I mannaged to kill my ubuntu/xubuntu build, so I rebuilt xubuntu from livecd image.
Home directory was preservered on another disc.

NDISWRAPPER is not installed & I know I need it for the wireless usb (this thread : http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...u-12-a-948772/ )

So i found out how to install a deb package from a file on a usb stick ( http://www.pendrivelinux.com/how-to-...-deb-packages/ )

sudo dpkg -i ndiswrapper appears to work

BUT

modeprobe reports ndiswrapper not installed
ndisgtk reports ndiswrapper not installed. (trying to install new driver) However driver appears in window as installed and lusb reports the wna3100 is there
sudo dpkg -r ndiswrapper reports ndiswrapper not installed
dmesg | grep ndis. gives no output
Network connections does not offer a MAC address

BUT

ndiswrapper -l gives bcmwlhigh5 : driver installed

so ndiswrapper IS installed ?

Nor can i find any ndiswrapper directory to cd to so I can make uninstall ... make ...make install

excuse me while I scream ... & spend some time on household chores...

1 why is ndiswrapper not apparently installed - what am I not doing ?
2 why does ndiswrapper appear to work except it doesn't ?

xubuntu 12.04

further reading got me checking Synaptic Pagage Manager -which shows NDISWRAPPER IS INSTALLED

so uninstalled & re installed ( dpkg) ....

synaptic shows installed

dpkg -L reorts NOT INSTALLED

sudo modprobe ndiswrapper returns :
FATAL: Module ndiswrapper not found

I added the lines in the ndiswrapper readme to the network interface as sugested
rebooted
no change