Ndiswrapper

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= Install Repository Version = = Install Necessary Software =
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=== With Internet access on an Ubuntu computer ===

  If you have Internet access via some other method while logged into Ubuntu, you can install the necessary packages from the Ubuntu repositories. If you don't know how to install applications then you can read [http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/ch02.html how to here].

{i} ''You may have to enable the multiverse and universe repositories; see AddingRepositoriesHowto''

=== With Internet access on another computer ===		 === With internet access on an Ubuntu computer ===

If you already have internet access via some other method while logged into Ubuntu, getting

1. Ensure the multiverse and universe repositories are enabled; see AddingRepositoriesHowto''

2. Install the ''ndiswrapper'' and ''ndisgtk'' packages from the Ubuntu repositories. If you don't know how to install applications then you can read [http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/ch02.html how to here].

=== With internet access on another computer ===
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=== ndisgtk instructions === === Graphical instructions ===

1. Introduction

Info <!> These instructions apply only to the x86 Install CD version of Ubuntu. If you are running Ubuntu for AMD64, please see HowtoUseNdiswrapperOnAmd64Ubuntu for instructions. These instructions do not apply to Ubuntu for Power PC (PPC) and the Ubuntu Live CDs.

  • Even if your wireless network card does not have a native Linux driver, you may still be able to get it working with ndiswrapper. Ndiswrapper is a Linux module which allows Ubuntu to use the Windows driver for wireless cards (in most cases).

    If you do not know the name of the chipset which your wifi card uses, issue the lspci command in a terminal; it should be listed there. In order to see if your chipset is known to work with the ndiswrapper module, find your card in the list [http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/List here]. The link may even provide you with useful tips on how to get your specific card to work, as well as providing a link to the working Windows drivers.

2. Install Necessary Software

2.1. Install the necessary packages

  • Ubuntu comes with the necessary ndiswrapper module pre-installed, but it needs the ndiswrapper-utils package to get it working. There is also a graphical interface to using ndiswrapper which you can use. Note: for Ubuntu 6.06, ndiswrapper-utils is included on the standard installation CD. You can install the package from the CD and skip to section 2.2...

2.1.1. With internet access on an Ubuntu computer

If you already have internet access via some other method while logged into Ubuntu, getting

1. Ensure the multiverse and universe repositories are enabled; see AddingRepositoriesHowto

2. Install the ndiswrapper and ndisgtk packages from the Ubuntu repositories. If you don't know how to install applications then you can read [http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/ch02.html how to here].

2.1.2. With internet access on another computer

Info <!> The commands listed above are a general example of how to install a .deb package from the command line. You need to be in the directory where the files were copied to and you need to replace the file name with the actual name of the package which you are installing. If you are new to the terminal, consider reading BasicCommands.

2.1.3. Without Internet access

  • Without an Internet connection, you can still install ndiswrapper-utils from the install CD. If you installed from the Dapper Desktop (live) cd, the repository in which ndiswrapper-utils is found is on the cd, but not within the live session. You need to boot into your new ubuntu installation and then reinsert the live cd. You will be asked if you want to add the packages on the cd to your list of repositories.

If you installed using the Dapper alternate cd, those packages are already part of your repositories.

However, ndisgtk is not included on those disks.

Put the disk into the drive, start the Synaptic Package Manager from System | Administration and search for ndis. If you do not know how to install applications, go to System | Help | System Documentation and read the Ubuntu Desktop Guide.

Anchor(install)

2.2. Set up and install drivers

  • Warning /!\ Important: Be careful when using the drivers from the CD included with the wireless card. They may work and you can try them, but you could experience kernel crashes and other serious problems if the driver on your CD has not been tested with ndiswrapper.

  • You should download a tested Windows XP driver which is suitable for your card from the ndiswrapper list.

  • Open a Terminal (Applications | Accessories | Terminal), type lspci and press the return/enter key.

  • Look through the output of the lspci command for an entry for your wireless card.

  • Once you have identified your card, note down the contents of the first column, which should look like 0000:00:0c.0.

  • Now, type lspci -n into the Terminal and press return.

  • Find the PCI ID for your device. Your device will be referred to in the output of the command by the identifier which you just made a note of, e.g. 0000:00:0c.0. The PCI ID will be in the third column of the output and will be in the form 104c:8400.

  • Retrieve the Windows driver corresponding to your chipset. Use the information you have just found and the ndiswrapper [http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/list list] to find and download the correct files for your card, or one which is very similar.

  • Unpack the Windows driver by using the unzip, cabextract and/or unshield tools (run from the Terminal), and find the INF file (.INF or .inf extension) and the SYS file (.SYS or .sys extension). You may first need to install cabextract and unshield.

  • If there are multiple INF/SYS files, look in the ndiswrapper [http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/list list] to see if there are any hints about which of them should be used.

  • Make sure that the INF file, SYS file and any BIN files are all put into one directory.

2.2.1. Graphical instructions

  • If you chose to install ndisgtk, the graphical interface for ndiswrapper, after installation click on System | Administration | Windows wireless drivers and follow the instructions on-screen. For an idea of what to expect, some screenshots of ndisgtk can be found [http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/46385/ here].

2.2.2. Command line instructions

2.2.2.1. Install the Windows driver

In a Terminal, run the following command: 

  •   sudo ndiswrapper -i ~/drivers/drivername.inf

    (assuming the driver is in a directory in your home folder called drivers, and is named drivername.inf)

ndiswrapper then copies the .inf and sys files into /etc/ndiswrapper/.... Don't forget that the filename you type in is case-sensitive.

2.2.2.2. Checking to make sure the driver was installed correctly

  • Run the following command from a Terminal: 
      ndiswrapper -l
    If the driver is installed correctly, you should see the following output: 
      Installed ndis drivers:
  {name of driver}  driver present, hardware present
    If you don't see this message:

    1. Try a different driver such as the drivers for win2k (Windows 2000), or another driver matching the PCI ID on the [http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/List ndiswrapper list].

    2. This document has a [#trouble troubleshooting] section which may provide an answer.

    3. Look for additional help. Read HowToGetHelp for more information.

2.2.2.3. Loading the new driver module

  • Open a Terminal and run the following commands: 
      sudo depmod -a
  sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
    Then, also in a Terminal, check for error messages: 
      tail /var/log/messages

    If no errors are given, you should be able to configure the network connection with the Networking tool (System | Administration | Networking). Alternatively, open a Terminal and try the commands ifconfig and iwconfig. Your wireless card should hopefully appear with an interface name of wlan0. If it doesn't appear here, then the driver is not working properly.

    During startup, the system will activate the settings kept in the file /etc/network/interfaces, where the Networking tool saves its settings. Edit the file by hand if you discover settings with iwconfig beyond those on offer with the Networking tool. Also, the order of the wireless settings can be very important. If you discover that issuing iwconfig commands in a certain order on the command line is necessary, make sure the file asserts the settings in the same order.

    Test /etc/network/interfaces by activating and deactivating the wireless network interface from the Terminal, which shows some diagnostic messages: 

      sudo ifdown wlan0
  sudo ifup wlan0

    For information on getting WPA to work, read the WPAHowto.

2.2.3. Automatically loading at start-up

  • If everything works, you need to tell your system to load the module when the system starts-up. You can either type the following into the Terminal, which will add the proper line to the /etc/modules file: 

      sudo ndiswrapper -m
    or you can add it manually by opening the file with this command: 
      sudo gedit /etc/modules

    and add the word ndiswrapper to the end of this file and save it.

Warning /!\ It is strongly recommended that you make a backup copy of the /etc/modules file before manually editing it.

Anchor(trouble)

3. Troubleshooting

  • If you cannot get a working driver, you may want to consider compiling and using the latest ndiswrapper release. Ubuntu Breezy comes with v1.1, and as of Jan 2006 v1.8 is the stable release.

  • Can not modprobe ndiswrapper, fatal error given.

    • This error is usually given when ndiswrapper is compiled and installed. You have a bad installation or you didn't remove the module that came with Ubuntu. You need to uninstall ndiswrapper and make sure you remove the ndiswrapper module that came with Ubuntu. Instructions on how to uninstall ndiswrapper can be found [http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/Uninstall here]

  • If you cannot connect, make sure eth0 (or any other network interface that may be in use) is down/deactivated. The command to take eth0 down is: 

sudo killall dhclient
sudo ifconfig eth0 down

3.1. Some common errors

  • Tried to install driver from CD-ROM
    • The files need to be on your hard drive, they can not be loaded from the cd-rom
  • Not all files are copied over to the hard drive
    • Not all files from the drive are needed. You basically need a .inf and a .sys file. Some drivers also use a .bin file but there shouldn't be any other file type needed.
  • Too many driver files copied to folder
    • You should only have 1 .inf and 1 .sys file in the directory on your hard drive.

  • Can't get driver.inf file to install - file not found

    • You have to be in the directory where the .inf file is or specify the full path to the file.
  • Another driver loads and binds to the device

    • Sometimes ndiswrapper is used prematurely. There may be a native driver that comes with Ubuntu which is taking the primary driver position and conflicting with ndiswrapper. For more information on this, go to the WirelessTroubleshootingGuide and view the step on device drivers.

4. Compiling the latest version of ndiswrapper

This section is based on an ndiswrapper [http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/InstallDebian wiki page], and was copied from the Ubuntu Forums. The original post can be found [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=601226 here]. Please discuss any problems or errors you experience there.

  • It is recommended that you first remove any sign of ndiswrapper from your computer. There is a module which installs by default with Ubuntu. To remove this, from a Terminal run the following commands: 
    •   sudo modprobe -r ndiswrapper 
  sudo apt-get --purge remove ndiswrapper-utils 
  sudo rm -r /etc/ndiswrapper/ 
  sudo rm -r /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper
  sudo rm /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/net/ndiswrapper/ndiswrapper.ko

4.1. Install kernel headers

  • From a Terminal, run: 
      sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
    and run the following for the dependencies: 
      sudo apt-get install dh-make fakeroot gcc-3.4 build-essential

4.2. Download and unpack the current version

  • You can find the current version of ndiswrapper [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=93482 here]. Using the Terminal, change to the directory where you saved the downloaded file and run the following commands: 

      tar xvfz ndiswrapper-[current version].tar.gz 
  cd ndiswrapper-[current version]

  • With the second command, replace [current version] with the actual version of the file you downloaded.

4.3. Build deb packages and install

  • Run the following from the Terminal: 
      fakeroot debian/rules binary-modules 
  fakeroot debian/rules binary-utils 
  cd ..
  sudo dpkg -i ndiswrapper-modules-[your kernel]_[current version]-1_i386.deb ndiswrapper-utils_[current version]-1_i386.deb
    Now go back to the [#install install] section of this document to set up and use your newly installed ndiswrapper package.

5. Useful Links

[http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page The ndiswrapper Wiki]

HowtoUseNdiswrapperOnAmd64Ubuntu

WifiDocs

6. Frequently Asked Questions

  • An FAQ page has been created for ndiswrapper. You can read or add your question at WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper/FAQ

CategoryDocumentation CategoryNetworking CategoryNetworking

WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper (last edited 2008-08-06 16:19:19 by localhost)