I have come to see why linux will never over take windows.

1) Drivers: I know this has been said before but MAN! I don't feel like I have to research everthing about my hardware to use it. I would like to get the driver off the web and install.

2) Cost vs Time: (free vs 150) ok I know i download Linux for Free I have like 30 cd going back to redhat 6. Not one Install has worked out the box with my PCs. Windows XP Does .

Oh here is the time and cost part i have tryed like 6 network card and over 100 man hours getting wireless linux. and Not it is one thing or the other.

My hardwire always works in windows before it crashs .

3) People are not me: I have been trying linux off and on since i was 18 i am 22 know. In that timei have been to college and have a job as a network admin looking over 60 something computers in two sites. So i think i know a lil something about computers. Way more the someone just buying a dell.

4) The Plan: Most people i know have somewhat of a plan of what they are going to do with thie computer. ALL I WANT MY LAPTOP TO DO: is Office stuff scan for wireless , Play my vids and sounds. 3 things and 2 I can do.


Wireless the unicorn of my linux world that last thing.


Here is my cry for help. No more running to the store to get a diff network card the may.

All I would like is Mandrake 9.2 or Fedora to work with my

IBM Thinkpad a22m
and myBlitzz BWP612B NetWave Point II PC 802.11b 11Mbps Wireless LAN Cardbus PC Card


Thats it

If I can't get this done ill be 100% again.

What chipset is in that wireless card.? I have a hard time believe that not one of those cards you have tried has either had an orinoco chipset, which has had drivers for quite some time, or a Prism chipset which has no less then three different drivers that work with it.

I decided, in case they don't tell you in the literature, to go ahead and look up the chipset for that card, turns out the manufacturer provides drivers:

http://www.admtek.com.tw/download/ADM8211.htm

Just so you know, there are drivers for RedHat 7.3 and 8.0, but there is also a tar.gz file that work in absolutely any distribution out there.

Dude...

No need to leave. You can do this. It's really not that hard.

We are here to help you. Just let us know all the stuff you have trouble with and we'll help you through things.

We've all been where you are at right now. Believe me!

Take a break for a night or two, I'm sure you will find that you can't stay away and you'll be back. It gets in your blood. It's funny like that

Also, you might wanna give Slackware a try. If you've been using Linux off and on, have you tried Slack? I prefer Slackware, but I've found SuSE to be a superb desktop Linux choice. SuSE 9.0 is dang good on the desktop


Peace,
Whitehat

Ok, you know ill try. ill post in the morning or sooner.

This is what I get.

[root@localhost ADM8211]# make
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O2 -I/usr/src/linux-2.4/include -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-strict-aliasing -Wno-trigraphs -fno-common -pipe -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i386 -c adm8201.c
In file included from /usr/include/linux/prefetch.h:13,
from /usr/include/linux/list.h:6,
from /usr/include/linux/timer.h:4,
from adm8201.c:8:
/usr/include/asm/processor.h:55: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/processor.h:55: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from /usr/include/linux/mm.h:12,
from /usr/include/linux/slab.h:14,
from adm8201.c:11:
/usr/include/linux/mmzone.h:44: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/linux/mmzone.h:44: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from /usr/include/asm/hardirq.h:6,
from /usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:46,
from adm8201.c:12:
/usr/include/linux/irq.h:65: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/linux/irq.h:65: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from /usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:46,
from adm8201.c:12:
/usr/include/asm/hardirq.h:16: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/hardirq.h:16: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from adm8201.c:12:
/usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:129: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:129: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from adm8201.c:14:
/usr/include/linux/netdevice.h:165: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/linux/netdevice.h:165: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from adm8201.c:14:
/usr/include/linux/netdevice.h:517: error: `CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT' undeclared here (not in a function)
/usr/include/linux/netdevice.h:517: error: requested alignment is not a constant
In file included from /usr/include/linux/module.h:297,
from adm8201.c:32:
/usr/include/linux/version.h:2:2: #error "======================================================="
/usr/include/linux/version.h:3:2: #error "You should not include /usr/include/{linux,asm}/ header"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:4:2: #error "files directly for the compilation of kernel modules."
/usr/include/linux/version.h:5:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:6:2: #error "glibc now uses kernel header files from a well-defined"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:7:2: #error "working kernel version (as recommended by Linus Torvalds)"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:8:2: #error "These files are glibc internal and may not match the"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:9:2: #error "currently running kernel. They should only be"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:10:2: #error "included via other system header files - user space"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:11:2: #error "programs should not directly include <linux/*.h> or"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:12:2: #error "<asm/*.h> as well."
/usr/include/linux/version.h:13:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:14:2: #error "To build kernel modules please do the following:"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:15:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:16:2: #error " o Have the kernel sources installed"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:17:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:18:2: #error " o Make sure that the symbolic link"/usr/include/linux/version.h:19:2: #error " /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build exists and points to"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:20:2: #error " the matching kernel source directory"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:21:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:22:2: #error " o Now copy /boot/vmlinuz.version.h to"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:23:2: #error " /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/include/linux/version.h"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:24:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:25:2: #error " o When compiling, make sure to use the following"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:26:2: #error " compiler option to use the correct include files:"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:27:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:28:2: #error " -I/lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/include"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:29:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:30:2: #error " instead of"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:31:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:32:2: #error " -I/usr/include/linux"
/usr/include/linux/version.h:33:2: #error ""
/usr/include/linux/version.h:34:2: #error " Please adjust the Makefile accordingly."
/usr/include/linux/version.h:35:2: #error "======================================================="
In file included from adm8201.c:32:
/usr/include/linux/module.h:299: error: syntax error before "UTS_RELEASE"
adm8201.c: In function `adm8211_init_one':
adm8201.c:205: warning: implicit declaration of function `pci_request_regions'
adm8201.c: In function `adm8201_remove':
adm8201.c:1053: warning: implicit declaration of function `pci_release_regions'make: *** [adm8201.o] Error 1
[root@localhost ADM8211]#

I did somelooking aroud the forum and found that the way to fix this is to make a like in the /usr/src folder to the real kernel source. I have not clue on how to make a link and for that matter no clue where the source is in Mandrake 9.2.

If you are running Mandrake 9.2, you don't have the kernel sources, you will need to get them of the internet and install them, there should be a nice program to this, but I can't rember, Exactly what it is called.

This page may provide some pointers. The installers are all running Debian, but the fixes should still hold true. Main page is www.linux-laptop.net

I gave up 4 times in the last 3 years...sometimes for several months at a time. Now I'm on Linux for good.
Sorry I can't help you, but hope you get this worked out.

Ya, you need to get the kernel package from Mandrake. As far as making a link, the ln command does that.

My recommendation is to move to Suse or Slackware, then install the driver. RH and Mandrake just suck when it comes from getting drivers to work. I feel your pain. It took me several months and distros to get my WLAN card working. In the end it was a Prism2, but of course noone knew enough about it to tell me (it was a rare card).

If you wanted to make a symlink (symbolic link) in Linux you should do the following.

For example, if you wanted to make a symlink called linux that pointed to /usr/src/linux-2.4.24 you could issue this command at a root prompt:

ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.4.24 /usr/src/linux

Peace,
Whitehat

Ok right now i am at a fork in the road should i look for the Mandrake 9.2 kernel or install Slackware.

Hmm......that's hard......NOT!

Install Slackware baby! It's got a nice text based only install. If you are careful you'll do well. You can also get some help with it by checking out www.slackware.com/book

I printed that bad boy off a while back....so I could read it on the sofa if I wanted

Its a little outdated, but it will get the job done

Peace,
Whitehat