Why are settings reset and some devices won't start in ubuntu 14.04?

Question

linux

Hello. Since I asked the previous question about graphics and x, without finding a clear solution, I demolished ubuntu and installed xubuntu. Some new problems started, namely: the network card does not start (I called the provider, he says that the cable sees the connected, but the network does not want to give him a poppy), no matter how much you try to reboot - it does not help, it only helps to load Windows, then again reboot and only then the network card wakes up on ubuntu; also sometimes the touchpad does not want to start the first time (reboot saves); and the screen brightness settings are also reset. At first I thought about the dampness of xubuntu, put back the standard ubuntu, but everything remained the same. I have a suspicion of my crooked hands and an incorrectly removed GRUB (because in the BIOS for some reason I already have 4 boot options: ubuntu, ubuntu, debian (was, demolished), windows) - I would like to confirm or refute this conjecture. Can GRUB somehow incorrectly initialize devices, or does it not do this? It is also possible that the Linux kernel was updated and the drivers stopped working adequately. In general, whoever has other guesses or someone has come across this, please do not be shy.

Answer 1

No, GRUB obviously has nothing to do with it. Devices are initialized by the kernel.
A laptop? Google it exactly in connection with Linux. Most likely you need to install the missing packages. Something like linux-firmware. And it is possible to specify some special kernel boot parameters.
All this is usually googled on the search line "Linux Laptop Model"