How to Install Intel Wireless Drivers in Kubuntu?

creature124 · 03-21-2008, 05:48 PM

Hi,

I recently realized my Intel 3945 ABG Wireless network card is not working correctly. My guess is that it has no working driver, because it is not listed with my wired ethernet card in the Restricted (Proprietary) Drivers in the Kubuntu system settings. I have downloaded a package from intellinuxwireless.com, but I have no idea how to install it. I read the README, but I couldn't make much sense of it since it seemed to deal with the Linux kernel and such, which I have no idea how to manipulate.

This is the location of the package I downloaded:
http://intellinuxwireless.org/iwlwif...e-2.14.1.5.tgz

Could someone please tell me in simple terms how to install this, or suggest an alternate solution?

Thanks,
Greg

Junior Hacker · 03-22-2008, 12:35 AM

Navigate to the directory containing the file you downloaded and issue these two commands:

Code:

sudo tar xf iwlwifi-3945-ucode-2.14.1.5.gz
cd iwlwifi-3945-ucode-2.14.1.5

You can now read the README either via a file browser or with this command:

Code:

less README.iwlwifi-3945-ucode

Basically it tells you to put the firmware in the proper place with this command:

Code:

sudo cp iwlwifi-3945.ucode /lib/firmware

Now try a re-boot and see if you can configure a wireless connection, if not, post back.

budword · 03-22-2008, 01:01 AM

Since you asked for an alternate solution, just in case you can't make the above solution work for you, I would try Linuxmint. They package many proprietary drivers into the install, just so you don't have to try this sort of stuff. Still no guarantee that it'll work for you, but it has the best chance of any linux distro, I think. Don't use the "light" version. It has all the proprietary goodies taken out. Linuxmint based on Ubuntu, and has versions with a default desktop based on fluxbox, kde, gnome, and xfce, so you can find a version that suits you. As a bonus, you won't have to do any kung fu to get mp3, dvd, or other media support, it all just works.

http://linuxmint.com/download.php

Good luck, please post back and let us know what worked for you...

David

P.S. Also, I've read that some people had success getting their wireless to work just by installing gnomes wireless manager on a kubuntu set up. This probably isn't your problem, but it's basically risk free to try, and it might work. Good luck...

creature124 · 03-22-2008, 01:36 AM

Thank you very much Junior Hacker. That worked perfectly. I took a look at the README and saw how you derived that too. I got so lost in the technical details I couldn't see what was right there in front of me.

This is why I switched to linux. There are people out there willing to help me with my idiotic little problems.

Thanks Much,
Greg

jmcwhirter · 06-05-2008, 03:56 PM

I just bought a Gateway Notebook PC Model M-6846 with 4GB RAM and a 320GB Disk Drive loaded with Vista Home Premium 64bit version OS. All works well in windows, wireless and all. I loaded Kubuntu 8.04 LTS in a separate partition and all works super except wireless connection. I managed to accomplish loading the driver from Intel per the above instructions but still can not see the access point(s), then I read that the iwlwifi-3945.ucode driver is included in the 2.6.24 and above kernels. I tried to do the ndisgtk wrapper but I can't find the Windows driver .inf using the tools. Can anyone tell me how to get there from here? There are no Windows Drivers showing and when I click on Install New Driver I can never find what I'm looking for: netw4v64.inf_102bab64 .

Junior Hacker · 06-07-2008, 12:45 AM

Yes...most of the Intel wireless drivers/modules are included with the kernel, but you need the firmware which is not included in any Linux distribution due to some legal issues of some sort. The instructions provided deal only with the firmware, not the driver/module.
I'm not sure if the 64bit part might be the issue you're stumbling on, (I doubt it).
When you run the command: sudo ifconfig you should see which device is your wireless device. If it happens to be something like: eth1, run the command: sudo iwlist eth1 scan to see if it can see any AP's.
If the ifconfig command does not show you a wireless device, then the firmware is either not present, or not working.

Hangdog42 · 06-07-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

but you need the firmware which is not included in any Linux distribution due to some legal issues of some sort.

Actually, that is no longer true for the Intel firmware at least. Their license allows the free distribution of the firmware binaries. In fact in the latest release of Slackware (12.1) the Intel firmware is included as a package. Some distros may object on the grounds that the firmware must be distributed as a binary and the source code isn't available, but that isn't a licensing issue.