When it comes to wireless in Linux, one needs to know the exact chipset operating on the wireless adapter - not the computer brand or adapter manufacturer.
As much as I could retrieve from the HP site, there may be two different chipsets in their wireless cards: either an Intel Wireless Wifi Link, or a Broadcom BCM43.
In order to gain certainty, type this command in a terminal window:
lspci -v | less
then scroll down to the line with the wireless adapter and check if it's Intel or Broadcom.
The Intel chip should be supported out of the box, as far as I see. It may have to be activated under System > Administration > Hardware Drivers.
If it's a Broadcom, follow this guide:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xxNote1:
You were inexact when telling us your Ubuntu version; there is no version 9: there is 9.04 and 9.10.
First find out which exact version your are running. If you don't know, type this command in a terminal:
cat /etc/lsb-release
Note2:
Are you able to connect your computer to the internet via a LAN cable? This should usually be supported out of the box. If you have such a cable, and you have access to the internet from that machine, follow the instructions labelled "Internet access" in the guide linked to above.
There are several ways to install drivers; make sure the way you are following is valid for your version.
