how do i install an ethernet driver with no internet connection

[Grizzdom]

Hi

i am new to linux and a complete novice! i have installed ubuntu 10.10 on a hand me down computer and put a new network card in it (planet ENW 9503) i have managed to locate a linux driver for it from planet.com but i have no idea how to get it to work i have tried a few things it says to do in terminal but i really dont know what im doing and im getting nowhere can some one please Help!!! everything i have looked up needs an internet connection?

[Rubberman]

There is a good chance that this card will work out-of-the-box. Most current network card drivers are already built either directly into the kernel, or as loadable modules which are activated on boot when the hardware is interrogated. Have you tried? If it still isn't working, then go to a command line and execute the command "sudo lspci", posting the output of that here.

[Grizzdom]

Hi

Thanks for your help this is what i get!

dave@dave-Dimension-8200:~/src/ndiswrapper-1.56$ sudo lspci
[sudo] password for dave:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82850 850 (Tehama) Chipset Host Bridge (MCH) (rev 04)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82850 850 (Tehama) Chipset AGP Bridge (rev 04)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801BA ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 04)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801BA IDE U100 Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM USB Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM SMBus Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.4 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM USB Controller #1 (rev 04)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 MX 420] (rev a3)
02:08.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 0a)
02:08.1 Input device controller: Creative Labs SB Live! Game Port (rev 0a)
dave@dave-Dimension-8200:~/src/ndiswrapper-1.56$

[Grizzdom]

HI

sorry not quite sure what you meant by,

Most current network card drivers are already built either directly into the kernel, or as loadable modules which are activated on boot when the hardware is interrogated. Have you tried?,

its quite an old card i have been given.

[Rubberman]

Well, assuming this is a PCI bus card, and not a usb dongle, then it isn't showing up on the list, which means that it isn't talking to the computer hardware appropriately. It should at least show up there, even if there isn't a driver installed for it. Is this a PCI/PCI-Express card, or is it an ISA (older style) card?

[Grizzdom]

sorry how will i know? if i take it out and look.

[Rubberman]

On most newer systems, there may or may not be an ISA card slot, for older hardware devices. Usually it is the last slot on the motherboard, furthest away from the power supply. They are 16-bit slots, and generally will be of a different color than the PCI slots. The PCI electrical contacts that plug into the slot are narrower as well than the ISA card contacts. The thing is, is that ISA cards don't talk to the system like the newer PCI cards to, and you have to configure their interrupts and I/O ports separately. Then, you have to go into the BIOS and configure it so that the BIOS can tell the system about the interrupts and I/O ports or DMA addresses the card will use so the operating system can assign other interrupts and such as needed to the PCI cards.

Ok. I know I am getting a bit technical here... Best case? Get a more mainstream network card for the system. They don't cost much.

Never mind. I just looked up (Googled) this card. It is a PCI card. Is there another slot in the motherboard you can plug it in to?

[Grizzdom]

hi

have just tried it in another slot and ran Lspci and got exactly the same output!

i have just noticed that there is a small connector on the card like a little trhree pin plug should this have something connected to it?

[Grizzdom]

right ok!!! i dont know much but im guessing thats not good? ok i have a D-link wireless stick any chance you can help me get that up and running it gets detected but wont connect any ideas?

[Rubberman]

Plug the dongle into the system, then boot. Login and go to System->Administration->Additional Drivers. It will look for aditional drivers for your wireless hardware. If the D-Link is using a Broadcom chip set (a lot do), then you should see an entry for a wireless driver to install. Give that a try. I had to do that with my laptop running 10.10.