Configuring a rtl8187b wireless card on a Toshiba Satellite A215-s5802 in Ubuntu 7.10
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Configuring a rtl8187b wireless card on a Toshiba Satellite A215-s5802 in Ubuntu 7.10
I am entirely new to everything linux, so it's entirely possible that my troubles hinge on what would qualify for common sense to most folks here.
I have successfully installed ubuntu 7.10 in a dual boot with vista, have successfully gotten updates and some great programming apps for java and c++, have even tweaked my ati graphics card to running at full everything in ubuntu, but I have not been able to get my wireless card up and running.
It is recognized as a device in device manager. I have tried (and sometimes succeeded in) loading realtek's windows driver with ndiswrapper, sometimes after adding the line
%RTL8187B.DeviceDesc% = RTL8187B.ndi, USB\VID_0BDA&PID_8197&REV_0200
under the IDs for 98se/me/2k/xp section of that drivers .inf file. When the driver does load, neither iwlist nor iwconfig nor network manager appear to notice my wireless card. I've also tried using the modified driver found at cuervo's datanorth blog, but I get a slew of invalid pointer and other errors when running its initial makedrv script.
I was hoping to keep my first post from sporting that moldy patina of newbie frustration/desperation, but after a week of struggling with it, the only dint I have made is in my liqour cabinet.
Please let me if there's any other information I can post to help you help me, and thank you.
I think this might show some of the problem, but I don't quite understand it.
Code:
erasmus@librum-mobus:~$ sudo ndiswrapper -m
module configuration contains directive install usb:v0BDAp8187d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip* /sbin/modprobe ndiswrapper
;you should delete that at /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper-1.9 line 790, <MODPROBE> line 249.
module configuration contains directive install usb:v0BDAp8189d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip* /sbin/modprobe ndiswrapper
;you should delete that at /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper-1.9 line 790, <MODPROBE> line 250.
module configuration contains directive install usb:v0BDAp8197d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip* /sbin/modprobe ndiswrapper
;you should delete that at /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper-1.9 line 790, <MODPROBE> line 251.
module configuration already contains alias directive
I just purchased a Toshiba Equium A210 with same internal usb chipset. I, too, am stuggling to get it working, and thus have held off beginning my dual boot with Vista until I am sure I can get wireless working. However, I have come across and extensive thread in the Ubuntu forum dedicated just to this particular wireless chipset. I will be trying some of the things described in this thread. The link is here:
When you download and extract it, open up the Win98 subdirectory and go to the section that says IDs for 98Se/ME/2K/XP. These two lines should be there
I'm not sure if this is a continuation of my driver issues or a separate thiung, but Ubuntu's Network Manager seems to be having some issues with my router's WEP encryption. Network Manager sees the network just fine, but does not want to accept the WEP 64-bit hexadecimal key. Everytime I enter it, Network Manager comes back asking for a 128-bit passphrase.
Is this a driver issue or a Network Manager issue or a user ignorance issue?
Thanks for all the help so far. This is quite a forum.
I don't know, but Ubuntu seems to have trouble with wireless of any description. I know there are people galore who have it working with a number of different chipsets, but not me. I have been using the live cd to test every thing on this laptop with Ubuntu. Since I could not get the internal USB wireless recognized, I bought a cheap Belkin USB stick and Ubuntu recognized it and even tried to connect to my home router. It would not. Further, I don't any encryption set so it is set to "key off". Still would not connect.
I have Ubuntu on my Desktop (does not use wireless) and everything is beautiful, so I had intended to put it on this new laptop as a dual boot, but I don't believe this is going to work for me. I have tried a number of live cd's to test it and the only one I could get this cheap Belkin stick to work on was Mandriva One. Obviously, I cannot try the fixes in the thread I sent until I have something installed.
Also, NO distro seems to like the ATI SB600 Azalia chipset for sound in this laptop as NONE of the more than a dozen I have tried haver produced a single sound. The closet I came was with Fedora 9 Beta Live cd, which correctly ID'd the chipset, but still never produced a note.
Also, I cam curious about the line you said to add in your above post. It is an exact copy of the previous lines. Is this correct?
I am willing to put what work I have to to get all of this up and running, but this may be the first computer I have ever seen that cannot be set up completely with Linux.
I can feel for you on the sound issue, though mine is a realtek.
As for the line addition, they are all very similar, but the last 81xx number of each line is different. The line you add has the permutation 8197, which seems to be part of or all of the identifying number ubuntu gives to this wireless card.
I'm going to fool around with getting my recognized wireless card to successfully chat my wireless router. If/when I figure it out, I'll post it in here.
Thanks forthe tip on the line changes in the win98 .inf file. Loaded it with ndiswrapper (version 1.52), SHAZAAAM! Got wireless on boot! The signel is not as strong as with the cheap USB stick, but at least all the loaded hardware in this laptop now works. As a matter of fact, there is a volume control wheel in the front of the laptop that DID NOT work in Vista, but does in Ubunutu Hardy.
hi there ive got the canadian version of the laptop your having trouble with and the only distro ive found to get sound wireless with some configuration is mandriva 2008.1 just figured id let you guys know about it considering its the only thing that works and even the compiz runs perfectly
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobNutfield
Hi
I don't know, but Ubuntu seems to have trouble with wireless of any description. I know there are people galore who have it working with a number of different chipsets, but not me. I have been using the live cd to test every thing on this laptop with Ubuntu. Since I could not get the internal USB wireless recognized, I bought a cheap Belkin USB stick and Ubuntu recognized it and even tried to connect to my home router. It would not. Further, I don't any encryption set so it is set to "key off". Still would not connect.
I have Ubuntu on my Desktop (does not use wireless) and everything is beautiful, so I had intended to put it on this new laptop as a dual boot, but I don't believe this is going to work for me. I have tried a number of live cd's to test it and the only one I could get this cheap Belkin stick to work on was Mandriva One. Obviously, I cannot try the fixes in the thread I sent until I have something installed.
Also, NO distro seems to like the ATI SB600 Azalia chipset for sound in this laptop as NONE of the more than a dozen I have tried haver produced a single sound. The closet I came was with Fedora 9 Beta Live cd, which correctly ID'd the chipset, but still never produced a note.
Also, I cam curious about the line you said to add in your above post. It is an exact copy of the previous lines. Is this correct?
I am willing to put what work I have to to get all of this up and running, but this may be the first computer I have ever seen that cannot be set up completely with Linux.
hi there ive got the canadian version of the laptop your having trouble with and the only distro ive found to get sound wireless with some configuration is mandriva 2008.1 just figured id let you guys know about it considering its the only thing that works and even the compiz runs perfectly
Hi, to everyone.
I must disagree with xx-iceman-xx because I have a TOSHIBA A215 SP4057 and now I'm an Ubuntu 8.10' happy user.
The story begins three weeks ago, when I installed Ubuntu 7.10 and only device that doesn't work was my WiFi net card. I tried the original driver, the driver modified by Cuervo and, finally, ndiswrapper with the Windows XP 64 bits driver.
So, a few days later i upgrade to the next version of Ubuntu (8.04) and then, my wireless card work one day and not the other. Afterwards, I read in Ubuntu forums (I cant' found the thread but is out there) that apparently my WiFi card will work in Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) and when I made a clean install of Intrepid, guess what, the WiFi works seamlessly. And that's true for all the devices installed in my machine.
So folks, you must upgrade your Ubuntu installation to 8.10 and by the way, I will install Debian Lenny (5.0) in a virtual machine to see what happens and then I will post the results of such experiment.
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