[daniel1212]

"I have always suggested 18.3, or now 20.x because of those very same USB issues. They are known, and others here have had the same hardware/motherboard problems on some machines with the whole 19.x series. The 18.3 and the 20 series do not. The 19 series was Mint’s Windows Vista style goof."

I also tried MX Linux, same thing in the utter absence of this very basic essential function. Then there is the choice of desktops. Anyway, I tried Mint 20.2 t and there is no difference as regards lack of evident detection and thus configuration. In contrast to Windows, both 7 and 10, which shows both USB wireless adapters and either installs the drivers automatically or you can do so thru Device Manager, which shows them and far more than in Linux and its DM (not shown below) showed neither adapters and said no more drivers were needed for the computer. I actually took the time to document this (no different in 20.2) but maybe you can help.

Windows:

Mint:

[rockrr]

When I was still working (as a support engineer for a Wintel enterprise company) I still routinely checked in on Linux distros. My main stumbling block was broadband wireless. As a road warrior my chief requirement was the ability to remain connected while on my rounds.

So when Ubuntu or Mint (or most of the other major players) would announce a new build I would load it onto a machine and see if I could get my broadband cards to work. They never failed to disappoint and I would go back to my Windows machine.

Now that I am retired I no longer have access to broadband networking so it isn’t a requirement for me. I do still have a Mint laptop that I use for web surfing but my file server, my media server, my audio workstation, and my video workstation all run on Windows.

[Openurmind]

Thank you for sharing that, I think you are having a unique situation with that machine. I know I have installed 18.3 on ten machines personally, and helped others with around 30 more. And another 10 with 20.x. All with absolutely no problems except for one that had this similar issue. It was something with that one machine not allowing Linux to do it’s thing as it should.