Wireless network manager not responding

[WinCrasher]

I click the icon. The panel comes up. I click a command. the panel disappears. Nothing happens. Lather, rinse, repeat.

This just started a couple days ago. So I am still on the network I was on then. I try to connect to my RazR phone as I have done many times bfore and the above is what happens. The Manager sees the network, and the phone disappears when I shut it off. It just won't connect. It's like as if I click outside the box.

LinuxMint13 MAYA/MATE Toshiba Sattelite L355

Not sure if this is related, but I tried to update FireFox (16.0.2) about the same time and got an error code 127. I've tried several times since with the same result. All other updates (about 50) worked fine Only FF gave error code 127

[WinCrasher]

Here are the details of the failed FF installation. There were several new updates ready so I tried again. Again FF was the only one that failed to update. Should I shut down FF while updating? I have tried restarting.


(Reading database ... 155565 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace firefox 16.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1 (using .../firefox_16.0.2+build1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1_i386.deb) ...
/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: 1: /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: awk: not found
close failed in file object destructor:
sys.excepthook is missing
lost sys.stderr
/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: 1: /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: awk: not found
close failed in file object destructor:
sys.excepthook is missing
lost sys.stderr
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/firefox_16.0.2+build1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1_i386.deb (--unpack):
subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 127
Please restart all running instances of firefox, or you will experience problems.
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/firefox_16.0.2+build1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1_i386.deb
W: Waited for dpkg --assert-multi-arch but it wasn't there - dpkgGo (10: No child processes)
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up initramfs-tools (0.99ubuntu13) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ...
/usr/sbin/update-initramfs: 236: /usr/sbin/update-initramfs: awk: not found
dpkg: error processing initramfs-tools (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 127
Errors were encountered while processing:
initramfs-tools

[WinCrasher]

Is more info needed? It's easy to find info on how to do something. It's more difficult to find out what to do when something goes wrong.

This is the initial message I get when the update fails. I just did another update and once again, FF was the only failure. I am new to LM and I no longer have Windows on my computer.

E: /var/cache/apt/archives/firefox_16.0.2+build1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1_i386.deb: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 127

[WinCrasher]

Well It's been a month and 150 views and still no response to my issue. It hasn't gone away on it's own either. I still can't update FF and my network manager still doesn't work. If I need to provide more info I am perfectly willing to.

I understood that this was a forum where I could post questions and get answers. But most of the Solved posts I have seen have been sovled by the person that posted the problem. Oh well.