How do i install a driver for a wireless usb adapter (debian)

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 09:50 AM

ok...due to all the mess i created i reinstalled debian....this time a more up to date september 5th version 5.0.6 (On Sept. 5th, 2010, Backports became an official service)
This version includes backports so no need to do the first stage of adding the repository.

i have got as far as modprobe2870sta

i get the same error FATAL: Module rt2870sta not found

I will leave it there and not do anything else untill someone can point me in the right direction.

many thanks for any help anyone can offer.

Neil.

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 09:52 AM

Backports is an official service now, but that doesn't mean that its already included, because not all users want to use backports. You have to follow the wiki-artcle step by step to make it work.

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 10:00 AM

one quick point...after stage 3 it asks for the debian disc to be inserted to install the wireless tools (this is not mentioned in wiki). it installed the files ok and after a reboot i continued onto the modprobe....that is were i am at present. Could it be it is not seeing my usb? i have tried it in various sl0ts and each time i get FATAL error.

my repostories are deffinatley there as i checked for deb http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports lenny-backports main contrib non-free

i have done exactly as wiki says but the error comes at modprobe.

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 10:04 AM

i noticed on booting up while it scrolled thru that it said unable to enumerate usb port.

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 10:05 AM

OK, please post your sources.list, the output of lspci and the last 10 lines of /var/log/messages after you plugged in the stick.
Have you restarted into the new kernel?

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

OK, please post your sources.list, the output of lspci and the last 10 lines of /var/log/messages after you plugged in the stick.
Have you restarted into the new kernel?

how do i do that please?

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 10:17 AM

Your sources.list is a text file, open it with a text editor copy the contents and place it between code-tags in your post.
Sorry, I made a mistake, we need the output of lsusb, not lspci. Just run that command and copy/paste the output between code-tags in your post.
The easiest way to get the contents of /var/log/messages is to type dmesg in a terminal. Then copy/paste the last 10-15 lines into you post (between code-tags).

Note: Do that after you unplugged and plugged in the stick again. To get code-tags just press the #-button above the input windows.

tredegar · 09-21-2010, 10:22 AM

Quote:

how do i do that please?

In a terminal, type the following, or just copy & paste it into a terminal

Code:

echo sources:              >  file.txt
cat /etc/apt/sources.list  >> file.txt
echo lsusb:                >> file.txt
lsusb                      >> file.txt
# now plug in your stick, wait 20 sec.. then continue
echo messages:             >> file.txt
tail /var/log/messages     >> file.txt

Copy & paste the contents of file.txt (inside CODE tags, please ) here.

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tredegar

In a terminal, type the following, or just copy & paste it into a terminal

Code:

echo sources:              >  file.txt
cat /etc/apt/sources.list  >> file.txt
echo lsusb:                >> file.txt
lsusb                      >> file.txt
# now plug in your stick, wait 20 sec.. then continue
echo messages:             >> file.txt
tail /var/log/messages     >> file.txt

Copy & paste the contents of file.txt (inside CODE tags, please ) here.

NO, you should plug in the stick before lsusb.

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 10:36 AM

before i do that i have just noticed the 2.6.32 kernel is not present

aptitude -t lenny-backports install linux-image-2.6-$(uname -r | sed 's,.*-,,') firmware-ralink wireless-tools
says couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "firmware-ralink"

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 10:50 AM

Did you do a apt-get update after editing the sources.list? This is essential.

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 10:59 AM

yes i did but cant seem to get the 2.6.32 kernel to appear.

neil2010 · 09-21-2010, 11:14 AM

aptitude -t lenny-backports install linux-image-2.6-$(uname -r | sed 's,.*,,') firmware-ralink wireless-tools
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done
No packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 97 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.
Writing extended state information... Done
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done

GNU nano 2.0.7 file: etc/apt/sources.list

# Backported packages for Debian Lenny
deb http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports lenny-backports main contrib non-free

# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12]/ lenny contrib main

deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12]/ lenny contrib main

deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib

apt-get updateIgn cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12] lenny Release.gpg
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12] lenny/contrib Translation-en_GB
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12] lenny/main Translation-en_GB
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12] lenny Release
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12] lenny/contrib Packages/DiffIndex
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12] lenny/main Packages/DiffIndex
Hit http://security.debian.org lenny/updates Release.gpg
Ign http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/main Translation-en_GB
Ign http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/contrib Translation-en_GB
Hit http://security.debian.org lenny/updates Release
Ign http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/main Packages/DiffIndex
Ign http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/contrib Packages/DiffIndex
Ign http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/main Sources/DiffIndex
Ign http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/contrib Sources/DiffIndex
Hit http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports Release.gpg
Ign http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports/main Translation-en_GB
Hit http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/main Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/contrib Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/main Sources
Hit http://security.debian.org lenny/updates/contrib Sources
Ign http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports/contrib Translation-en_GB
Ign http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports/non-free Translation-en_GB
Hit http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports Release
Hit http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports/main Packages/DiffIndex
Hit http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports/contrib Packages/DiffIndex
Hit http://backports.debian.org lenny-backports/non-free Packages/DiffIndex
Reading package lists... Done

dpkg --list | grep linux-imageii linux-image-2.6-686 2.6.26+17+lenny1 Linux 2.6 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/P4
ii linux-image-2.6.26-2-686 2.6.26-25lenny1 Linux 2.6.26 image on PPro/Celeron/PII/PIII/

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 11:15 AM

Try this:
apt-get install linux-image-2.6-i686 if you run a 32-bit system, or
apt-get install linux-image-2.6-amd64 if you run a 64-bit system.
Please post the output if there are errors.

TobiSGD · 09-21-2010, 11:19 AM

Quote:

deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.6 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20100904-19:12]/ lenny contrib main

This can be commented out in your sources.list, it is not necessary.
By the way, you have to run apt-get update before installing a new package.