Sun 06/24/07 10:20 AM
I tried to run Ubuntu and i have a built in wireless card and it wont
read it what should i do now? I tried to use that ndiswrapper and then
tried to install it and i dont know how to use a .tar file do i run it
in linux or what? Do i have go go on ubuntu
wired then download wireless drivers where would i find these?

Tidewater,

The last time I did this, for me all I had to do was

- find the windows driver (I -think- it ended in .inf)
- download ndiswrapper as a pre-compiled binary
- ran ndiswrapper on the driver
and I may have also need to run modprobe on ndiswrapper.

It was an easy 3 or 4 commands, and it was working....however, every
situation is different.

I've been looking online last night and this morning, for someone who
has the exact same hardware as you, using ubuntu, but i haven't found
that.

To answer your immediate question, though, the easiest way (IMO) to do
this under ubuntu is to do as you say - get a wired connection, and then
download a pre-compiled ndiswrapper binary.

Do you know for sure that you don't have it on your system already? You
could go to a command line and type "apropos ndiswrapper" and see what
it says... or if the locate command is set up, you could type "locate
ndiswrapper."

Tidewater, this post is just FYI:

A tar file is like a .zip file. There are probably many files together
inside that tar file you downloaded. You extract it with the 'tar'
command, for example "tar -xvf example.tar".

But in this case, I think that tar file contains the source code (?) for
ndiswrapper and we don't need to go there, today.

Tidewater,

Are you dual-booting already? Do you have Ubuntu actually on your
hard drive, or are you running it from the live CD?

The reason I ask, is that it effects the solution to the wireless
problem.

Ah ha! I found a decent help page for installing Ndiswrapper.

They give instructions also for the case of downloading the files first
under Vista and then copy them over to use in Ubuntu; in case its
inconvenient for you to get a wired connection and download under
ubuntu.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper

Also, FYI, we never bothered to check whether linux drivers exist for
this wireless card - I just know that using the windows drivers under
ndiswrapper was easier for me in the past.

This is what I was talking about earlier, but someone wrote out the
exact commands. You can copy and past these to the command line.
I forgot that Ubuntu requires you to type "sudo" first.
---------------------------------------------
sudo ndiswrapper -i <thefile>
sudo ndiswrapper -m

(restart, then do this)

sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
---------------------------------

Ha! Is this where the geeks hang out???


Ok Im getting ready for work now!

This is where one geek has been hanging out, all by himself.

<---- What does that mean??


--------------
Tidewater, these people said all this same stuff, but they said it
better:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=193728

Yes i did everything you said to do and only i can get to work is wired
connection. I wonder if i can download the drivers from vista for the
wireless card onto my thumb drive and put it on ubuntu?

Doh! I simply don't know if Vista drivers will work under
ndiswrapper... I didn't think of that, I was just thinking "windows
drivers".

If you find that Vista drivers don't work, you should be able to
download XP drivers for your wireless card from the vendor's website
(or google it from another source) - and then use the XP drivers under
ndiswrapper.

And yes, your thumb drive should be readable under Linux... I believe
Ubuntu will auto-detect and it should show up in the file manager, so
you can use that to transfer files.

I think ill just stick with this Vista until tax return and get me a mac
so then bill gates and all of microsoft can kiss my butt hahaha!!!

Tidewater,

I admire your tenacity... most people would have quit far earlier in
the process. I know how you feel about the wireless - I need wireless
access too, and this particular issue - difficulty setting up wireless
drivers - is one of the leading complaints against Linux these days.

How did everything else go, for you? Did you try any of the office
software? Did you try to download anything from the immense catalog of
completely free software, which automatically downloads, installs, and
configures itself?

Naw I didn't try anything else I use this laptop for work as well and if
i cant get the wireless to work then well I'm just SOL! So i have to
stick with Vista until they get the problem resolved.