Ubuntu 11.04 Ralink Wireless Card can't find any networks

Can you give the output of:

sudo lsb_release -a; uname -a; sudo lshw -C network; rfkill list

Thanks

Also please log a bug

root@ubuntu:/home/hendrix# sudo lsb_release -a; uname -a; sudo lshw -C network; rfkill list
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 11.04
Release: 11.04
Codename: natty
Linux ubuntu 2.6.38-8-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 11 03:31:24 UTC 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
  *-network UNCLAIMED
       description: Network controller
       product: Ralink corp.
       vendor: Ralink corp.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:02:00.0
       version: 00
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
       configuration: latency=0
       resources: memory:d3000000-d300ffff
  *-network
       description: Ethernet interface
       product: RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller
       vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
       logical name: eth0
       version: 02
       serial: 78:ac:c0:56:f4:1b
       size: 10Mbit/s
       capacity: 100Mbit/s
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress msix vpd bus_master cap_list rom ethernet physical tp mii 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd autonegotiation
       configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=r8169 driverversion=2.3LK-NAPI duplex=half latency=0 link=no multicast=yes port=MII speed=10Mbit/s
       resources: irq:41 ioport:2000(size=256) memory:d1010000-d1010fff memory:d1000000-d100ffff memory:d1020000-d102ffff

Nearly identical problem with an HP Probook 4720s, has the same Ralink chipset. Network manager should show several WLANs, instead it shows only two to neither of which a connection is possible. I'm also attaching the logs:

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 11.04
Release: 11.04
Codename: natty
Linux hiphop 2.6.38-8-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 11 03:31:24 UTC 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
  *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       product: RT3090 Wireless 802.11n 1T/1R PCIe
       vendor: Ralink corp.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:44:00.0
       logical name: wlan0
       version: 00
       serial: e0:2a:82:57:98:b8
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rt2800pci driverversion=2.6.38-8-generic firmware=0.11 latency=0 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn
       resources: irq:19 memory:d0300000-d030ffff
  *-network
       description: Ethernet interface
       product: RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller
       vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:45:00.0
       logical name: eth0
       version: 03
       serial: 64:31:50:06:dc:29
       size: 10Mbit/s
       capacity: 1Gbit/s
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress msix vpd bus_master cap_list rom ethernet physical tp mii 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd 1000bt 1000bt-fd autonegotiation
       configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=r8169 driverversion=2.3LK-NAPI duplex=half latency=0 link=no multicast=yes port=MII speed=10Mbit/s
       resources: irq:41 ioport:2000(size=256) memory:d0004000-d0004fff memory:d0000000-d0003fff memory:d0020000-d003ffff
0: hci0: Bluetooth
 Soft blocked: no
 Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
 Soft blocked: no
 Hard blocked: no

The current Ralink drivers don't compile (same compile error as in defect description).

One more info: iwlist shows garbage:

wlan0 Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 00:0F:CB:B6:AF:67
                    Channel:3
                    Frequency:2.422 GHz (Channel 3)
                    Quality=57/70 Signal level=-53 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"MyHotspot"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                              11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000001ae046181
                    Extra: Last beacon: 1090ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 00136575646F786F733737407961686F6F2E636F6D
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B0C12961824
                    IE: Unknown: 030103
                    IE: Unknown: 07064E4149010D14
                    IE: Unknown: 200100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: Unknown: DD0900037F0101002CFF7F
                    IE: Unknown: DD1A00037F0301000000000FCBB6AF67060FCBB6AF67C80058023C08

upgraded to the official release yesterday - the problem still persists

Hendrik: I had some success by blacklisting some modules.

sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/blacklistconf

and add

blacklist rt2800pci
blacklist rt2x00pci

reboot, done

hi ggonlp,

Thanks for the help. I run the sudo vi command but then how do I add the two entries?
I'm kinda new to the terminal so...

Thanks

vi is just a terminal editor, use any editor you like such as gedit:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklistconf

DON'T use sudo with GUI apps like gedit, it's not suitable. Instead use:

gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklistconf

gksudo is for GUI apps which need running with elevated access.

The command runs fine, but when I try to save the file it says "attempting to store changes into /root/.local/share/recently-used.xbel but failed; no such file or directory"

and

"Attempting to set permissions of "same folder as above" but failed; no such file or directory"

...

then run:

sudo touch /root/.local/share/recently-used.xbel

Should be ok

now it says:

"cannot touch : no such file or directory"

since I've updated to the new release I haven't connected Ubuntu to the internet, but I'll plug in the cable and check for updates. Maybe if I run those updates the procedure above will work...

ok try:

sudo -i
touch /root/.local/share/recently-used.xbel
exit

Should do it

unfortunatly not..

still get the 'no such file or directory' - error

I can confirm that the blacklisting solution works for the Ralink RT 3090 on the Asus EEE PC 1001HA.

Many thanks, ggonlp!

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1345577

Has a PPA

It's even DKMS so it will build along with new kernels, without it you need to manualy build the driver after each kernel install.

NICE!