Feedback on the HP 655

I am having the same problem with the Wifi. Completely gone after the update in October 2013. I locked the kernel version in Synaptic but that somehow the installation of the new kernel was still completed after a few boot ups.

When I boot the system I have 5 seconds to choose some boot up options. I choose start `older versions` of linux. Luckily the old kernel 3.2.0-32 is still installed and allows me to use Wifi. So this is a work arround to keep using it but it is very annoying. For an official certified ubuntu laptop it is very annoying that some updates screw with the most important feature of the laptop.

Can someone help with this problem.

Hello Bastian - please refer to the extended description above

Hi, thomas,

1.
would you please attach your output information of "lspci -nn"??

2.
The package oem-wireless-rt2x00-1044172-dkms looks like a wifi driver, which is a dkms, from the wifi module vendor.
Because it is a dkms, the driver binary will re-compile together when you using different kernels to boot up the system.
You can check the dkms installation or compiling status by "dkms status" (You may have the dkms package first)

In your case, it looks very likely the driver source code does not work together with the kernel you are going to use very well.
This issue may be raised by one of them (or both) is bad:
  - driver source code
  - kernel

So to solve this issue, you may
  - go to find out updated dirver source code, update it.
    * for example, go to the web site of the wifi module vendor or something like that. This is one of the reasons why I need to know your output of "lspci -nn" I need to confirm who manufactured the wifi module.
    * In usual cases, vendors do not provide the driver source code. You are very likely failed to find out.
  - search a workable kernel covering the (probably bad) driver.

So, please attachment your "lspci -nn", and then I may know which kernel you may consider to use.

Output of lspci -nn:

00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 14h Processor Root Complex [1022:1510]
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Wrestler [Radeon HD 7340] [1002:9808]
00:01.1 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Wrestler HDMI Audio [1002:1314]
00:11.0 SATA controller [0106]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode] [1022:7804]
00:12.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB OHCI Controller [1022:7807] (rev 11)
00:12.2 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller [1022:7808] (rev 11)
00:14.0 SMBus [0c05]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SMBus Controller [1022:780b] (rev 14)
00:14.2 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller [1022:780d] (rev 01)
00:14.3 ISA bridge [0601]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH LPC Bridge [1022:780e] (rev 11)
00:14.4 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH PCI Bridge [1022:780f] (rev 40)
00:15.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Hudson PCI to PCI bridge (PCIE port 0) [1022:43a0]
00:15.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Hudson PCI to PCI bridge (PCIE port 1) [1022:43a1]
00:15.3 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Hudson PCI to PCI bridge (PCIE port 3) [1022:43a3]
00:16.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB OHCI Controller [1022:7807] (rev 11)
00:16.2 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller [1022:7808] (rev 11)
00:18.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 0 [1022:1700] (rev 43)
00:18.1 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 1 [1022:1701]
00:18.2 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 2 [1022:1702]
00:18.3 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 3 [1022:1703]
00:18.4 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 4 [1022:1704]
00:18.5 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 6 [1022:1718]
00:18.6 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 5 [1022:1716]
00:18.7 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 12h/14h Processor Function 7 [1022:1719]
02:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5229 PCI Express Card Reader [10ec:5229] (rev 01)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 07)
04:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Ralink corp. RT3290 Wireless 802.11n 1T/1R PCIe [1814:3290]
04:00.1 Bluetooth [0d11]: Ralink corp. RT3290 Bluetooth [1814:3298]

Thomas, a wifi related question. How is your wifi signal? Mine is only good wenn I stay close to routers. When I go in the yard (8 meters from the router it always disconnects due to the bad signal. I never have a perfect signal.

Bastian, I made a slightly different observation:
- the signal strength indicator shows rarely more than 60%
- however, I cannot remember that I was disconnected - being often about 15 meters away from the router.

I was hoping for a little more support for an official ubuntu licensed laptop. The notebook isn't even a year old and thanks to this stupid update the most important feature of the notebook isn't working anymore.

I agree.
The statement of Thaihsiang rather implied "help yourself".
If you read through my explanation and the workaroung that I proposed -> it is not so difficult to fix the root cause. The key question seems to be "who should fix this?":
- on one hand the new kernel header files triggered the issue. However, I suspect that undoing the changes in the kernel will create many side effects. I doubt that this will happen.
- the alternative is to change the Wifi Driver package (the statement in the driver that causes the trouble looks anyhow a little bit strange / misplaced). As far as I understand, HP has provided the Wifi driver. I am curious whether somebody from HP follows this conversation ....

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Needs information' state without activity for the last 15 days.

Hello thomas, Bastian

This shouldn't happen on a Ubuntu pre-installed system,
I've linked a bug to this question that I found on launchpad.net

If it accords with the problem your met, you could click on the
"This bug affects 1 person. Does this bug affect you? "
If it's not, I'll encourage you to open a new bug.
Thanks!

Just some comment to sum this problem up:
1. The WiFi card works with kernel 3.2.0-54
2. HP Germany stopped support for the Ubuntu version of the HP 655
3. Ralink website www.mediatek.com offers a driver
4. the driver is very complicated due to many setting, it would take me hours to understand it.
5. Ubuntu has certified the HP 655 so it is their problem to support it.

My personal solution stay with kernel 3.2.0-54 and maybe change to openSUSE and stopp usung Ubuntu.