Thanks for doing that simplest-thing test, Plado. I've downloaded the same app recently and it took only a few seconds.

My thoughts (but I'm new to the 800 myself):

- It can't be a *simple* user error at this stage!

- However you might have mangled some option somewhere in Settings, *maybe*. See what experienced users say.

- Could be a wi fi interaction problem??? You can investigate this by seeing if you can download app sized data files over the Internet. See if you can download on someone else's wi fi.

- Consider wiping the machine and re-installing the OS as a last step. Get advice on this, but it is a traditional brute force solution in the Windows world. But don't do this if you are having any problems with linking to the machine with USB!

- If you bought the machine new in the UK, make the shop replace it or refund if this can't be resolved. You have this right for about 5 years after a major purchase - ask your CAB or do a google search, or bother me if you need more details. Otherwise, consider sending the beast to a Nokia service centre anyway - you might be able to charm free help out of them, or it might be cheap.

I don't blame you at all for being very, very frustrated! My N800 isn't perfect (I have some "user experience" niggles about the UI, volume control, etc) but it is very, very good.

Oh dear I think you've got ahead of me there. I want to do everything piece-meal here to try to remedy this but I had best tell you what I don't understand.

When you say:-
>>apt-get is the program behind Application Manager; when >you click to install package 'foo', App Mgr runs 'apt-get >install foo'; 'apt-get update' is equivalent to Check for >Updates.
Where is this apt-get to be found in order to "run" it. I've not seen it buried anywhere on my N800. Is it run from some website? Also what is "foo"
Sorry about the unwrapped text instead of code. I don't want to annoy you but I have no idea how you wrap it in html code.
I've never written a web page. I haven't even seen where you attach a file in a Posted reply. I think I need more tuition to be honest.

Now your next comment is even more baffling to me.
QUOTE
That's where it's timing out... I think the (1.0.0.0) may >represent the IP address it's using, which implies a name >resolution problem. Try launching an xterm and running:
>Code:
>ping catalogue.tableteer.nokia.com
What IP address is my N800 trying to use that is wrong?
How can I change the IP address it's using? Won't that stop it communicating with my Wireless access point in my home?

What is launching an Xterm is that in terminal ?
I'll try that as I guess that's what you mean.
I'll type it in like it's a DOS or FTP command and see if it registers anything and then come back here. That's all I can do right now until I get some more detailed directive.
Sorry about that but I've not had time since owning the Tablet just a few days to find out where things are buried nor to learn whether I dare touch them or should be going headlong into it.

I err on the cautious side when it comes to playing around with bits I don't know what I'm doing. Experts always advise if you don't know what you're doing you should leave it alone and let an expert do it. I think that's wise.
But I can be directed if I know what people mean with their instructions.
Thanks
I'll come back if I get any sign from Terminal doing the ping

Oh dear I think you've got ahead of me there. I want to do everything piece-meal here to try to remedy this but I had best tell you what I don't understand.

When you say:-
>>apt-get is the program behind Application Manager; when >you click to install package 'foo', App Mgr runs 'apt-get >install foo'; 'apt-get update' is equivalent to Check for >Updates.
Where is this apt-get to be found in order to "run" it. I've not seen it buried anywhere on my N800. Is it run from some website? Also what is "foo"
Sorry about the unwrapped text instead of code. I don't want to annoy you but I have no idea how you wrap it in html code.
I've never written a web page. I haven't even seen where you attach a file in a Posted reply. I think I need more tuition to be honest.

Now your next comment is even more baffling to me.
QUOTE
That's where it's timing out... I think the (1.0.0.0) may >represent the IP address it's using, which implies a name >resolution problem. Try launching an xterm and running:
>Code:
>ping catalogue.tableteer.nokia.com
What IP address is my N800 trying to use that is wrong?
How can I change the IP address it's using? Won't that stop it communicating with my Wireless access point in my home?

What is launching an Xterm is that in terminal ?
I'll try that as I guess that's what you mean.
I'll type it in like it's a DOS or FTP command and see if it registers anything and then come back here. That's all I can do right now until I get some more detailed directive.
Sorry about that but I've not had time since owning the Tablet just a few days to find out where things are buried nor to learn whether I dare touch them or should be going headlong into it.

I err on the cautious side when it comes to playing around with bits I don't know what I'm doing. Experts always advise if you don't know what you're doing you should leave it alone and let an expert do it. I think that's wise.
But I can be directed if I know what people mean with their instructions.
Thanks
I'll come back if I get any sign from Terminal doing the ping

Sorry my postings are getting a bit messy. I find it hard to find my way around this site if I have to step back to look something up, I lose my replied text so this time I put it in clipboard and so here is the result of my PING

Sorry to say all did not go well.
ping catalogue.tableteer.nokia.com
gave me
(195.59.44.17): 56 data bytes
ping: permission denied. (are you root?)
- $

Well I'm none the wiser. How about you?
I'm just going to compile a reply to "meanwhile" now.

Again Meanwhile, thanks for your up to speed help along with the others.
- It can't be a *simple* user error at this stage!

I'm mighty pleased to hear you say that!

- However you might have mangled some option somewhere in Settings, *maybe*. See what experienced users say.

>- Could be a wi fi interaction problem??? You can >investigate this by seeing if you can download app >sized data files over the Internet. See if you can >download on someone else's wi fi.

Yes it could as I've still failed to connect to any other person's open network. It goes to connect to an unlocked WLAN connection and after half a minute max, it says Connection Failure try again ?
That always says to me it can't talk to it. But why does it talk perfectly to mine at home? Crazy

- Consider wiping the machine and re-installing the OS as a last step. Get advice on this, but it is a

Ah now I wondered about this. Is there a Reset Cold Reboot button on it or is it a data wipe command in Control Panel Menu Restore Original Settings Clear Device where it says All settings and device content will be deleted. ALso 2GB internal memory will be gone. All applications will close and the device will restart? Is that the one?
When I've done it will my SD cards plugged in work at bringing back my latest backup restore?

>problems with linking to the machine with USB!
Non got no problems there.

- If you bought the machine new in the UK, make the shop replace it or refund if this can't be
I got it from Xpansys in the UK so I could send it back to them.
However I'd rather not send it back if I can limp along with it. But if it won't connect to any other wifi spot than my own Linksys WAP in the house it's not a bit of good to me. In the house is not where I need it and Bluetooth GPRS on my mobile costs a fortune to download web pages.

>Otherwise, consider sending the beast to a Nokia >service centre anyway - you might be able to >charm free help out of them, or it might be cheap.
Well again I'm reluctant to do that but I won't go into why here in public. I have no confidence unless I was forcing a replacement. They're not going to repair it to my satisfaction I can be sure of that. But if it transpires it's not fit for purpose then it goes back.

Thanks again for your suggestions they're all taken on board by me and I may well do what I am reluctant to agree to at first. I need to be pushed into these things.

Meanwhile I'll see what more I can squeeze out of helpers here and see if a cold reboot solves it.

Cheers and Beers
Plado

OK, I'm gonna do a couple or so replies.
Regarding the forum stuff:

To wrap something in code tags:
They're not HTML, but vBcode, and you do something like
[code]This is code, and won't be mangled by the forum[/code]
Or you can (from the advanced post editor) select the text you want coded, and click the # button.

I'd recommend always opening "Go Advanced" in a new window to post; that way you can navigate around in the original window, and get all the convenience of the advanced editor
.
The advanced editor also has a panel for posting attachments, about a page below the editing area.

Ok - at this point, STOP. (Other than trying whatever non-drastic measures take your interest: don't think of blanking and re-installing!)

Your N800 isn't connecting to public networks - unless you've messed up your wireless settings badly, there's a problem. One of the things about my N800 that has impressed me is the ease and power of its wifi - it's detecting wireless around me that none of the other devices I've tried in the same spot have. Doing stuff to it may let a retailer try to shift blame to you.

Read this

http://technovia.typepad.com/technov...o_do_when.html

and don't take any of the bs that Expansys (I had to return a NOS Netbook to them a few months ago) will try to give you. This is THEIR problem - not yours, not even Nokia's. Ignore anything about the terms and conditions on their website - they can't override UK law. If necessary contact Trading Standards, and then CC all mail between you and Expansys to them. Regrettably, Expansys's poor attitude gives you less leeway in dealing with this than if you bought off a more responsible retailer.

It is worth getting another N800 - they're wonderful machines. However like all complex machines (except perhaps Casio GShocks) you do get the odd lemon. Stop driving yourself crazy and get one that works. Even if you tweak this one into working, you'll always have to wonder what was wrong - is there a hardware problem that required a lot of software tinkering to compensate for, which will reduce the machine's reliability, range of networking, etc? Get it replaced!

It's on your tablet; it's run from xterm (see below)
Just the canonical stand-in, here representing an arbitrary package name. So installing free42 runs apt-get install free42, and so on.
Yeah, I was a little unclear, even misleading, there. I think that it's trying to reach catalogue.tableteer.nokia.com at IP address 1.0.0.0, which is plainly wrong. But I'm no expert in apt-get error messages, so that 1.0.0.0 could be something other than the remote IP address it's trying to access.
Yes, it's called "X Terminal" in the menu; it's not horribly accurate to say so, but it's kinda like cmd.exe in Windows.
You got it! (And now I'll reply to the last post.)

Well, not bad actually. I forgot that the N800 requires root access to ping anything. (root is the unix equivalent to administrator, more or less)

But, it did look up catalogue tableteer.nokia.com to find the IP address before it failed, and came back with 195.59.44.17. (i.e. NOT 1.0.0.0)

Next thing, let's try going to http://catalogue.tableteer.nokia.com/ in the browser on the N800.
If that works, drill down through certified, dists, chinook, and then download contents-armel.gz
If all that works, just open the App Mgr again, and try to:

• Clear the log (There should be a clear button when you're viewing the log.) update.)
• Update the catalog
• Post back with the log, and a description of what it did.

To Benson and Meanwhile. Again my strongest thanks to you both for your intensive staying power with me on this.
I'll now confess that an hour ago I did a complete System Data wipe and made sure I'd backed up all settings onto the card. Then let it clear it all.
Next I booted up and it went through a full fresh setup just like when it came out of the box at first, except it seems to have retained the date and time.

I thought it might be advisable to see if it would connect first to my Bluetooth phone and PAIR with it. Then my Wifi network before RESTORING any data from my card. That way it would at least go online and try a dummy run for downloading software.

On the desktop was a Nokia Software Applet and a Stream Tuner plus the usual Search box. I went to the Nokia site and tried to download FM Radio and it went straight back to the Application Manager stuck download of about 56k and never finished the job. In the end after 30 minutes wait I aborted and cursed the stupid thing.

I'm going to phone Expansys in the morning and find out if they'll replace it. If they won't then I'll threaten them with Solicitors. I've once in the past instigated Legal Proceedings against a TV Aerial Rigger who made a stupid mistake in putting up a wrong group Antenna on my roof. I found out the group using binoculars and proved them wrong. They settled out of court and had to pay my claims fees which served them right.

I know what you're saying about the Nokia being a super little machine. It finds all kinds of networks while I drive along in my car. Then I find an unlocked open one and I pull over where there's a strong signal and again it tries to connect but never makes it. The device is faulty for sure.

I can't go down the road of this technically involved sending programming language into it. After all what would some poor young person who knows nothing about computers do if they were given an N800 for a Birthday Present and found it was not doing what it says on the box? They'd throw it back at the retailer or at Nokia. I'm tempted to do this very soon.
I've got the box.
I'll ring the Expansys and see how they react.
It's under warranty after all.
I don't mind paying postage to send it back to them or to Nokia but I won't have them argue it's perfectly functioning as they are not in a position to judge - I have the device in my posession now. So let's see whose jacksie it will be stuffed up in the next few days.

Thanks again to all of you for your hard work trying to solve this for me and for being patient trying to instruct me on how to DIY fix it.
I'll return here and post the outcome tagged on the end of this thread when I find out what happens.
Regards
Plado
whispertread@gmail.com