Suse Linux 9.1 Personal Problem. Please Help
uk.sp...@gmail.com
complete newbie to the whole linux thing, so help would be great on
this matter.
1: The wireless network adapter is in PCI slot 3 and is a Linksys
WAG54G
2: Windows Can Pick It up, but linux cant, why not
3: How do i get linux to find it and get the settings so that i can
connect to the internet using linux insted of WinXp Pro
PLEASE HELP ME
i will need a step by step on how to do this, PLEASE HELP ME.
Regards
Spencer
Rob
uk.sp...@gmail.com
what do i do?
ecadre
Hi,
The WAG54G seems to be a router, we need to know what the wireless card
fitted inside your computer is.
However, it's quite likely that you will need to use Ndiswrapper to get
a Windows driver working.
You might like to try out this link:
http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/2004/04/pohletz_ndiswrapper.html
Andrew
Paul
> i have got suse 9.1 personal and cant setup my internet. I am a
> complete newbie to the whole linux thing, so help would be great on
> this matter.
>
> 1: The wireless network adapter is in PCI slot 3 and is a Linksys
> WAG54G
> 2: Windows Can Pick It up, but linux cant, why not
> 3: How do i get linux to find it and get the settings so that i can
> connect to the internet using linux insted of WinXp Pro
I'm not sure Suse 9.1 has any built-in support for wireless G cards; I
know that Suse 8.2, which I run, does not. You might want to consider
doing what I did to get my wireless B card working (the wireless B
support in Suse 8.2 wouln't work with the chipset on my Linksys WMP-11
wireless card), which is purchase (about $20) and install "driverloader"
from Linuxant
(http://www.linuxant.com/driverloader/?PHPSESSID=bd094f2adb3b62e683074b1196b48bb1).
Hardcore linux users don't like this solution, because it works by
allowing the installation and use of the native Windows XP drivers that
come with your network card. But, the solution worked for me and I'm
happy with it.
BTW. even after I got Suse to load the windows drivers and recognize my
wireless card, I still had to tweak the setup a bit (manually assign IP
address and routing information) to get connected. For some reason (in
8.2 at least) Yast wasn't able to configure the setup automatically,
even after my wireless network card was recognized by the system (my
card showed up onYast, and I was never able to configure the card so it
properly starts up - I have to run a script to reinitialize the network
- I think the problem has to do with the fact that I have an onboard
wired ethernet interface plus the wireless card, which requires me after
bootup to manually shut down the wired interface, start up the wireless
interface, and set the gateway routing).
Good luck!
ac
I think I recall that 9.1 *personal* does not have much pre-installed
network facilty, if any. It could be downloaded, and added, but as a
recent newbie myself, it is not something I could have done.
9.1 professional (which can be downloaded and isnstalled via ftp free
for example) has good network stuff included, but its is said to be that
convenient for wireless.
9.2 professional - I am starting to use this on a couple of installs (it
is also ftp installed free) (and on a magazine cover too) has much
better wireless suport. But - wireless success with linux is only just
now becoming easier, as the drivers get covered. 9.2 has (easily
downloaded) support for
Prism GT wlan cards, ACX100 wlan cards, Centrino wlan cards, Amtel wlan
cards (usb?)
I note that the WAG54G includes 4 wired ports, in addition to its
wireless capability.
I know it may not be your desire, but, at least for starters it might be
useful to go for the wired option, even if this means temporarily adding
a (wired) network card. And give suse 9.2 some thought?
--
AlanC
uk.sp...@gmail.com
thats the problem , should i download suse 9.2 pro then?
ecadre
get the WMP54G card going under 9.1 by using Ndiswrapper.
You can point Suse 9.1 Personal at the 9.1 Professional repositories
and it will work perfectly well.
Go into YAST and choose "Change source of installation" and add a new
site (I usually one of the ftp sites).
Put in:
Servername: ftp.suse.com
Directory on server: pub/suse/i386/9.1
Put a cross against "Anonymous" for the login authentication.
This uses the main Suse servers, it would probably be better if you
found a mirror nearer to you:
http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/downloads/ftp/int_mirrors.html
This is assuming that you are using a "intel based" PC architecture,
but I'm making this assumption since you seem to be a Windows user.
Of course this also means that you intially need to connect to the
internet using an ethernet cable plugged into your router.
You can then use "Install and remove software" to install Ndiswrapper.
Refer to the link I mentioned above to see an explanation of how to
install wireless cards using Ndiswrapper. It's far better than anything
I could do :-).
Go to the link mentioned near the top of that page to find the
downloads for your card.
uk.sp...@gmail.com
programs on linux for one
Ndiswrapper is what? hacking tool
ecadre
Click on the K menu (as a Windows user you may call it the "Start
menu"). I'm assuming that you're using the KDE desktop.
Go up to the system group on the menu and then click on YaST.
You will have to provide your root password (which you will have set
when installing SUSE) and then YaST will start.
When it starts, "software" will be highlighed on the left hand side,
you will then need to click on the "Install and remove software" icon.
this brings up a dialog in which you can survey all of the software
installed on your computer, and install new programmes.
There is a pull-down list which you can use for differnet views of the
lists of software packages. The "Search" option is a good one which you
can use to make a search for "Ndiswrapper".
When you want to install new software, make sure that either your
installation disc is in the machine , or that you have entered a new
installation source as described above.
It's all pretty automatic, after you have found the package that you
want (Ndiswrapper in this case), tick the box next to it and click on
the accept button in the bottom right hand corner.
Ndiswrapper should not need anything else to be installed to make it
work, so YaST will go straight through and install it.
Ndiswrapper is not a hacking tool, it should be thought of as a wrapper
that wraps itself round the windows driver so that it can be used in
Linux. You don't need to know how it works, just which string of
instructions to give it to make it work.
uk.sp...@gmail.com
the ineternet via linux then or does it start up automaticly. I
thought migrating to linux was going to be easy.
ecadre
Think of the process in this way.
You will be installing Ndiswrapper onto your computer, loading the
Windows driver into Ndiswrapper, and then putting the details of
yourwireless network into your computer.
This is done with a mixture of a console text prompt and YaST as
explained at
http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/2004/04/pohletz_ndiswrapper.html
uk.sp...@gmail.com
everything on linux and its best i av an internet connection for help
ecadre
Yes, mostly it is easy, what you've hit upon is one of the slightly
more complicated areas for "normal" users. Ethernet has been around for
at least 25 years (?) and pretty much works out of the box. Wireless
stuff is all over the place at the moment, with some cards very well
supported and others being a bit more complicated.
the whole thing is muddied by the fact that many manufacturers do not
release any specifications for their cards and use a variety of
different chipsets for what seems to be the same product. All they do
is release a Windows driver and everyone seems to think that Windows is
great at recognising hardware.... hmmm.
Linksys seem to be using a number of different chipsets on their
wireless cards.
Many manufacturers are getting better at supporting Linux, but it can
be hit and miss if you don't check before you buy. If I were to be
blunt, I would say that this is not a problem actually created by
Linux, but maybe I'm being uncharitable since many people come across
to Linux with the equipment they already have.
Personally I've found SUSE to be one of the better distributions
dealing with wireless cards and I regularly use a wireless pcmcia card
using the Realtek RTL8180 chipset which works very well with
Ndiswrapper.
Your wireless router will basically work with any wireless card, so you
could change to a cheap one that is directly supported by SUSE.
ecadre
realised that I never booted into Windows for anything anymore and got
rid of it.
Take it a step at a time, at your own pace, things will start to fall
into place.
uk.sp...@gmail.com
to take this linksys WMP54G card. If its not too much trouble at all.
Please make it simple and easy if you can. Thankyou. Also i understand
linux cannot play dvds. Is this true?
ecadre
I'll have a go, but it will take a day or so (a bit of checking and
writing and all that), and right now here in England it's way past my
bedtime ....... zzzzzzzzz
The dvd thing sounds a bit complicated, but I'll have a go.
Playing a dvd in itself is not a problem, there are several programmes
that can be installed on GNU/Linux systems that will play dvd's.
But, and this is the big one, commercial dvd's (the pre-recorded ones
from the shops) are encrypted. This encryption is different for
different regions of the world and the manufacturers have tried to keep
it secret.
Windows XP for example cannot play encrypted CD's "out of the box". It
has to rely on third party software that is either installed by the PC
manufacturer or bought by the end user.
A few years back people were able to crack the encryption meaning that
you are able to play perfectly legal dvd's that you have bought on
equipment that you own, eg. on Linux.
Unfortunately, the exact legal position is a bit of a grey area, so
distributers like SUSE do not supply the codecs for playing encrypted
dvd's.
However, the news is good for SUSE users, as we can simply install
mplayer with the right codecs. This means dvd's, along with virtually
every other media format, will play.
Just follow these instructions:
Go to the Packman website;
http://packman.links2linux.org
Here you will find mplayer and the codecs to play all sorts of media
including encrypted dvd's.
The first thing to install are the Windows codecs. The package for SSUE
9.1 is on this page;
http://packman.links2linux.org/index.php4?action=046&vn=2
Download the file "w32codec-all-20050216-0.pm.0.i386.rpm" by right
clicking on the link and choosing "save link as".
Choose a place in your home directory to save the file. When it's
downloaded use Konqueror to go to the directory and click on the file.
Konqueror will open the file and there will be a button saying "Install
package with YaST".
Clicking on the button will open YaST (you will have to supply your
root password) and install the package.
Next go to the Packman mplayer download page at;
http://packman.links2linux.org/index.php4?action=128&vn=2
Choose either package "a" or "b" depending on the your computer cpu. If
in doubt go for package "a" as it will play on newer computers as well.
Go through the same procedure as for the previous package, ie. download
and install using Konqueror.
You will now be able to play encrypted dvd's on your SUSE box.
You may also want to install the three packages mentioned at the bottom
of the mplayer page. They will allow mplayer to play some other
formats, but more significantly the Lame package includes software for
encoding mp3 files. It is referenced by other Linux software for
encoding mp3's.
I hope that's useful..... goodnight :-)
William A. Statt
ac
> do i have to start this program up everytime i want to get access to
> the ineternet via linux then or does it start up automaticly.
You arrange that it is automatic, as a normaal part of the installation
process
> I thought migrating to linux was going to be easy.
By the chance of choosing both 9.1 (personal) and wireless together, it
is much more complicated than it would be with say, 9.2 and a wired
connection(!)
I would still be recommending a wired connection for you anyway at least
initially - it is *much* easier. All of my installs are on a network
with random network cards, to a router, similar to yours. And without
fail, the install processs automatically went online! It is one of the
things which still happily surprises me :-)
I would not say that migrating even to dos (at the time) was easy. I
would tear my hair out sometimes.
On the Sinclair Spectrum 16k 'computer' (UK) I remember buying a casette
tape of a 'spreadsheet' program, and spending *hours* trying to make
head or tail of it.
Same with windows 3, and 95 and 98. But by then I was beginning to get
the hang of it more......
I hated the effort I had to go to to use much of xpee.
I must have spent a good amount of my life trying to get used to some
new computer system, most of them based on making some elses business
happy, without a lot of visibililty to me, the user.
The relatively small effort linux is needing from me to get to use it
comfortably is more than worth it.
Keep in mind that linux is not fronted by a large, wealthy, business,
but exists and survives from people wanting it and to make it work well.
They all use it reliably to do what they want to.
hope that is useful
btw - where are you located in the world?
--
AlanC
houghi
> i will need a step by step on how to do this, PLEASE HELP ME.
Lesson 1. Learn to quote. You will have more people trying to help you
if you do that. I and several other will not help people who do not
quote correctly.
--
houghi Please to not toppost http://houghi.org
My experience with SUSE
You can have my keyboard ...
if you can pry it from my dead, cold, stiff fingers
ac
> ok, ive got this ndiswrapper program thingi and installed it. What do
> i do next to get the Linksys WMP54G to work.
you *did* ask:
google ndiswrapper installation yields
http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/phpwiki/index.php/Installation
hth
--
AlanC
uk.sp...@gmail.com
i do next to get the Linksys WMP54G to work.
PLEASE HELP ME
uk.sp...@gmail.com
uk.sp...@gmail.com
ac
mmm.
I have chosen not to use ndiswrapper at present, although I probably
could, given the time. My experience and free time at present makes it
prudent for me to take the simpler route - of getting (in my case) a
wireless card which uses one of the several chipsets that suse 9.2 supports!
So, I am sorry to say that I cannot assist further.
(You do remember perhaps that it was I who suggested thinking ethernet
cable, at least temporarily?)
good luck with it
--
AlanC
uk.sp...@gmail.com
without my parents killing me?
if i did manage to get an ethernet cable (providing im still alive) is
it plug and play?
houghi
uk.sp...@gmail.com
and guess what, it worked YES IT WORKED.
any good programs to download guys. Please contact me on
uk.sp...@gmail.com
Brian
> uk.sp...@gmail.com wrote:
>> i have installed the ndiswrapper, what do i do next?
>>
>
> <plonk>
>
Heh. At this rate my killfile will soon be busy filtering:
User-Agent: G2/0.2
It seems that the ability to quote is surgically removed once a poster
starts with this G2 crap?
B.
--
Experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes
instead of old ones.
ac
Well done!
--
AlanC
ac
-Maybe out of the window?
-When they are out and removed before they return?
-Tell them it is 'art'
-offer them linux downstairs for themselves?
-do the housework?
If all else fails, under the carpet, near the wall.........
--
AlanC
ac
> thanks ac, i got my xbox live wireless game adapter and plugged it in,
> and guess what, it worked YES IT WORKED.
>
> any good programs to download guys
First allow it to do an
'online update' for the latest patches etc
yast
online update
btw
once you find your feet with suse, it would be useful to look in yast
hardware information network etc to see what chipset the wireless
adapter is using - for reference of others?
--
AlanC
uk.sp...@gmail.com
applications to download. Anyone know any p2p programs to download for
Suse?
im going to have to stick with my xbox live wireless game adapter until
i get the WMP54G actually working without doing that ndiswrapper thing.