ndiswrapper-utils & ndiswrapper-modules cyclic dependency
 

Trying to install ndiswrapper on my Debian machine but i'm getting all kind of problems. The latest one is that if I try to install ndiswrapper-utils, it asks for ndiswrapper-modules-1-1 which is according to the message setup when I install ndiswrapper-modules-2.6.8-2-686. But if I try to install ndiswrapper-modules-2.6.8-2-686, it tells me that it needs ndiswrapper-utils. I tried to install with a --force-all but after it goes through, I can never find the ndiswrapper.ko file and I think this is the cause.

I currently don't have an internet connection on this laptop so i use dpkg to install teh packages that I download from another machine

Anybody has an idea?

PS: kernel is 2.6.8-2-686

Thanks a lot

Ben

ndiswrapper-modules-1.1 is a different package from ndiswrapper-modules.
If you trace the dependencies back:
1. ndiswrapper-modules-2.6.8-2-686 (1.1-2)
... depends on
2. ndiswrapper-utils
... depends on
3. ndiswrapper-modules-1.1
... which is the last in the chain. A virtual package.

So you have a third package to get.

However - this is a tad puzzling as the last is supplied in ndiswrapper-modules-2.6.8-3-686 (1.1-1)... the next kernel up from yours in the name.

thanks for the reply.
I'm not very experienced with linux and I have never heard of virtual packages before.
Does it mean that I have to install ndiswrapper-modules-2.6.8-3-686 (1.1-2sarge1) first? This is the package that you linked to for the ndiswrapper-modules-1.1

Thanks

This would appear to be the case. It won't hurt to try.

I think a better approach is to add a cdrom entry to your sources.list, burn all the packages and their dependencies there, and let aptitude handle the rest.

I've not had any experience manually resolving dependencies in deb packages, but lots with rpm. There is usually something like this.

Virtual and dummy packages exist to resolve dependencies, but do not (usually) install anything themselves. Sometimes they are there to provide a target for apt, which then downloads the packages you need from information in that target.

i installed it and it worked... thanks a lot