For starters, I have joined so many linux forums that I can't remember which ones I have joined and which ones I haven't.

I am having one hell of a time getting my wifi working on my linux box. I am running Debian Sarge. I have installed wireless tools (or I tried at least), ndiswrapper, and the drivers listed for my version. I have followed the destructions on the ndiswrapper website up to the point where I am supposed to type "modprobe ndiswrapper". When I do this, I get an error saying "modprobe: module ndiswrapper not found" or something close to this. I have no idea where to go from here and if anyone could help me out here I would appreciate it.

That error usually means something went horribly wrong with the compile process. Did anything happen when you ran make or make install?

Thanks for the quick reply!

To answer your question, I have no idea! I have had so much trouble along the way that I really don't remember what went wrong and how. Would it be easier to start over with the debian package of wireless tools and ndiswrapper and go from there? If so what do I need to do to get back to a clean install (do I need to uninstall and how)?

Travis

Modprobe is something that can only be done as root.

Open a console
Type su
Type the root password
Then type modprobe ndiswrapper

Also, http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...iewcat&catid=1 has several Linksys howtos - I have found them to be helpful.

I was root when I attempted to modprobe ndiswrapper... I will check out the link later on though.

The wireless tools I'm not so worried about (at least at this point) but it might be a good idea to start over on the ndiswrapper bit. For this I would actually start with the source code from ndiswrapper rather than the debian package. The reason I'm suggesting that is that if the debain package was compilied against a different kernel than you are using, it will cause problems. If you've found the ndiswrapper wiki site, I would follow those instructions on removing the existing install of ndiswrapper, and then go through the install and post any errors. Also, be sure to have the kernel source code installed. Ndiswrapper needs that to compile. If it isn't already installed (in /usr/src), then you should be able to find the debian package on the CDs or at the debian site. Be sure to install the version that matches your kernel version exactly.

Another way to go would be change gears, and install a different Debian distro that picks up all that stuff automatically. One example that I now use is SimplyMEPIS (here) which has ndiswrapper all installed and has picked up without hassle the wireless cards I have tried on it so far.

I personally hate repeatedly screwing around with the wireless card thing--there's so much else I want to do with and learn about Linux--and so have kept changing distros until I found one that just worked and left me alone.

Ok plan A - Try to get what I have working. I will follow the instructions posted on the ndiswrapper website on uninstalling everything. How do I check to see if I have the kernel source code has been installed? And do I just start from the beginning of the directions with the ndiswrapper source code?

Plan B - Which distro would be a good version for a beginner that I can use wifi on (easily) but still have a powerful enough distro to keep me busy for a while?

If I were you, Iwould download the live CD of SimplyMEPIS and a couple of other distros (check out LQ's site), see which ones run wifi w/o trouble on your machine, and install the one of those you like the best. Almost all of them will give you more than enough power to keep you busy for a couple of years.

But hey, everyone has their own preference for pain...

Have a look in /usr/src, there should be a directory there either named linux, or linux-kernelversionnumber. If there isn't anything there, you don't have your source code installed. Note that most distro's dont' install the source code by default.

Yeah, that would good. If you haven't seen it, ndiswrapper has Sarge specific instructions that include compiling from source.

Jerry, Thanks for your input... except there isn't a linux that I DO like at this point - but I'm not planning on giving up quite yet.

Can anyone narrow down the distro's to a couple that are easy to install, easy to set up wireless lan and that have a gui installed with them?

As for re-doing the ndiswrapper install, I am leaning towards going with another distro, but I may try to get it working before doing so - and if I some how screw up and fix this problem, I may just keep ol' debian around a while longer...

Sounds good. For the record, SimplyMEPIS is a Debian-based distro...

You should be aware that wireless is currently a bit of a mess in Linux, and there isn't a single distro that is significantly better than another in this regard. The main issue is that many wireless card makers don't offer any linux support and distro-hopping doesn't solve that particular problem. For the cards that do have linux support, the support tends to be kernel based, not distro based. If you're not happy with Debian, or simply want to try something else, fine. But don't switch in hopes of finding wireless nirvana, because it simply isn't out there.

That makes sense, so do you recommend sticking with Debian and just working through the wireless problem, or is there a better (more powerful/user friendly) distro that you would recommend for a noobie?

As far as power goes, it really depends on how you define "power". Me, I'm one of those freaks of nature that actually LIKES a command line, so Slackware works well for me. Debian is a well-tested distro with lots of help available even if it isn't the most new-user friendly, and the fact that you've got it installed is a big plus. Unbuntu seems to be developing a reputation as a good first distro and Mandrake has a well-deserved reputation as an easier to use distro. Jerry's suggestion of Mepis is a good one too, however if you plan on getting wireless up and running, working with a live CD distro may not be the best approach. Wireless frequently involves a lot of tinkering and that can be more difficult to repeat and keep working on a CD-based distro.

My opinion is that people make a bigger deal of the differences between distro's than is warranted. When you actually start doing stuff instead of tinkering, the differences tend to fade into the background. Personally, if I had Debian up and running, I would stick with that. However, if you're still in the early stages of installation and you're seriously concerned about initial ease of use, Unbuntu or Mandrake would be worth a look.