installed ndiswrapper, still can't see wifi

**aaronak** · 10-25-2009

I installed Debian (lenny) (GNOME) last night, and I can't get the WiFi working. Everything online said to use ndiswrapper and install a driver, so that's what I did. But I still can't see any wireless networks, so I have no internet in Linux.

My computer is an XPS M1530, and the only reason you're seeing this right now is because I'm dual-booting Windows 7.

Code:

============ lspci ============
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub [8086:2a00] (rev 0c)
	Kernel modules: intel-agp
00:01.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 PCI Express Root Port [8086:2a01] (rev 0c)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1a.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 [8086:2834] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
	Kernel modules: uhci-hcd
00:1a.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 [8086:2835] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
	Kernel modules: uhci-hcd
00:1a.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 [8086:283a] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: ehci_hcd
	Kernel modules: ehci-hcd
00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller [8086:284b] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 1 [8086:283f] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 2 [8086:2841] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1c.4 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 5 [8086:2847] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport-driver
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 [8086:2830] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
	Kernel modules: uhci-hcd
00:1d.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 [8086:2831] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
	Kernel modules: uhci-hcd
00:1d.2 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 [8086:2832] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
	Kernel modules: uhci-hcd
00:1d.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 [8086:2836] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: ehci_hcd
	Kernel modules: ehci-hcd
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge [8086:2448] (rev f2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801HEM (ICH8M) LPC Interface Controller [8086:2815] (rev 02)
	Kernel modules: iTCO_wdt
00:1f.1 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) IDE Controller [8086:2850] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: PIIX_IDE
	Kernel modules: piix
00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA AHCI Controller [8086:2829] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: ahci
	Kernel modules: ahci
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) SMBus Controller [8086:283e] (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: i801_smbus
	Kernel modules: i2c-i801
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation GeForce 8600M GT [10de:0407] (rev a1)
	Kernel modules: nvidiafb
03:09.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394) [0c00]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C832 IEEE 1394 Controller [1180:0832] (rev 05)
	Kernel driver in use: ohci1394
	Kernel modules: ohci1394
03:09.1 SD Host controller [0805]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter [1180:0822] (rev 22)
	Kernel driver in use: sdhci
	Kernel modules: sdhci
03:09.2 System peripheral [0880]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C592 Memory Stick Bus Host Adapter [1180:0592] (rev 12)
03:09.3 System peripheral [0880]: Ricoh Co Ltd xD-Picture Card Controller [1180:0852] (rev 12)
09:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8040 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller [11ab:4354] (rev 12)
	Kernel driver in use: sky2
	Kernel modules: sky2
0b:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4328 802.11a/b/g/n [14e4:4328] (rev 03)
	Kernel driver in use: b43-pci-bridge
	Kernel modules: ssb

============ lsusb ============
Bus 007 Device 003: ID 03f0:2504 Hewlett-Packard 
Bus 007 Device 002: ID 1307:0165 Transcend Information, Inc. 
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 05a9:2640 OmniVision Technologies, Inc. 
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 002: ID 046d:c03d Logitech, Inc. M-BT69a Pilot Optical Mouse
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0483:2016 SGS Thomson Microelectronics Fingerprint Reader
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

============ lsmod ============
Module                  Size  Used by
isofs                  28196  1 
zlib_inflate           14176  1 isofs
nls_utf8                1760  2 
nls_cp437               5568  1 
vfat                    9152  1 
fat                    40864  1 vfat
udf                    67780  0 
nls_base                6820  6 isofs,nls_utf8,nls_cp437,vfat,fat,udf
crc_itu_t               2080  1 udf
rfcomm                 28272  0 
l2cap                  17248  5 rfcomm
bluetooth              44996  4 rfcomm,l2cap
ppdev                   6468  0 
parport_pc             22500  0 
lp                      8164  0 
parport                30988  3 ppdev,parport_pc,lp
ipv6                  235396  16 
acpi_cpufreq            6796  1 
cpufreq_userspace       3172  0 
cpufreq_stats           3776  0 
cpufreq_ondemand        6476  1 
cpufreq_powersave       1856  0 
freq_table              4224  3 acpi_cpufreq,cpufreq_stats,cpufreq_ondemand
cpufreq_conservative     5960  0 
ndiswrapper           152444  0 
sbp2                   18572  0 
loop                   12748  0 
pcspkr                  2432  0 
psmouse                32336  0 
i2c_i801                7920  0 
serio_raw               4740  0 
i2c_core               19828  1 i2c_i801
usblp                  10592  0 
uvcvideo               45800  0 
compat_ioctl32          1312  1 uvcvideo
snd_hda_intel         325688  1 
videodev               27520  1 uvcvideo
v4l1_compat            12260  2 uvcvideo,videodev
snd_pcm                62660  1 snd_hda_intel
snd_seq                41456  0 
snd_timer              17800  2 snd_pcm,snd_seq
snd_seq_device          6380  1 snd_seq
snd                    45636  7 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm,snd_seq,snd_timer,snd_seq_device
soundcore               6368  1 snd
snd_page_alloc          7816  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
video                  16464  0 
output                  2912  1 video
wmi                     6440  0 
ac                      4196  0 
button                  6096  0 
battery                10180  0 
intel_agp              22524  0 
agpgart                28808  1 intel_agp
evdev                   8000  6 
dcdbas                  6272  0 
ext3                  105576  1 
jbd                    39476  1 ext3
mbcache                 7108  1 ext3
ide_cd_mod             27684  1 
cdrom                  30176  1 ide_cd_mod
sd_mod                 22200  5 
ata_generic             4676  0 
ide_pci_generic         3908  0 [permanent]
usb_storage            77120  1 
usbhid                 35904  0 
hid                    33184  1 usbhid
ff_memless              4392  1 usbhid
ohci1394               24976  0 
ahci                   23596  2 
sdhci                  13060  0 
ieee1394               75832  2 sbp2,ohci1394
mmc_core               39964  1 sdhci
libata                140448  2 ata_generic,ahci
scsi_mod              129548  4 sbp2,sd_mod,usb_storage,libata
dock                    8304  1 libata
piix                    6568  0 [permanent]
ide_core               96168  3 ide_cd_mod,ide_pci_generic,piix
ssb                    33476  0 
pcmcia                 29548  1 ssb
pcmcia_core            31892  2 ssb,pcmcia
firmware_class          6816  1 pcmcia
sky2                   37412  0 
ehci_hcd               28428  0 
uhci_hcd               18672  0 
usbcore               118192  8 ndiswrapper,usblp,uvcvideo,usb_storage,usbhid,ehci_hcd,uhci_hcd
thermal                15228  0 
processor              32576  4 acpi_cpufreq,thermal
fan                     4196  0 
thermal_sys            10856  4 video,thermal,processor,fan

============ dmesg-firmware ============

============ kernel version ============
2.6.26-2-686

============ ifconfig ============
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:23:ae:0f:26:ab  
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
          Interrupt:16 

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:1648 (1.6 KiB)  TX bytes:1648 (1.6 KiB)


============ iwconfig ============

As I said, I've already installed ndiswrapper, and used it to install a driver for the BCM4328 chip. But the "Network Connections" screen in Linux doesn't see any networks. What do I do from here?

**waterhead** · 10-25-2009

Welcome to Linux Forums!

Your wireless uses the Broadcom-STA driver, released by Broadcom. It provides the wl driver module. You first must remove all vestiges of NDISwrapper, as it will just cause problems.

Then, Debian has a How-To for installing this driver:

wl - Debian Wiki

Make sure you get the latest version of the driver.:

Broadcom.com - 802.11 Linux STA driver

**aaronak** · 10-25-2009

Thanks for the tip. I completely removed ndiswrapper. Unfortunately, the Debian Wiki's links are out of date, so I can't follow the instructions there. I tried downloading the driver you pointed me to, and I followed the instructions in the readme. Unfortunately, I got an error there, too. It told me to run

Code:

#modprobe lib80211
# insmod wl.ko

The first command gave me the following error:

Code:

FATAL: Module lib80211 not found.

I tried running the second command anyway, and got this error:

Code:

insmod: error inserting 'wl.ko': -1 unknown symbol in module

Quite possibly fixing the first problem fixes the second, but I don't know what else I should do. modprobe wl gives the same error (the Debian Wiki said to do that).

**aaronak** · 10-25-2009

Never mind, I found the solution myself.

The driver you linked me to works. Its readme.txt file should be modified as follows:

Replace

Code:

# modprobe lib8021

with

Code:

# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_tkip

Now my WiFi works! Huzzah!

**waterhead** · 10-25-2009

Sorry for the link to the outdated instructions.

Those appear to be new instructions for building the driver. They aren't much better than the old ones, as they don't correctly instruct you to put the new driver in the correct /lib/modules/<kernel-version>/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ folder. You have found another problem with the instructions too!

Glad that you figured it out, and thank you for posting the solution to the problem.

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installed ndiswrapper, still can't see wifi

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