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Just converted my ThinkPad x120e to Ubuntu Gnome 14.04 (kernal 3.16.0-43-generic), I followed the step by step instructions provided by Freedom_Ben (thanks!) everything seemed to install correctly, but I can not seem to get the interface up. The graphical interface says "Hardware Disabled".

lshw -c Network
 *-network DISABLED
       description: Wireless interface
       product: RTL8188CE 802.11b/g/n WiFi Adapter
       vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:04:00.0
       logical name: wlan0
       version: 01
       serial: 88:9f:fa:fd:98:25
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rtl8192ce driverversion=3.16.0-43-generic firmware=N/A latency=0 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn
       resources: irq:17 ioport:2000(size=256) memory:f0100000-f0103fff

rfkill list all
0: tpacpi_bluetooth_sw: Bluetooth
    Soft blocked: yes
    Hard blocked: yes
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes

I have tried what I think is the enable/disable wifi (Fn5) but can not seem to get the wireless network to come up.

Anyone have any suggestions?

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  • What directions did you follow to install the driver? Do you have a hardware wireless switch? Or something like Fn+F2?
    – Pilot6
    Jul 20, 2015 at 16:07
  • I used the manual instructions in the README.md at github.com/FreedomBen/rtl8188ce-linux-driver. The indications on the keyboard is the hardware wireless switch is Fn+F5. -
    – John Tyler
    Jul 20, 2015 at 16:35
  • Did you try to press it?
    – Pilot6
    Jul 20, 2015 at 16:37
  • Tried pressing it several times, seems to have no effect.
    – John Tyler
    Jul 20, 2015 at 16:41
  • Did you press it an odd or even number of times? AFAIK it is a toggle.
    – waltinator
    Jul 20, 2015 at 22:00

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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I searched the forums trying to find hints as to what was going on. It looked like my wireless capability was shut off - rfkill list all was showing
phy0: Wireless LAN Hard blocked yes

and there was nothing I could do to get it to go to Hard blocked no.

The function key to enable/disable the wireless was not working (fn+F5).

I loaded Ubuntu Gnome 14.04 and updated the rtl8188ce driver, no luck, even tried mint 17.2,, same thing, no luck.

Finally what I did was used a clonezilla copy of a windows 7 image I saved off, reloaded the ThinkPad x120e, saw that the wireless was disabled, used the fn+F5 to bring up the gui to enable the wireless,the wireless came up.

So I then used the USB live (no CD on the netbook) Ubuntu install stick to bring up the "live" version (running ubuntu from the usb drive) and saw the wireless was enabled (rfkill list all showed phy0: Wireless LAN Hard blocked no as well as the Soft blocked set to no).

Yea!! I then proceeded to reinstall Ubuntu Gnome 14.04 and when it came up, the wireless was working! Not going to touch the fn+F5!! Success!

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