T42 Wi-Fi Questions

[flipteo]

Hi,

A forum just for thinkpads! I can't believe I didn't find this place earlier. Anyway, it's good to be hear. Hello to everyone.

I have a thinkpad t42 running Ubuntu Hardy, and I don't know how to enable wireless internet, or even if I have the right hardware. When I bought the computer on ebay, it said it had integrated wireless, but I don't know how to check. When I look at System-> Admin-> Network, I see the 'wired connection' and the 'point to point' connection, but no wireless.

I'm also seeking advice on this at the Ubuntu Forums. Someone there suggested I run the "lspci" command (which I guess checks for installed devices or something). Here is what that revealed:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82855PM Processor to I/O Controller (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82855PM Processor to AGP Controller (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-M) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 81)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) SMBus Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility M7 LW [Radeon Mobility 7500]
02:00.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI4520 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 01)
02:00.1 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI4520 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 01)
02:01.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EP Gigabit Ethernet Controller (Mobile) (rev 03)

Are there any other ways of finding out if I have the right hardware for wireless?

[Harryc]

You do not have a wireless card in the machine, or it is defective. lspci would show it.

[flipteo]

Son of a biotch. Hmmm, I guess I'll be returning this laptop then. Hopefully I still can. I paid too much for it anyway, maybe it's for the best.

[Harryc]

yup, if it were there it would be listed under 'Network Controller'. similar to this;

Code: Select all

0b:02.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (rev 05)

[flipteo]

Ah, this sucks. I don't want to have to go back to my archaic iSeries with 32 friggin megs of ram while I send this back/look for a new thinkpad.

[Harryc]

Underclocker is selling wifi cards in the marketplace forum here for $27 shipped. Not much hassle to install ...

[flipteo]

Yeah, maybe I can get the guy I bought this comp. from to just buy me one. I don't want to have to send it back etc.

Would they be cards that just plug in on the outside? Or would I have to "go under the hood"? I know nothing about wireless cards.

[Harryc]

All that is required is a #00 philips screwdriver and removing some screws on a T42. There is a maintenance manual for the machine freely download-able that is step by step. This is a very easy upgrade. Yes it is 'under the hood'. What is the machine type/model from the sticker on the bottom of the machine?
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-46464

[flipteo]

2373-M33

[Harryc]

Product: ThinkPad T42 2373-M33 [change]
Operating system: All [change]Original description: Based on 2373-6UU: P M 735, 1GB RAM, 40GB 5400rpm HDD, 14.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 24x-8x DVD, Wireless upgradeable(MPCI), Modem(CDC), 1Gb Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip, 6 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Home


What 'wireless upgradeable' means is that the machine did not ship from IBM originally with a wifi card, but it has the wires (antennas) installed so that all you need to do is plug in a card and connect the antenna wires, install the driver and off you go.

[GomJabbar]

The internal cards are certainly preferred, but if you do not want to open up your laptop, you can get a PCMCIA WiFi card or even a USB WiFi card. You'll get better range from an internal card.

Beware that internal WiFi cards must be branded IBM. Otherwise you will not be able to boot without getting the 1802 error. There is a fix for this that should work. See the following to learn more about it.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problem_w ... twork_card

[flipteo]

What 'wireless upgradeable' means is that the machine did not ship from IBM originally with a wifi card, but it has the wires (antennas) installed so that all you need to do is plug in a card and connect the antenna wires, install the driver and off you go.

I see, thanks. I was trying to find out what parts my model number shipped with. "2373-M33" isn't listed at thinkwiki.org. I didn't know where else to look.

Beware that internal WiFi cards must be branded IBM. Otherwise you will not be able to boot without getting the 1802 error. There is a fix for this that should work. See the following to learn more about it.

It's always something eh? You've got to stay on your toes with Linux it seems.

[flipteo]

Could it be that there is a card on this computer, but that it just isn't recognized by Linux? And by recognized I mean "not even register". Is that possible? Or is this something where the OS doesn't even come into play?

[sarbin]

one easy way to find out is to to 'pop the hatch' and see if the card is there. the link to the hmm that Harry provided should help a lot.

actually, now that i think of it, all you need to do is pop the keyboard out to see if the wifi card is there. you don't even need to pull the keyboard bezel, which is more work. again, the hmm will show you how.

[GomJabbar]

It's always something eh? You've got to stay on your toes with Linux it seems.

Got nothing to do with Linux. Same thing with Windows. It is the BIOS that rejects the card.

BTW, to be clear, when I said branded by IBM, that means the card needs to have an IBM FRU number on the back. It can be an Intel card or Atheros card as long as it has the IBM FRU number on it. For instance; Intel makes 2200BG cards that are branded IBM and other 2200BG cards that are not. The first one works, the second does not (unless you apply the fix from the link I posted above).

[flipteo]

Thanks for the the info GomJabbar, and everyone else too. You guys sure know your stuff.

I noticed that my BIOS says that it hasn't been updated since 2005. Could that be a factor in this?

[sarbin]

have a look here: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-55386
check the bios update readme and see if it sounds like something you need to update.

[flipteo]

Yeah, there's lot's of updates for wireless stuff there. I don't know if any of them would matter though. Plus they're all for windows, which I don't have. But I suppose none of them would affect the BIOS from finding a wireless card anyway. I dunno, beats the hell out of me. I had a look at the thinkwiki page on updating the BIOS on a pure linux system, and it seems like quite the ordeal.

Right now I'm just waiting for the ebayer I bought this laptop from to get back to me. I asked him if he tested the wireless before he shipped it. He listed it as including "Integrated Wireless 802.11B LAN". Once he gets back to me, I'll take it from there.

Btw, I have a windows "licensing" question for anyone who knows. This laptop has a "COA" sticker on the bottom of it. Is there a way I could use that to somehow snag a copy of xp?

[sarbin]

if you have access to a usb floppy drive you could update the bios that way.

re: xp...
you could get a hold of a t42 recovery disk set and reimage the hdd that way, which is legal for the coa you've got. lenovo sells the recovery sets and there's a seller in the marketplace here who has real sets. alternatively someone around here might be able to make you a set.

[flipteo]

Like a usb flash stick? Or are you talking about a diskette drive that connects via usb?

you could get a hold of a t42 recovery disk set and reimage the hdd that way, which is legal for the coa you've got. lenovo sells the recovery sets and there's a seller in the marketplace here who has real sets. alternatively someone around here might be able to make you a set.

Berry berry interesting. Would I able to get all the updates from microsoft and all that stuff?

[sarbin]

Like a usb flash stick? Or are you talking about a diskette drive that connects via usb?

a usb floppy for sure, since the bios update can make a bootable floppy. if you could figure out booting from a usb stick it might work, but i'd be cautious with a bios update done any other way than explicitly sanctioned. you could brick the machine.

you could get a hold of a t42 recovery disk set and reimage...

Berry berry interesting. Would I able to get all the updates from microsoft and all that stuff?

yes, absolutely. the machine would pass ms genuine advantage completely if imaged from product recovery disks. every time i upgrade or replace hdds on the machines i own or support for family, that's how i do it.

[GomJabbar]

For BIOS updates, I recommend using the IBM diskette drive that connects to your USB port. More reliable than updating the BIOS from Windows. I believe some have been able to make a bootable CD and run the BIOS update from there. You would have to search the forum for more info. Might be possible to use a bootable USB drive or USB key.

Regarding the COA sticker, that will work with a generic OEM Windows install CD. I will require activation. It will not work with a retail copy of Windows.

The Recovery Disc Set does not actually use the key from the COA sticker on the bottom. It uses a different key and does not require activation. It will also install a recovery partition on your hard drive, from which you can reinstall the entire factory image at a later date if you want to. Warning: if you use the Recovery Disc Set, it will erase all data and partitions on your hard drive while installing the Recovery partition and Windows.

The Recovery Disc Set installs the complete IBM factory image with IBM drivers and software. This includes WinDVD and Sonic Recordnow! for the T42.

[Harryc]

Not sure why we're discussing BIOS updates here. That is not going to make a mPCI card magically appear. Pop the keyboard off, it takes 5 minutes....maybe.

[GomJabbar]

Not sure why we're discussing BIOS updates here. That is not going to make a mPCI card magically appear.

True enough.

[flipteo]

I'm just waiting to hear back from the seller. I don't really want to take off the keyboard in case the seller uses that as an excuse to not give me a refund. Like if he says "Gee, I didn't test the wireless, and I don't really know if it has a card", I don't want to say "Well, I popped the hood and just looked and it's not there." To which he might say "Well, the hell with you, you tampered with it". Know what I mean?

[flipteo]

In case anyone is interested, I finally got around to taking off the keyboard and palmrest too see if the wi-fi card was there. It wasn't.

I just sent a rather stern email to the guy I bought it from on ebay, and am waiting for his reply.

Any advice on how to deal with this? Any tips? I'm pretty new to ebay, with this being only the second thing I've ever bought.