[TriLUG] Dell wireless

[Kevin Hunter]

At 4:58pm -0400 Sat, 01 Nov 2008, Dave Moody wrote:
> I also noticed that the release notes for 8.10 included the following:
> Cannot reactivate Intel 3945/4965 wireless if booting with killswitch
> enabled
>
> On laptops with Intel 3945 or Intel 4965 wireless chipsets and killswitch 
> for the wireless antenna, starting the system with the killswitch enabled 
> (i.e., with wireless disabled) will prevent re-enabling the wireless by 
> toggling the killswitch. As a workaround, users should boot the system with 
> the killswitch disabled. A future kernel update is expected to address this 
> issue.

On the similar-problems-as-you front, my wireless recently started exhibiting 
strange behavior: it would /partially/ work on my home network, and work other 
places.  The puzzling aspect was that I was right in the middle of a heavy 
upload/download process when it literally *just stopped*.  I could still ping 
places, I could look up addresses, but I couldn't do anything else, like 
browse the web or check my email.  BUT I COULD PING?!?!

I know that my setup outside of this computer was just fine because every other 
computer has no problems with it (Linux, Windows, Mac, alike).

I finally ascertained (with Nivex/Kevin Otte's second opinion) that it was 
indeed the hardware, and not my setup.

Now, from the department of annoyance-with-$BIG_COMPANY-customer-service: I 
called up Dell, and spent a good two hours on hold, being bounced around.  
When I finally got someone, they were script driven, and would not believe that 
I did not have a misconfiguration because it *would* ping.  (That's legit.  It 
was surprising to me as well at first.)

Then I let slip that it wasn't Windows, (stupid, stupid, stupid!) and the 
technician at that point refused to help me because it *must* be something I 
had messed up.

So, I called back *again*.  (Gonna have to remember that getting 
good/decent/tolerable customer service is akin to reverse Russian Roulette: 
keep shooting until you get the chamber that *isn't* full.)  After being on 
hold for another good bit, I got someone else.  This time, I played dumb and 
"confirmed" that I had Windows (I don't; I got my reimbursement for it a few 
months ago).  Basically said yes and okay to all his questions and filled in 
the blanks where necessary (double-click here, "OK", right-click there "OK",  
what's-your-ip-address "...", open Internet Explorer [translated to 
Firefox/Konquerer] "OK"), before he finally concluded that my card was kaput.  
(I did get the card two days later, so that was a plus.)

I installed it yesterday (I had to triple-confirm with him that I knew how do 
it), and lo-and-behold, my wireless works as expected.  No changes to my home 
internet setup, nothing.  Just the new card.

To sum up: Weird problem with wireless.  Finally convince myself it's 
hardware.  Call Dell, wait on hold.  Get transferred around, telling symptoms 
to quite a few people.  Finally get hardware dept., which refuses to believe 
me, then refuses to help at all b/c not using sanctioned Windows.  Call back, 
wait, explain story, get transferred, wait, explain problem, play dumb 
(running Windows), get card, and finally prove that it was, in fact, the 
hardware.

The sad bit is that this interaction with them was one of the *better* 
encounters I've had.

Sigh.

Kevin