NdisWrapper installation help needed, PLEASE!

[lhm]

Hi to everyone!
I am relatively new to Linux. It is very exciting but I am getting so frustrated I am prepared to give up. Every time i get a little bit closer (or so it seems) but it just doesn't go to plan for me. I think I have tried following every tutorial and advice available, I spent weeks trying to do this now, and I swear, I checked the forums on this website and tried lots of solutions! Someone, please help me... or I think I'll give up on Linux.

I have Debian 2.4.27 on my IBM 390X laptop. I need to install NdisWrapper to get my wireless NIC working. I understand you need kernel sources to do that. What I did so far is:

1. I have downloaded linux-2.4.27.tar.gz and extracted it into the /usr/src folder.

2. There was no directory /lib/modules/2.4.27-3-386/build so I created it.

3. Then I did ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.4.27 /lib/modules/2.4.27-3-386/build

4. Downloaded ndiswrapper-1.31 and extracted it.

5. Ran "make distclean" in the ndiswrapper-1.31 folder, which seemed to have run smoothly.

6. Then I was supposed to do “make” which returned the error “can’t find kernel build files in /lib/modules/2.4.27-3-386/build;” "make install" returned the same error. So the kernel build files are still missing despite me going through all the steps described above.

I think I was supposed to compile kernel which I think I did by running “make menuconfig”, and it took me about half an hour to go through setting all options. NdisWrapper still does not install, coming back with the same error as described in 6. It took me weeks to get to this point and every time I think I am there, I find out that I'm not! I really can't find any more information on what to do. Please help, or point me in the right direction guys. Thanks, everyone.

[antidrugue]

Which wireless card is that ?

NDISWRAPPER is not necessarily required.

The fact that you are using Debian Sarge (using recent software when dealing with wireless does help) and a 2.4 kernel does not help.

You could simply use a 2.6 kernel and not compile anything :

apt-get install linux-image-2.6.8-3-686
apt-get install ndiswrapper-modules-2.6.8-3-686
apt-get install ndiswrapper-utils

Then you should be good to go.

Debian has packages for just about anything. You should almost never have to compile anything, certainly not an utility as common as NDISWRAPPER.

[lhm]

Thanks for a quick reply, will do as you advised. The card is Belkin F5D7050 USB adapter.

[antidrugue]

Good, post back if you have any issue.

[lhm]

You truly are a "guru"!!! I thought there was no help out there. Thank you so much, all installed and Ndis-Wrapped! Just have to get the actual adapter going now. I was starting to wonder myself, it shouldn't be so difficult to do such a simple thing. Thanks again. LHM