??

As you didnt update anything on the computer..was firmware updated on one of the devices?

PS 3 got an update recently I think. Not convinced it didn't happen after the miracle of automatic Wifi login occurred though.

Sagitt · 08-03-2015 9:52pm

Guys,

I was experiencing similar problem in my home wifi, compaq laptop running on XP one day decided not to logon automatically to wifi network anymore. I had to re-create connection every time and it was fine for a session. My android phones were loging on without any problems, so I blamed my laptop. Until I tried to connect another device (NOOK eReader). Then I realised it was vodafone router to be blamed for this erratic behaviour. After rebooting router all problems were gone, immediately. That thing (router) was working fine with androids but was giving hassle to regular machines.

Couple days ago was installing Mint 17.1 on my old dell xps400 (similar scenario to Fabio) and as well problems with wifi. And again, I blamed dell machine (actualy TP-Link Nano USB wireless modem), as on the same time I had compaq laptop connecting to wifi without any problems. Linux didn't want to accept password, but as human 19 pointed out network was recognised. Then I had eureka moment to re-boot router, and all problems were gone.

Hope that makes sence,
Sagitt

cerastes · 17-03-2015 12:19pm

Ok, there are a couple of spare laptops in the house which I wanted to setup for general browsing so they were getting some use.
My main laptop is win7, but Im interested to try learn what I can do with a Unix like operating system.
I put ubuntu as the sole OS on the other laptop, had issues with the printer not connecting before and eneded up not using it, a few days ago I started looking at it again and this time it was wireless not working, got it working (dont know how) by searching online for commands to update and detect the driver for the wifi card. The thing is I dont really like the ubuntu layout (ID changed it before using an xdfe? version but it was also a bit fiddly.

Ive want to try Mint, for a start on the remaining spare laptop (netbook).
I tried to download whats called the iso, failed from a mirror site in Ireland, went to UK one and seemed to work, now its great there is a pdf of instructions, but some things are still considered a given.

For a start, I couldnt confirm the iso by checking the db5 file (I only did this last night, so I cant recal exactly what uts called).

Sometimes command line inputs/instructions seem to show a few lines and I dont know if I can input this as a continuous line and then hit enter?
or if I have to put it as it is shown, I searched and found that putting ";" a semi colon at the end of a linbe is like a line break and you can hit enter to start typing the next line? is that so? it still didnt seem to work.

I put the file on a USB and on a disc (for use with an external optical drive) to try change the OS to Mint on the netbook but neither started the process. I didnt have this issue with ubuntu.
I found the instructions said burn the file to the disc and not just write, I actually didnt think there was a difference, and againa a problem with that is that there is no option to burn the iso (file?) to the disc.

Where am I going wrong?

Im trying this with the latest version of Mint, I might try again with Mate (at least for the netbook anyway and maybe a dual boot with the ubuntu machine as its up and running, I dont want to make more work for myself until I sort the netbook.

Linux Mint 17 Won't Accept Wifi Password

Comments