I've never done anything like this before, is it possible?

1) I get the .tar.gz source file for the drivers
2) I compile it for my 2.6.18-5-686 kernel
3) I repackage it as .deb so that I can install it without a kernel source in the future?

Thanks.

My internet is screwed up, last time I didn't need NIC and it connected randomly at some point for no given reason, guess I'm just hoping it does it again because I really need an internet connection to continue... because my nvidia drivers NEED to download the source themselves and compile it.

Not konowing the nic and involved I assume it just builds one module. That file can be saved to your /lib/modules/kernel-version and place say under extra. Then run the command depmod -a to rebuild the system.map so you can use modprobe or call from modules.conf or modprobe.conf file. If not then using insmod command to the location of the module plus its extension.

Brian

"3) I repackage it as .deb so that I can install it without a kernel source in the future?"

The binary driver will be kernel version dependent. If you change kernels then you will have to compile the driver again against the new kernel source.

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Steve Stites