Newbie to linux needs help getting started with wifi

[mannshands]

Hi all. My only experence with linux is CD boot Mandrake from a magazine a few years back. I am an experenced WinXP user.
I dl'd and installed something called Linux Live (PCLinuxOS). The laptop is a Sony Vaio VGN-AR61M that had the hd wiped by the previous owner who was using tools beyond his skill. The bios was damaged and WindowsXP/2000 wouldnt install.
So linux is working ok but i need to set up the wifi connection. I followed the instructions on another post to enter on the command line a few letters that would display the internal wifi card info needed to go to the next step(to post info here and request help). It displayed alot of info but nothing specifically labeled wifi. That is when i realized that i didnt even know how, in linux, to copy the info onto a USB mem stick which i can plug into my other laptop that i am writing to you on now!
So i need a good linux tutorial to cover the basics AND help to get my wifi going.
I already dl'd these files from sourceforge.com: wifi-radar-1.5.4-1.scr.rpm, wifi-radar-1.5.4-1.noarch.rpm, madwifi-0.9.tar.gz and madwifi-0.9.tar.bz2 thinking i could figure this out intuitively. NOPE! So someone please get me going in this strange new world. Also what is the proper way to refer to this version of linux, and is it best for a beginner. Suggestions welcome. I have a XP laptop online for getting the help i need. Thanks!

[dijetlo]

The bios was damaged and WindowsXP/2000 wouldnt install.

Did you flash the bios?I don't mean to be a pain in your neck, but if the bios is corrupt, you may not be able to get connectivity no matter what you do.
As for moving the files, that shouldn't be a problem, just save them into a directory you know is in your stick and then when the stick mounts on the working machine you should be able to see them.

A couple of questions about your set up
Do you connect with a card or USB device?
Can you connect over ethernet ?
Run "netstat -i ' and look at the interfaces the machine sees, is the wireless network among them?

Here's the main page for your distro you might want to look at any documentation contained there as well as the HOW-TOs' built into the distro itself (as-root "find / | grep -i wireless > wireless.txt').

[buccaneere]

Waterhead seems to be the wireless resident guru here:
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/wir...tart-here.html

There's a good how-to for Ubuntu wireless here:
HOWTO: Wireless Security - WPA1, WPA2, LEAP, etc. - Ubuntu Forums
Some steps might not apply, and codestrings for some commands might vary, but it will get you further along to the connection.

I also have PCLOS on 2 machines. One has successfully auto-configured for an Atheros wireless card; another machine I'm still working on (BCM4311).

[mannshands]

Yes ethernet works fine. Have internal wifi, An IEEE 802.11a(5GHz bandwidth).
When scanning distribution assistance i never see PCLinux among them. Is it refered to by another name?
RE:netstat results, i see info lines for eth0 and lo only.
Recovery progs(used several inc. Vaio's own plus several from "Her*n's boot cd") say Bios unrecoverable. Was orig. a Vista home basic OS. Sony says Vista Vaio's won't allow XP/2000 and workarounds are way difficult and often unstable according to the forum posters on *****geek.com. Certainly don't want Vista.
Thanks

[dijetlo]

OK, I'm a slackware zombie, so you may not have the same files in the same places as I do. Your looking for the proc directory off of root ("/" ) in there you may find wireless, net/wireless or even network/wireless. Take a look and let me know what you see in wireless file (if you have a /proc/wireless) you can pipe it into a more or vi it.
You should read the Howtos' bucaneere posted for you as well, that will help you make sense out of what your looking at.

[mannshands]

Looked in usr, no proc folder.
Am following waterheads wifi alalysis instructions from Bucaneers suggestion. Info is at my post at wireless topic. THX