Broadcom Wireless Driver Fix In Maverick

For yet another release, Ubuntu 's Driver Manager is unable to properly install the Broadcom Wireless driver. When is Ubuntu going to get this right?

Some users are getting a SystemError:installArchives () failed message. When trying to install the Broadcom STA wireless driver via Additional Drivers.


The Broadcom wireless card that came with the Dell Mini 9/10 or Vostro A90 does work in Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meekrat. You just have to manually install it via the command line.

First you have to physically connect the Mini/Vostro to a wired internet connection. This step is a must.

Then pull up a command line terminal prompt.
You can find the terminal under Applications>Accessories>Terminal




In the Terminal type:

sudo apt-get update

- to update your repositories and tell you system where to get the driver from.

sudo apt-get --reinstall install bcmwl-kernel-source

- to install the driver.

Reboot the machine. Check to see if the driver installed correctly. You can find Additional Drivers in System>Administration>Additional Drivers.

Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover? Ask our Ubuntu Mini 9 Google Group for help.

Broadcom Wireless Driver Fix In Lucid

For yet another release, Ubuntu 's Driver Manager is unable to properly install the Broadcom Wireless driver.

Some users are getting a permission error, telling them that they are not authorized to perform this action:



or Ubuntu is just not recognizing the card:



The Broadcom wireless card that came with the Dell Mini 9/10 or Vostro A90 does work in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx. You just have to manually install it.

Manually installing the driver can be done two ways:
Connect to the internet via a wired connection. Then go to Synaptic Package Manager (System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager)

- Click the Reload button in the upper left corner of Synaptic to refresh your repository index.


- Then install the bcmwl-kernel-source package

OR: after connecting to the internet via a wired connection in a terminal type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get --reinstall install bcmwl-kernel-source

-Reboot the machine. Afterwards you will see the driver installed and working.

Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover? Ask our Ubuntu Mini 9 Google Group for help.

One Month Later

If the 14 new articles didn't tip you off, it goes without saying: I'm back. After getting back to Chicago, I was really busted up and writing helped get me through those very painful weeks. The good news is that my clavicle is healing properly and quickly. Full movement has returned to my left arm and the pain is very minor. I should be 100% in about 4 more weeks.

The guides for installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala were a bit late, but I think I have a valid excuse. I want to thank all of you who waited patiently and wished me well. Keep reading and tell some friends.

Karmic is the best Ubuntu release since Ubuntu 8.04 and the improvements to the Intel driver stack make it mark a huge improvement over 8.10 and 9.04. The Broadcom driver installer, not the actual driver, is a bit wonky but the fix is incredibly simple. Everything else works out of the box and novice users should feel comfortable installing Ubuntu 9.10 on their Dell Mini/Vostro.

The site has received a bit of an overhaul. I'm not just focusing on the the Dell Mini 9, I also am writing about the Vostro A90 and the Dell Mini 10v. I rearranged the site and hopefully it's easier to use. The user guides and search function are now the most prominent thing on the page. I am also done with experimenting with colors, sorry about the orange and brown mess that was up for a while. It's strictly black and orange from now on. I did change the font but no one noticed so I doubt it's an issue. Your feedback is always welcome.

The donations have been going well and I'd like to thank everyone who has given money. I was able to buy some gear for the site. I picked up a Vostro A90, Super Talent FEM32GFDL 32GB SSD, LITE-ON Esau208-96 External Slim DVD/CD Burner and a new keyboard to replace the damaged one on my Dell Mini 9. The last thing on my list is a Dell Mini 10v, I'm already 60 dollars towards that goal and with the post holiday deals Dell does I should have one around February.

I am also looking for contributors, if you'd like to help edit articles or write for the site drop me a line. If you have a Mini 10v that would be a huge plus but you don't need to be an expert Linux user.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover? Ask our Ubuntu Mini 9 Google Group for help.

Broadcom Wireless Driver Fix In Karmic

This works for the Dell Mini 9/10v & Vostro A90.

Usually installing the proprietary Broadcom wireless driver in Ubuntu is handled with couple mouse clicks by the Hardware Drivers (aka jockey-gtk). But Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala has shipped with a bug that makes jockey unable to recognize the card and install the driver. No worries, the fix is incredibly easy and only requires a wired internet connection.


- Ubuntu is unable to recognize and install the Broadcom Driver via the Hardware Drivers.

First connect to the internet via a wired connection. Then go to Synaptic Package Manager (System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager)

- Click the Reload button in the upper left corner of Synaptic to refresh your repository index.


- Then install the bcmwl-kernel-source package

OR: after connecting to the internet via a wired connection in a terminal type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get --reinstall install bcmwl-kernel-source

-Reboot the machine. Afterwards you will see the driver installed and working.

Enjoy the freedom!

Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover? Ask our Ubuntu Mini 9 Google Group for help.