Help on Dell Wireless LAN 1350 Mini-PCI for Fedora Core 4

Hello,
I need help on making my wireless LAN work with newly installed Fedora Core 4. I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 with Wireless 1350 mini-PCI. Here are the steps I did so far. I'm logged in as root. I created a folder /root/ndiswrapper, this is where I placed the downloaded ndiswrapper. Then I extracted and "make install" the ndiswrapper file. I created another folder /root/wlan_1350, this is where I placed the downloaded driver for my wireless LAN from Dell's site using my service tag. The file name is R102320.EXE. I unzipped this file and saw a bcmw15.inf.

Here are the commands I put in and their responses:
--- # pwd
/root
--- # ndiswrapper -l
No drivers installed
--- # ndiswrapper -i /root/wlan_1350/bcmw15.inf
Installing bcmw15
cp: cannot stat '/root/wlan_1350/bcmw15.inf': No such file or directory
--- # ndiswrapper -l
Installed ndis drivers:
bcmw15 invalid driver!
--- # ndiswrapper -e bcmw15
--- # ndiswrapper - l
No drivers installed

I deleted the driver as you can see and did not continue. Am I doing something wrong? Any steps missed? I read from other forum sites that they got their's working using same steps as above (same listed wireless card). But they have Inspiron 5100 series and I have Inspiron 1150, not sure if it matters. I'm obviously a newbie, and just want to try out Linux. Thanks again!

Out of curiosity, what does this reveal?

ls /root/wlan_1350

hi thanks for your reply. here's the output:

[root@localhost ~]# ls /root/wlan_1350
AegisE2.dll bcmwlcpl.cpl data1.cab MFC42.DLL setup.iss
AegisE5.dll bcmwld2k.exe data1.hdr MFC42U.DLL Version.txt
AegisI2.exe bcmwlhlp.chm data2.cab MSVCP60.DLL wltray.exe
AegisI5.exe bcmwlhoa.ini DellInfo.exe MSVCRT.DLL wltrynt.dll
bcm43xx.cat bcmwlhom.exe dellinst.exe R102320.EXE wltrysvc.exe
BCMLogon.dll bcmwlhom.ini ikernel.ex_ README.txt
bcmwl5a.ini bcmwlntp.sys is.exe setup.exe
bcmwl5.inf bcmwltry.exe launcher.ini Setup.ini
bcmwl5.sys bcmwlu00.exe layout.bin setup.inx
[root@localhost ~]#

It looks like you might have made a typo. Try this:

ndiswrapper -i /root/wlan_1350/bcmwl5.inf

Notice it is not bcmw15.inf, but bcmwl5.inf

thank you!!! i corrected the name and it went thru fine wooohooooooo!!!! let me recap what i did:

1) i confirmed the installation by: ndiswrapper -l. it gave me:
installed ndis drivers:
bcmwl5 driver present, hardware present
2) loaded ndis module to the kernel: modprobe ndiswrapper (no error)
3) i confirmed this by: iwconfig. it gave me:
[root@localhost ~]# iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.

eth0 no wireless extensions.

sit0 no wireless extensions.

Warning: Driver for device wlan0 recommend version 18 of Wireless Extension,
but has been compiled with version 17, therefore some driver features
may not be available...

wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSIDff/any
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s Tx-Power:25 dBm
RTS thr:2347 B Fragment thr:2346 B
Encryption keyff
Power Managementff
Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

[root@localhost ~]#

4) scanned for wireless network by: iwlist wlan0 scan
[root@localhost ~]# iwlist wlan0 scan
Warning: Driver for device wlan0 recommend version 18 of Wireless Extension,
but has been compiled with version 17, therefore some driver features
may not be available...

wlan0 Scan completed :
Cell 01 - Address: 00:13:10:E93:F3
ESSID:"junjun"
Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
Mode:Managed
Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
Quality:0/100 Signal level:-62 dBm Noise level:-256 dBm
Encryption keyn
Bit Rate:1 Mb/s
Bit Rate:2 Mb/s
Bit Rate:5.5 Mb/s
Bit Rate:11 Mb/s
Bit Rate:18 Mb/s
Bit Rate:24 Mb/s
Bit Rate:36 Mb/s
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s
Bit Rate:6 Mb/s
Bit Rate:9 Mb/s
Bit Rate:12 Mb/s
Bit Rate:48 Mb/s
Extra:bcn_int=100
Extra:atim=0

there is a "cell 02" and "cell 03" that were also listed. i think those were my neighbors.

*******what is the warning for? how can i get version 18 of wireless extension? i'm afraid that my wireless may have problems later if this is not taken care of. please advice. *************

also, the next step i have on the list is (after the warning above has been taken care of) to configure interface. please provide detail steps on how can i do this. all i know is the name of ssid, passphrase, the channel, ip address, and the wep key numbers of my router (linksys).
thanks in advance.

See if the information in the link below is of any help.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=368969

thanks! i went to the link and noticed that they are using a usb wireless. they have these extra 2 lines that was indicated meant for their setup:

# modprobe -r ehci-hcd
# modprobe ehci-hcd log2_irq_thresh=4
# modprobe ndiswrapper

i'm not sure if i should use it. i tried also doing:

#iwconfig wlan0 essid "name"

a few times, but when i run iwconfig, it still shows off/any on essid. how can i make it stick or am i doing something wrong? the link you provided used "yast". is there something similar to it in fedora c4? from reading other threads, using command line is the best to configure. i feel very close to making my wireless work. when i issue that "iwlist wlan0 scan" it picked up my router. i guess i just need to configure the wireless card using essid, wep key, etc. please help.

I am not familiar with Fedora Core 4. I have been using wireless on my notebook with Slackware10.1.0. When I connect to my router, I use KWiFiManager in KDE. Under settings, I go to configuration editor and make necessary settings. My settings are as follows.
Network name: linksys
Operation mode: managed
Speed: auto
Settings apply to: wlan0
At this point I click on the activate button, next, in a console, I use the following to disable eth0.

ifconfig eth0 down

Then to get an ip address using dhcp.

dhcpcd -d -t 10 wlan0

You may use different tools than I do, for example, I am using dhcpcd where you might have dhclient. Your best bet would be to google around to find information on your specific problem. Good luck.

hello cybrog thank you for all your help and patience. I GOT IT TO WORK!! woohooooooo!!!! 2 days of tinkering with this is not bad at all, it feels gooooddd!! thank you thank you thank you!! i found a step through googling like you suggested that helped. i found also the gui network configuration. here are the steps i did to make it work (again thanks for all your help):

CONFIGURING WIRELESS NETWORK ON DELL INSPIRON USING FEDORA CORE 4

***Please refer to detailed instructions below. ***

Congratulations, glad you got it working. Enjoy your wireless experience with linux.

hello cybrog thank you for all your help and patience. I GOT IT TO WORK!! woohooooooo!!!! 2 days of tinkering with this is not bad at all, it feels gooooddd!! thank you thank you thank you!! i found a step through googling like you suggested that helped. i found also the gui network configuration. here are the steps i did to make it work (again thanks for all your help):

CONFIGURING WIRELESS NETWORK ON DELL INSPIRON USING FEDORA CORE 4

System: Laptop, Dell Inspiron 1150
OS: Fedora Core 4
Wireless device: 1350 mini-PCI WLAN
Installed by: A Newbie

1) Boot up your computer and log in as root.

2) Create 2 directories. Example:

[root@localhost ~]# mkdir ndiswrapper
[root@localhost ~]# mkdir wlan_1350

Note: Ask around what is the best place (folder or directory) to put downloaded files. I have seen people put their stuff in /usr/local/.

3) Download a stable copy of ndiswrapper (I got version 1.4) from http://sourceforge.net/projects/ndiswrapper/ You should get a file something like this, ndiswrapper-1.4.tar.gz.

4) Download the latest driver for 1350 wireless device from Dell's website. I used my Dell service tag to locate it. I got the file R102320.EXE.

5) Copy the files to their respective folders that you just created.

6) Go to ndiswrapper directory and issue these commands:

[root@localhost ndiswrapper]# gunzip ndiswrapper-1.4.tar.gz
[root@localhost ndiswrapper]# tar -xvf ndiswrapper-1.4.tar

You should see the file get extracted on your screen. After it's done, check the directory and issue a make install command as shown below.

[root@localhost ndiswrapper]# ls
ndiswrapper-1.4 ndiswrapper-1.4.tar
[root@localhost ndiswrapper]# cd ndiswrapper-1.4
[root@localhost ndiswrapper-1.4]#make install

7) Go to wlan_1350 directory and unzip the driver file.

[root@localhost wlan_1350]# unzip R102320.EXE

8) After issuing the unzip command, check if the .inf file is there.

[root@localhost wlan_1350]# ls */inf
bcmwl5.inf

Note: bcmwl5.inf has lower case "L" then 5. NOT the number "1" then 5.

9) Install the driver using ndiswrapper.

[root@localhost ~]#ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf

10) Confirm the driver installation.

[root@localhost ~]#ndiswrapper -l
Installed ndis drivers:
bcmw15 driver present, hardware present

11) Load the ndis module to the kernel.

[root@localhost ~]#modprobe ndiswrapper

12) Confirm the load.

[root@localhost ~]#iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions etc. etc.
.
.
Warning: Driver for device wlan0 recommend etc. etc.
.
.
wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSIDff/any etc. etc.

13) Scan for wireless networks. It should show your router info.

[root@localhost ~]#iwlist wlan0 scan
Warning: etc. etc.
Cell 01 - Address: etc etc
ESSID: "etc etc"
Protocol: etc etc

14) At this point, check the GUI for network configuration. Go to your Systems Tools > Network Device Control.

a) On the Network Device Control screen, click on Configure. This should take you to Network Configuration screen.
b) Click on New. This should take you to Add new Device Type.
c) Select Wireless connection then click on Forward. This should take you to Select Wireless device.

****Note: If you do not see ndiswrapper (wlan0) listed on this page, close these windows and go to the command or terminal screen. Issue this command:

[root@localhost ~]#ndiswrapper -m

****Update: The above command was an update / correction to the typo I had in there before. I used to have modprobe -m in there and people were getting stuck with it.

Go back to the GUI network configuration as described above. Try rebooting after you issue the above command if you still don't see the ndiswrapper (wlan0) on the list.

15) You should see the ndiswrapper (wlan0) on the Select Wireless Device. Select it then click on Forward. You should be at Configure Wireless Connection screen.

16) My setup has this:
Mode: Managed
Network name (SSID): Specified (and I typed in the name)
Key: (I typed in my key here). Make sure you type 0x first for hex followed by your key.

17) Click on Forward. You should be in COnfigure Network Settings screen. I had mine in Auto obtain IP address dhcp, and Auto obtain DNS. Click Forward and then Apply.

18) Reboot your system. When it comes back up, go to the GUI for network configuration again. You should see your wlan0 there most likely deactivated. Activate it using the button. Then click on Configure.

19) It should take you to the Network Configuration screen. Highlight your wlan0 from the list and click on Edit button above. You should be in Wireless Device Configuration screen.

20) Mark the box that says Activate device when computer starts. This way when you boot, you do not need to activate it manually.

You should all be set. Have fun!!!!

Jun,

I am also pretty much of a newbie. I found your detailed instructions for this very helpful because I have an Inspiron 1200 with a Dell 1350 LAN card and running FC4. I followed them but hit a snag at step 14. When I typed in "modprobe -m" the reply was that -m was an invalid switch, or something. Was this a typo?

Thanks!

Galileo1564

hi galileo,
i'm assuming that you do not see wlan0 in the gui network configuration. please double check. i used the command to make it "stick" in the config.

about the command modprobe -m, it could have been a typo. please google it (that's where i found the fix). or do a: man modprobe and see the valid switches. could have been -n instead of -m. i'll see if i can find where i got it from and edit this post.

goodluck!

thank you for that wonderful peice there

i am not getting wlan0 in the gui network configuration, and modprobe -m is also an invalid switch for me. can you help me out with this? i don't know what that switch is supposed to do, so i don't know what to look for in the man pages. thanks for you continueing support!

hello rjlan,
quick question, are you running with same system config as i am, like fc4, dell inspiron, wlan 1350 mini?

i don't know why switch -m does not work. i have googled it and found someone had used it before. however it could have been a typo at my end.

please try "ndiswrapper -m" instead of "modprobe -m". i'll look around tonight for the meantime. please update me right away of the outcome.


**************
update:
i have looked around. i saw ndiswrapper -m being used. please try this right away and let me know if it did the trick. thanks!