Hi, I've been using Linux for less than a month, and I do very little with it (most internet browsing and word processing).
Earlier today as I was surfing the internet, my pages stopped loading. I checked the wireless icon at the bottom right corner of my screen and it said I was still connected to my home network. I disconnected from the Internet, planning on re-joining the network, only now my computer says that wireless is unavailable.
I tried restarting my computer (didn't help). That's when I noticed the indicator light for the wireless was off. I pressed the button to no avail.
In addition, when I open the network settings window, airplane mode is automatically on. If I turn it off, close the window and re-open it immediately, airplane mode is back on. Clicking on the on/off switch under the wireless section of network settings is useless as well.
Finally, my wireless network at home is working fine; I'm typing this on my iPod touch which is connected to the network I was using my laptop on about 45 minutes ago.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Have you tried just rebooting Mint or restarting the network? Also try moving closer to your wireless to get a stronger signal. What is your signal strength when it works?

Are you or your neighbors using a microwave, or a nearby police officer using traffic radar? Either will screwup your wireless.

Try opening a terminal.

Run the command:

sudo su

Then enter your user password.

After that try running the ifconfig command. If that doesn't work, do this.

ifconfig wlan0 up