The first steps with the Asus eeePC 4G ... (Part 1)
July 20, 2008 4:50 pm ... Or Zen and the art of complicating simple things.
It's been more than a week dell'eeePC arrival at home, and I have more feel. Why you ask you? Why I had to find some time to write this post 
I had thought of several titles, one was "simple" Easy ", with a nice NDA to explain that in Tuscan (of my parts at least) a mere substitute another word that begins with s.. but very little parent friendly.
But in the end, I opted for something more classic, Why after all the story I'm about to tell might have been very different if I had searched on the internet and maybe someone had the idea to write a post like this before me
But we calmly, the idea behind this purchase was to give Francis a PC of its own, where I would not even put his hands on configuration. And so we started the adventure, with my better half who is bothered to open the box and follow the manual (usually in our house, the manuals are always ignored ..). Battery is full, proceed to the first boot when I was still in office.
The first screens are simple, just follow the manual: user name, password, "loggami automatically" and so on.
And finally comes the interface Easy distribution Asus Xandros, clean, well organized (read below for some criticism) and most importantly EASY.
A few mouse clicks (or better touchpad) to see what's in the various sections, and then immediately start the adventure: the configuration of the network.
In fact, 99% utilization of that Francesca Fara `` gem will surf the Internet and read mails.
Continues according to the manual, with a small break to call and ask me the specifics of our WiFi network, a network with WPA + PKT with AES data encryption. Nothing special you might say, the minimum of security for a WiFi network.
We end the phone call with the password: I had seen some problems in his time with some bugs in the Linux WiFi driver, the password does not contain spaces or strange characters.
I come home at night and obviously the connection to the network had not worked. I had thought them to an error in the password, as you saw in the photos is an AZERTY keyboard, french keyboard, where if you is not used to and is very easy to miss the numbers.
So I set about it myself, sure I configured everything in 5 minutes. Is obviously not happened: the password was correct, but still no connection. Making a list of available networks, our network appeared, but once tried to connect the whole process is blocked, giving no sign of error.
Only after some time I managed to find the panel that shows the details of the output: a timeout on communication with the DHCP server. Basically my router, which implements DHCP, no answer, or the WiFi card was not receiving the answers.
Ok do not panic, basically is linux, I just take a command line and start doing things from the bottom here is one problem .. WHERE is the command line? I watch all the icons of all sections of the interface .. nothing, not even a single reference to the command line.
Luckily I had my laptop, a search on Google (probably the manual would help me but I'm allergic) and I find that to access the terminal serving a CTRL + ALT + T.
And to my surprise (given the nickname "Easy repeated three times in the product name) discovered that the console is a handy Konsole (the system graph below is based on KDE), but the primitive and mangy XTerm. I do not want the Puritans of Linux (xterm and you give me change the world!) But XTerm is awful to use, especially on an Asus with a keyboard and a touchpad not really shrunk comfortable ...
Never mind, if there `there must be KDE Konsole, so I can launch. Finally something usable!
And I shared with the network configuration. Spippola right spippola left, still nothing: the password is correct, the SID of the network right, the specific protection right, but every time I spout the timeout on the DHCP server.
Do not want you too long, but I assure you that I have tried everything, it was almost an hour: I put the DHCP server the MAC address of Wifi card, I set a static address of the card without going through DHCP (c ' I have a range of addresses that the DHCP server I jump in order to use them statically) but still nothing to connect not just talk about it.
I tried to read something on the internet, and all spoke of the problems with passwords strange that I already had and solved in my previous installations.
Eventually, in desperation, I changed the configuration of your WiFi router to use WEP was not a permanent solution of course (I recommend you never use WEP unless you know exactly what you're doing ... it means open your network to the world! ) but I wanted to at least see if the problem came from the WPA. And of course, just past the connection works in WEP, both with static and DHCP.
And here the big surprise .. then if I had known earlier I would have saved the whole stuff work just connected to the internet, check for updates by going to present, I realize that virtually all members have an upgrade available to you to download, including the driver for the WiFi card.
Not only that, reading a bit better on the internet I realized that in reality many have had problems with the WPA until the mid-2007, more then anything, just after a driver update.
Grrr ... the laptop was new! Out of the box and already need to download a bunch of stuff including updates essential, without which there is the risk that the WiFi connection is not working?!?! ASUS here I catch you in the first 3 report card!
(I know already that after this post no more will we rely on ASUS as a possible sponsor of the podcast ... I only Nintendo)
Obviously once they update the driver and return the WPA network, everything worked the first time.
Hence the first lesson:
When you buy an Asus eeePC first connect it via ethernet cable and do a bell'aggiornamento software, you'll avoid a lot of headaches!.
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Tags: asus eeepc, google, linux, podcast, tutorial
11 Responses to "The first steps with the Asus eeePC 4G ... (Part 1)"
Hello Andrea
The problem with the Wi - Fi had happened to me with the PS3 and as I understand it a DHCP a "simple" I tried once to change network security from WPA to WEP and it worked. The fact is that now my network is protected with WEP and I'm not so sure, in the meantime, the PS3 has undergone various upgrades, these days I'll try to go back to WPA. Quelch you have advice for me?
Hello Alexander.
If you can not put the PS3 in WPA, you need to configure your router to recognize only the MAC addresses of machines on your network, so you protect a little bit .. in reality a good one you care about the MAC address and uses it .. but it is always better than nothing!
sorry but what are the updates you're talking about ... .. and where can reperli and update?
thanks
I state that I have a version with OS in French and then the section names are different, but if it turns a bit interface (you should find a section of the System) you got an icon with title updates or something. This automatically connects to the internet and download updates that you want.
Otherwise it should work if you do CTRL-ALT-T to open a command line and writes them
sodo apt-get updateand thensudo apt-get upgradereading your post I smile because in our house and then the same thing. We bought the Asus EeePC 4G to give way to my girlfriend to surf, write and send mail with one simple tool. actually managed to connect the eeepc to my wi-fi just turning the key from WEP to WAP. However, some pages to load, others do not (yahoo yes, lastampa yes, no youtube, google only half, myspace no ...) the chance. was connected to Skype regularly ... basically, it was fine (if loaded the speed was good). Sticking it to the LAN via ethernet thought to solve the problem (and I use the eth for my PC and it works fine) but I do the same trick. Do you have any advice? hello and thank you very much!!
Hello Marco! What you write is really strange .. a first board (since you have not mentioned in your comment) is to upgrade the various components of the operating system.
Even if that `it will be necessary to continue to have problems trying to understand that there are problems .. when you say that YouTube does not charge for example, have you tried to see if you can ping?
I would say to continue the discussion on the forum where he will be much more `easy trying to find a solution.
[...] More serious: the new CD Fonta (remember the little contest), the Asus EeePC (with some further criticism after 4 months of use) and my adventures [...]
Hello,
I have an Eee PC 4G, yesterday I decided to upgrade office and saw that there were lots of updates. Since the wirless I had never worked so I decided to do a aggiornamnto general and I've downloaded several. Conclusion Now restart there 'a black screen, the bottom bar with un'iconcina type home in the bottom left corner but you can not' click. Practice can not access any menu '. I tried to search for software by entering via the USB stick in the folders, but do not know Linux and do not know where to put their hands assolutamnte. But I want my menu! Have you any advice on this? Thank you!
Jade
Hello Jade. Surely doing the update the configuration file asus menu (the one with all the tabs, called in the jargon Easy Mode) is is corrupt.
There are two solutions, but we propose to continue the discussion on the forum so I can respond with more `easy and not clog this article .. I guess we exchange several messages on the subject
Link to forum: Black screen after update Asus Eee 4G
have discovered the hot water
on any hardware product larage scale (notebook, motherboard, VGA, etc. etc.) is made like a "assembly line" drivers / firmware are always old (the disk load an 'img preset Quidni obsolete) should be updated manually by the user I do not think it is a novelty, the whole computer industry has always worked like this ... ..
(also the cd that they give you to print them first and then release enough Quidni in one year I catch you the DRV a year)
@ zendol: I disagree. I know very well the problems of industrial production, but in this case the thing is I think slightly different: the target of this product is a public non-computerized, which has no idea what "update". Not only that, the target is a public mobility, which rarely will use is the product connected to a wireless network.
The problem I found I is (as the English say) a show stopper in these cases, and Asus should work to solve it, or at most to put additional documentation in the package that explains the problem and how to fix it.
If I left the mini laptop in the hands of my partner without putting my hands I, his only solution was to bring him back, saying that wireless is not working. And I know for sure that he would.
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