Network Manager applet disappears after connection in Gnome Classic

[StewartM]

When I connect via a Sprint USB Novatel Ovation U727 Wireless Card (for a CMDA mobile broadband connection), I experience the following:

A) When I log in with the device plugged in, the computer usually does not detect the device (it's lit but it does not show up in any file manager)

B) Then I disconnect it, it then detects it.

(The last two problems have been occurring intermittently the past few Ubuntu releases, sometimes the system would detect the device and sometimes not, but with 11.10 it's now an everytime occurrence. This may be kernel-related, and I should mention now that I'm running a proposed kernel, 3.0.0-15-pae, as a fix because I suffered from a bug with ecryptfs:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ecryptfs-utils/+bug/813146

C) When I then connect the network-manager applet on gnome-panel, instead of changing from "not connected" to "connected" display, simply disappears. Right-clicking on the panel shows that network-manager is running properly.

I realize that A + B are probably the result of different bugs from C), and the latter is the one which is new. If you want me to file a kernel bug report for the proposed kernel not detecting the USB mobile broadband device, I shall.

StewartM

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-15.24-generic-pae 3.0.13
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-15-generic-pae i686
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Sun Dec 25 19:09:18 2011
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-12-17 11:41:33.061295
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroVariant: ubuntu
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, if not too technical
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary) [8086:2a02] (rev 0c) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022f]
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022f]
MachineType: Dell Inc. Inspiron 1525
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-15-generic-pae root=UUID=f604d860-941f-4a72-9818-2789056b091e ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-12-17 (8 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 03/10/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A11
dmi.board.name: 0U990C
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA11:bd03/10/2008:svnDellInc.:pnInspiron1525:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0U990C:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 1525
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu6
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20110811.g93fc084-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1