Cannot connect to encrypted WiFi networks.

I have Zorin OS 8 installed on my Dell Mini 10v and I am unable to connect to encrypted wireless networks. It keeps asking me for the password and refuses to connect. I however have no issue whatsoever connecting to unencrypted networks. Is there a way to fix this because I really like the operating system so far and I just want the wireless to work. Thanks in advance for the help.

Are you sure that the 1st password you are asked to write is the wifi password and not the user password?

Sometimes when the installation is new and you connect for the 1st time to an encrypted wifi, it asks first for the user password and then for the wifi password.

Just to add to what madvinegar has stated, sometimes if it is a domain, your machine might not be registered as it might be looking for a machine name on the domain - in which case it could be in need of your login credentials. Zorin (like all modern GNU/Linux OS's) supports encryption to WPA-2 Enterprise level - so you need to know the password to access the network - but this will not be available to the ordinary user.

Hello everyone!

I have the same problem.

My friend has a really really old laptop (MEDION MAM2120) that can't run XP or Win 7 because it's too slow.

I just heard about Zorin OS Lite and gave it a try and the computer works awesome.

I'm extremely new to linux but I've managed to install the Windows drivers for the Wireless adapter (Winbond W89C33DG) and it detects the networks but I can't connect because it always keeps asking for the password.

I've tried the router restart and didn't asked any username/password only the WiFi network key.

I would appreciate if someone could help. I really don't want to install Windows back because Zorin is so stable and fast!

Thanks in advance!

Are you able to connect the notebook by ethernet cable to the router directly? If so do that and update the system by opening a terminal (Ctrl+ Alt+ t) and enter:

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -f

and see if things work better after upgrading the system and then do a reboot.

Swarfendor437 wrote:Are you able to connect the notebook by ethernet cable to the router directly? If so do that and update the system by opening a terminal (Ctrl+ Alt+ t) and enter:

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -f

and see if things work better after upgrading the system and then do a reboot.

Luckily it works flawlessly with cable! Tomorrow I'll try this solution.

I edited the command and added the "-f" which will force any updates if there are missing depndencies!.

Wolfman wrote:I edited the command and added the "-f" which will force any updates if there are missing depndencies!.

I did what you recommended and I think I already updated the system because it says:

"0 updated, 0 newly installed, 0 needs to be removed, 0 not updated" (maybe not exactly because I'm using the system in Hungarian language)

Hi,

thats okay, now click on the network icon in the panel and make sure that "Enable wireless" is active and see if you have WiFI.

Is your WiFi device light on?.

Wolfman wrote:Hi,

thats okay, now click on the network icon in the panel and make sure that "Enable wireless" is active and see if you have WiFI.

Is your WiFi device light on?.

The WiFi device light is blinking and also I can see my wifi network on the list however when I try to connect and asks for the password I write it in and the Connect button is inactive.

I also tried it with Wicd. It says that it's a bad password even when I logged in to the router admin panel and copy - pasted the WiFi password... other devices (Windows OS computers, Android phones, Apple Iphones use this network - I'm currently at my worklplace) are working so the password is correct I'm sure.

Are you sure that the 1st password you are asked to write is the wifi password and not the user password?

Sometimes when the installation is new and you connect for the 1st time to an encrypted wifi, it asks first for the user password and then for the wifi password.

madvinegar wrote:Are you sure that the 1st password you are asked to write is the wifi password and not the user password?

Sometimes when the installation is new and you connect for the 1st time to an encrypted wifi, it asks first for the user password and then for the wifi password.

I'll try it this way.

Will be back with the answer shortly.

Update: I tried this way. First it asks for the user password. I type it and after that it asks for the wifi password I type that too and it tries to connect but fails and asks the wifi password again. I tried to type in the user password but it won't accept it (because it's much shorter than the wifi pass that's why I said that it always asks for the wifi pass again and again).

On your router, the WiFi password is normally there on the back or bottom unless you changed it, it is case sensitive, if it looks something like this: WLan49-g993, that is exactly how you must type it. I know you know that but double check when typing!.

Wolfman wrote:On your router, the WiFi password is normally there on the back or bottom unless you changed it, it is case sensitive, if it looks something like this: WLan49-g993, that is exactly how you must type it. I know you know that but double check when typing!.

Okay. I think I've managed some things.

First I checked the bottom of my router (I didn't mention it before but it might help - it's a D-Link DIR-600). It has the following data: P/N, H/W, F/W, S/N, MAC ID, PIN, FCC ID, IC numbers.

If I know right the H/W and S/W are the hardware and software versions.

The S/N is I tihnk the serial number - I've tried that and first it started to connect (two lines spinning) and a little after that it started to request a WiFi network address (three lines spinning) and then it fails and disconnects.
Also I tried the IC number which is: 4216A-IR600B5. It kinda looks like the format you wrote so I gave it a try. The result was the same, it started to connect, it started to request a WiFi network address and then failed and disconnected.

I've tried the PIN numbers but the Connect button was inactive so I think it's not the one I'm looking for.

Also when it asks for the password (after I type in the user password) I can only write it once, it doesn't ask any password at the second time...

Now I really don't understand this. When I type in the wrong passwords it tries to request a WiFi network address but when I type in the correct password it doesn't even tries to request a network addres... this is really strange for me.

Update: I've tried some Google searched. Someone mentioned that maybe its somewhere in the admin menu but I didn't find any "secret passwords" or anything.

What if you completely remove security from the wireless network. Does it connect?

( I want to rule out that there is no problem with the firmware of your wireless card).

madvinegar wrote:What if you completely remove security from the wireless network. Does it connect?

( I want to rule out that there is no problem with the firmware of your wireless card).

Well then I think we're one step ahead finally!

I completely removed the password - I tested it on my phone.

It started to connect and request for a network address but failed again!

So what can be the problem?

Please post back the results of the following terminal command:

lspci -nnk | grep -iA2 net

madvinegar wrote:Please post back the results of the following terminal command:

lspci -nnk | grep -iA2 net

The result is:

00:15.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Winbond Electronics Corp W89C33D 802.11 a/b/g BB/MAC [1050:0033]
Subsystem: Winbond Electronics Corp W89C33D 802.11 a/b/g BB/MAC [1050:0033]
Kernel driver in use: ndiswrapper
--
00:1b.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: ULi Electronics Inc. ULi 1689,1573 integrated ethernet. [10b9:5263] (rev 50)
Subsystem: Mitac Device [1071:8351]
Kernel driver in use: uli526x

Interesting thread here to do with ethernet using same chipset:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2189641&page=2

To be honest, my heart sank when I saw Winbond - this is probably the worst one to have in a machine as there is no GNU/Linux driver for this - I would advise you purchase a 'Dongle' that is compatible with your router.

I await to be corrected by madvinegar.

Swarfendor437 wrote:Interesting thread here to do with ethernet using same chipset:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2189641&page=2

To be honest, my heart sank when I saw Winbond - this is probably the worst one to have in a machine as there is no GNU/Linux driver for this - I would advise you purchase a 'Dongle' that is compatible with your router.

I await to be corrected by madvinegar.

This is my luck...

So basically this means that it doesn't matter if I try Lubuntu or LXLE or any edition the WiFi won't work?

That is my opinion but would prefer madvinegar to comment - perhaps that is why he asked the results of those commands - its also in the name isn't it - they might as well have called it:

'Win(dows)b(i)nd'

Swarfendor437 wrote:That is my opinion but would prefer madvinegar to comment - perhaps that is why he asked the results of those commands - its also in the name isn't it - they might as well have called it:

'Win(dows)b(i)nd'

I'm curious too... to be honest (just a little OFF topic) I really like Linux but I also love games and gaming. Mostly this is why I still use Windows. I've tried for years but never managed to find a suitable distro... I always had some problems that couldn't be fixed, mostly with hardwares (this is why I said that this is my luck... ). Now I bought an older desktop PC configuration because I want to learn some tricks of Linux. As I see Zorin will be a good OS to try.

However this case got me thinking it again... because it doesn't have any network cards... it also uses a WiFi adapter!

Kernel driver in use: ndiswrapper

Ndiswrapper....??
Did you install and set up ndiswrapper...?

mano2 wrote:

Swarfendor437 wrote:That is my opinion but would prefer madvinegar to comment - perhaps that is why he asked the results of those commands - its also in the name isn't it - they might as well have called it:

'Win(dows)b(i)nd'

I'm curious too... to be honest (just a little OFF topic) I really like Linux but I also love games and gaming. Mostly this is why I still use Windows. I've tried for years but never managed to find a suitable distro... I always had some problems that couldn't be fixed, mostly with hardwares (this is why I said that this is my luck... ). Now I bought an older desktop PC configuration because I want to learn some tricks of Linux. As I see Zorin will be a good OS to try.

However this case got me thinking it again... because it doesn't have any network cards... it also uses a WiFi adapter!

Well so long as it is not 'Winbond' you should be 'good to go'!

madvinegar wrote:

Kernel driver in use: ndiswrapper

Ndiswrapper....??
Did you install and set up ndiswrapper...?

Yes. Because first the system didn't recognize the wireless adapter.
I looked it up on Google and found a forum on Ubuntu that I need to use Windows driver becasue Winbond doesn't have drivers for linux.
So I downloaded the driver and tried it with ndiswrapper and first it failed.

Another search and I found out that my ndiswrapper is out of date and I need to update it. I updated it and successfully installed my wireless adapter.
The networks appeared in the list so I thought it is done. Unfortunatelly not.

Also I noticed some strange thing yesterday. If I didn't turn off the wifi adapter on the laptop (Fn + F1) the computer freezes at boot (where the blinking Z logo appears).
If I turn it off it boots perfectly.

I don't know why. The driver that I downloaded and installed with ndiswrapper was designed for XP. May that could be the problem?
Winbond only have drivers for XP, 2000 and ME (I can link the website where I downloaded it if it helps).

Swarfendor437 wrote:Well so long as it is not 'Winbond' you should be 'good to go'!

The problem is that I know that not all of the games are running on Linux and I use a lot of gaming platforms too (Steam, Raptr, Xfire...etc) so I have to use Windows. Even with Wine I couldn't manage a lot of games to run...

Because of that I could only try Linux on older computers, mostly notebooks or laptops. I had several problems (didn't recognize the video card or other hardware), the distros were freezing on them (I tried SuSE, Mandriva, Ubuntu...etc).
After that I finished school I had to go to work and I had to gave up because I had no time.

I have written a detailed guide here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5008&p=23910&hilit=ndiswrapper#p23910

I don't know if you would like to start over following my guide.

madvinegar wrote:I have written a detailed guide here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5008&p=23910&hilit=ndiswrapper#p23910

I don't know if you would like to start over following my guide.

The procedure was the same but without wine.

Do you think it should worth a try?

Wine is used so as you can extract the driver from the windows CD. Specifically the .inf file.

Sometimes the drivers we find on the internet are not the exact ones needed for ndiswrapper to work properly. By doing the wine method, we extract the exact same driver used by windows for the specific wireless card.

It's up to you.