I installed elementary OS a couple of days ago with the aim of making it my main OS, but as a newbie to linux and the whole command aspect, I am struggling to optimise my OS.
My first big issue is my Wifi connection keeps dropping. Here are the details:
My second issue is getting my Logitech Performance MX mouse to pair with the OS. Are there any commands I need to enter into Terminal? How do I customise the buttons so they are as functional as they are when used in Windows?
Finally, when I download linux packages from the internet, how do I install them without using terminal?
As for my kernel version, it is: 3.2.0-70-generic.
I would appreciate any help guys. Thanks in advance.
I'd start with upgrading the kernel, the 3.2 is from 2012 and certainly lacks some of the latest features (we're at 3.16 now).
As for installing and updating the software (including the kernel), you'll want to install stuff from the repositories, not by downloading an executable from the web. If you can't find the application you're looking for in the default repos, you'll need to add a custom repo/url to your repo list/library. Elementary should have a simple GUI package manager to handle this so you shouldn't need to mess with the terminal at all.
Atheros 9k drivers were merged in kernel 2.6.27 (2008) and haven't been updated since around kernel 3.11 (jun 2013).
So I wouldn't bother upgrading to a more recent kernel unless you know how to patch it, otherwise you'll be left without specific ElementaryOS security updates. If you do choose to upgrade officially, you're gonna have to allow for LTS enablement. ie; sudo apt-get install --install-recommends linux-generic-lts-trusty xserver-xorg-lts-trusty libgl1-mesa-glx-lts-trusty
Check your drivers are in use; lsmod | grep ath9k
if not - load them; sudo modprobe ath9k
to remove them; sudo modprobe -r ath9k
Try removing and reloading if you are still having issues.
If that didn't help you can download a current backport and compile with updated Atheros drivers.