Problems:
Compiling
Errors: (gcc, kernel-version not definied, etc.)
- 1.
The very first thing to check when
compiling ndiswrapper is that you've installed the kernel-source file
and the link has been successfully created. The steps to do this
are found in the "Prerequisites" section of the ndiswrapper
installation.
- 2. gcc "command not
found": One known compiling issue is
the
gcc error "command not found." This can usually be solved by
installing the "gcc" package. If you have an rpm based
distribution, you
can search for it here. Do the advanced search
and
search for "gcc" for your distribution.
- 3. "kernel version not
defined": This is just a warning....and I didn't know how to fix
it. So I left it alone and all is well now, even months later.
- 4. "halt" compiling
error:
You might check here.
- 5. If you meet
other
errors,
I would highly recommend you use google
to try to find a solution to your problem. Just search
for "ndiswrapper 'your error here'" (where your error here is the
problem you've encoutered) and see what you come up with. If
you feel you have a major
problem, I would ask around in
linuxquestions.org.
However, PLEASE try the search feature before you make a new
post! It is probable that someone else has had the same problem
and you can view what was suggested to correct it without having to
wait for responses.
"Driver
Present," but not "hardware present":
- It says "driver present" but not
"hardware present":
usually this means you have the wrong driver. I would remove the
driver with "ndiswrapper -e drivername" (where drivername is the name
of your driver...ex. bcmwl5) and look for a different
driver. Google can be very helpful in finding drivers for a card
that is perhaps not shown on the wiki
support list.
However, if a driver is listed for your wireless card in the list,
please try the EXACT version of the driver listed.
"Device
not present....delaying initialization:"
- If you get a ".....device does
not seem to be present,
delaying
initialization" type error, this means that your driver might be fine,
but your wireless card is not initialized. You need to make sure
your
card is set to come up on boot. If you can't figure out how to do
this, you might have to try using google
to find out exactly how to do this for your distribution. One
example
can be found here for Suse users and
another example can be found here.
"Invalid Driver:"
- This might mean something is
wrong with your driver. I would try to download the driver from
another location.
"Modprobe
Ndiswrapper" problems:
- 1. You can't perform the
"modprobe ndiswrapper" step:
Usually this brings an error to the effect of "failed to insert
module/modprobe..." or "modprobe failed..." Normally, this means
your
kernel-source file is not
being seen. Ensure you have the kernel-source file installed, the
version is the correct version for your kernel (you can find out your
kernel version by issuing the command "uname -r" in the terminal), and
that you have
created a symbolic link as explained in the "Prerequisites" section
found here.
You'll know you've
properly
created the symbolic link if it tells you "link exists."
- 2. Also, another "modprobe
ndiswrapper" error you might encounter could be "
FATAL: Error inserting ndiswrapper
(/lib/modules/2.6.13-15-default/extra/ndiswrapper.ko): Operation not
permitted" Make sure your kernel-source file is installed and the
link has successfully been created! Also, make sure you were
logged in as root for the "make install" command in the ndiswrapper
installation and for the modprobe step. Lastly, this could result from two
versions of ndiswrapper
being
installed simultaneously. Remove both and start over. (to
see how, click here)
- 3. "Fatal: module
ndiswrapper not found" This has been seen while using a version
of ndiswrapper installed via rpm (Yast, urpmi, etc). It has been
corrected for some by using the 1.2 version of ndiswrapper installed
from source.
- 4. On the "modprobe
ndiswrapper" step, it freezes your
computer. This is probably because you've used a driver off of
the driver CD. For some reason, many of these cause kernel
crashes if they are not specifically supported. Some WILL work
off of the CD's, but others will cause kernel crashes. Also, it
could be that even if you grabbed a driver off the net, the driver.inf
file is bad. I would
check the wiki
support page to locate a driver known to work with your
card. Many times the support page includes a place to find the
drivers on the
web. If your card is not on the list or this is where you
got the driver that isn't working, I would give google
a shot. Just search for
"windows driver for *whatever your card is here*."
If your problem is still not
solved or not listed, please see If all else fails.
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