Installed Ubuntu on HP 8740p

[JanieP2024]

I have installed Ubuntu Cinnamon on the HP Elitebook 8740p, and through careful scouring of the internet, managed to boot up normally by following instructions. However, I'm not sure if I might need to update wireless drivers or where to find them. I think the machine was part of an ethernet network before I acquired it. Are there compatible cards, or do I need to stick with what supposed to go with it. I'm stuck now and don't know what to do next. I would like to update things a little bit, if it's possible. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

I believe you meant to write 8470p as there is no such model as an 8740p.

Chapter 3 has the list of supported Wi-Fi adapters.

c03659338.pdf (hp.com)

The notebook model series may not support any model HMC Wi-Fi card.

The BIOS whitelists were being phased out during that time period.

This discussion did not end with proof that the Intel 7260AC worked, but the discussion on the second link indicates that it will.

Solved: Compatible Wi-Fi module + BlueTooth with Hp EliteBook 8470р - HP Support Community - 7142464

Solved: Upgrade possible to Intel AC 7260 802.11ac Wi-Fi ? HP Eliteb... - HP Support Community - 499...

[JanieP2024]

Thank you. I thought I had entered the model number correctly, but I noticed otherwise. I've removed the back cover to find out how difficult it might be to replace the WiFi card and wondered if there is something I could use via the USB port or Express card slot. I'm still figuring things out. I'll look over the references you've sent. I may need to plug in an ethernet cable after all, just to get things going and locate additional WiFi network drivers for Linux. Those I've managed to find on the HP drivers site are fairly outdated, and I may need to resort to going into some illicit driver download site to find something that will work. I'm no expert at this, but I really get a charge from tinkering around until something functions.  I can go to one of the Linux forums for more information. Thanks again. mjp

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't know what model USB Wi-Fi adapters work with Ubuntu, so I recommend you ask that question on the Ubuntu forum to find out the answer to that.

Chapter 4 of the service manual has the procedure to replace the Wi-Fi card.

I don't think it should take you more than 5 - 10 minutes to do the job.

I believe that the Intel 7260 AC card has Linux drivers out there.

Linux* Support for Intel® Wireless Adapters

You should be able to find the HP Intel 7260AC part number on eBay.

Search by the 710661-001 part number.

[JanieP2024]

Hello again. I might just try locating another Linux distribution that's b43 friendly before attempting to swap cards. I need to find and ethernet connection, I think, before going too much further. Also, I'll need to flood my mind with various bits of info on the topic and sleep on it for awhile -- this usually helps. Anyhow, thank you for the tips. I've jotted them down and have started looking around on the refurbished hardware sites. mjp

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Anytime  

Glad to have been of assistance. 

[JanieP2024]

Hello again. I've managed to boot things up, including WiFi with the Linux Kanotix operating system. Now maybe I can keep going with this until I figure out more I can do to upgrade this thing without making a big mess. Internal and external adapters too. I've already learned how to change a few hard drives, add more RAM, and I've rewritten a BIOS with Mr. Chromebox to convert an Acer c740 into a Linux running machine.  mjp