I had the same issue with an HP 655. the oem-wireless-rt2x00-1044172 package is part of the HP OEM installation (12.04.2), this explains why it is there even if the user ddn't install it. I have solved the problem by installing regular ubuntu 12.04.3 with the linux-current-generic kernel.
however also the Ralink corp. RT3290 Bluetooth driver is missing -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1248485 Title: No wireless connection after updates 12.04LTS To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1248485/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
