Please HELP New to Ubuntu can't get Wireless WORKING@!

[newt]

You'll get the most support from this community if you use a version of VL, particularly VL6 (either Light, Standard Gold, or the upcoming SOHO). As nightflier said, you're not getting much support on the Ubuntu forums right now and if you can't get wireless working it's likely you'll abandon using linux altogether.  Before that happens, I think it would be worth your time to give VectorLinux a go.  My personal recommendation would be VL 6 Standard Gold, but if your machine has older specs then VL 6 Light might be a better route.  Regardless, either one should serve you well and you'll get the most support from this community.

Nightflier's link above for 'VL6.0 Light LIVE' should be: http://vectorlinux.osuosl.org/veclinux-6.0/iso-release/VL6.0-Light-LIVE-Final.iso
NOTE: This is a live version (i.e. runs from CD). I  personally think that a regular installable version (Standard Gold or Light Final) would be a better choice.

Last, your usb wireless device will be tough to get working and I base this on the fact that nothing pops up in a search engine indicating that anyone has ever got this device working.  It would be beneficial to determine the exact chipset of your device as this will help determine the appropriate path to follow. I've _read_ that it's a broadcom usb chipset which may be a bad start, but we should try to determine this definitively.  If that's the case then on the b43 website it mentions that all broadcom usb chipsets should try the RNDIS driver.  So I then looked at this page (http://www.jooz.net/rndis/) and it indicates support for a couple other USRobotics usb wireless devices (5421, possibly 5420). The site does say this:

Basically, any wireless usb adapter using rndismp.sys and usb8023.sys drivers under windows (check your driver cd) might work with this driver.

It would be worth your time to check this out on your driver CD just to see if this is the case. This is a pretty vague path to start with but might be worth more investigation.

[frank1e]

Doesn't look like your post in the Ubuntu forum is resolving much so far. 

I may not be of much help, but a few thoughts:

In Ubuntu, you can save yourself some typing by entering "sudo su" in a terminal. Then you don't have to type "sudo" before each command. If you want to live dangerously and enable the root account, now just type "passwd" and assign a password. You can then type "su" in a regular terminal and give that password. Ubuntu advices against this, of course.

To paste into a terminal, use the paste command from the menu (other possible ways include key combination "Shift-Insert" or both mouse buttons simultaneously). You should also find a copy entry on the terminal menu.

If you have been using the scattergun approach and installing various drivers and utilities, hoping that something will eventually take, it is entirely possible that you now have software/driver/version conflicts that will be hard to resolve.

If you can connect a wired networking cable to your computer, things would be much easier. You could get on-line using Linux and work directly on it, instead of going back and forth between os's.

Try some LiveCD's and see if any of those pick up your wireless device. My obvious recommendation would be the VL6.0 Light LIVE version: http://vectorlinux.osuosl.org/veclinux-6.0/iso-release/VL6.0-Light-Final.iso

Problem is im using my neighbors wireless internet =)  So whats the difference with vector linux? Why is it so great? Im going to go on and install it and check it out. I mean until I get a network or wireless running on any copy of linux so far they will be no use to me. What Ive gone on and done is switched my wireless adapter to the computer not runing Ubuntu so I can read the internet for advice on linux while IM working on the comp with linux.  Now I just need to figure out how to make the system with linux network with the xp computer and get the internet from it that way,. Im sure theres a way to do it but I dont no how.

[frank1e]

You'll get the most support from this community if you use a version of VL, particularly VL6 (either Light, Standard Gold, or the upcoming SOHO). As nightflier said, you're not getting much support on the Ubuntu forums right now and if you can't get wireless working it's likely you'll abandon using linux altogether.  Before that happens, I think it would be worth your time to give VectorLinux a go.  My personal recommendation would be VL 6 Standard Gold, but if your machine has older specs then VL 6 Light might be a better route.  Regardless, either one should serve you well and you'll get the most support from this community.

Nightflier's link above for 'VL6.0 Light LIVE' should be: http://vectorlinux.osuosl.org/veclinux-6.0/iso-release/VL6.0-Light-LIVE-Final.iso
NOTE: This is a live version (i.e. runs from CD). I  personally think that a regular installable version (Standard Gold or Light Final) would be a better choice.

Last, your usb wireless device will be tough to get working and I base this on the fact that nothing pops up in a search engine indicating that anyone has ever got this device working.  It would be beneficial to determine the exact chipset of your device as this will help determine the appropriate path to follow. I've _read_ that it's a broadcom usb chipset which may be a bad start, but we should try to determine this definitively.  If that's the case then on the b43 website it mentions that all broadcom usb chipsets should try the RNDIS driver.  So I then looked at this page (http://www.jooz.net/rndis/) and it indicates support for a couple other USRobotics usb wireless devices (5421, possibly 5420). The site does say this:

Basically, any wireless usb adapter using rndismp.sys and usb8023.sys drivers under windows (check your driver cd) might work with this driver.

It would be worth your time to check this out on your driver CD just to see if this is the case. This is a pretty vague path to start with but might be worth more investigation.

thanks for all the info. right now im downloading vector linux gold 6.  Now.  Im trying to find those two individual sys files for download and then to try using them with my wireless adapters inf file.  Prolly wont work but Im gonna try it.  I need your help on the other part. I went to that link you provided http://www.jooz.net/rndis/rndis_wlan-snapshot-20080509.tar.gz is this what I am supposed to install in linux to try using this chipset? If thats the case do you think you could give me some brief instructions on how to do it? I can unpack all the files so that they keep theyre directory structure but then what? Only way ive learned to install anything in linux so far is debian package files =) So I dont know what to do wiht that =( Thanks!Q

[nightflier]

Thanks guys, for correcting me on the link I posted. The point behind the suggestion of trying a LiveCD is that it's a quick and easy test that does not make any changes to your computer.

Been a while since I did this, but if the XP computer that connects with the USB dongle also has a wired NIC, you should be able to set up ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) on it. Connect it to your Linux box using a crossover cable or two patch cables and a hub (router, switch).

Of course, you would still need to switch the USB device back and fort for experimenting with it.

One advantage of Vector Linux is this helpful, friendly forum.

[frank1e]

You'll get the most support from this community if you use a version of VL, particularly VL6 (either Light, Standard Gold, or the upcoming SOHO). As nightflier said, you're not getting much support on the Ubuntu forums right now and if you can't get wireless working it's likely you'll abandon using linux altogether.  Before that happens, I think it would be worth your time to give VectorLinux a go.  My personal recommendation would be VL 6 Standard Gold, but if your machine has older specs then VL 6 Light might be a better route.  Regardless, either one should serve you well and you'll get the most support from this community.

Nightflier's link above for 'VL6.0 Light LIVE' should be: http://vectorlinux.osuosl.org/veclinux-6.0/iso-release/VL6.0-Light-LIVE-Final.iso
NOTE: This is a live version (i.e. runs from CD). I  personally think that a regular installable version (Standard Gold or Light Final) would be a better choice.

Last, your usb wireless device will be tough to get working and I base this on the fact that nothing pops up in a search engine indicating that anyone has ever got this device working.  It would be beneficial to determine the exact chipset of your device as this will help determine the appropriate path to follow. I've _read_ that it's a broadcom usb chipset which may be a bad start, but we should try to determine this definitively.  If that's the case then on the b43 website it mentions that all broadcom usb chipsets should try the RNDIS driver.  So I then looked at this page (http://www.jooz.net/rndis/) and it indicates support for a couple other USRobotics usb wireless devices (5421, possibly 5420). The site does say this:

Basically, any wireless usb adapter using rndismp.sys and usb8023.sys drivers under windows (check your driver cd) might work with this driver.

It would be worth your time to check this out on your driver CD just to see if this is the case. This is a pretty vague path to start with but might be worth more investigation.

Damn guys. I got vector linux working in a program called virtual box by sun,. And I have to admit at firast glance its badass. Seems way cooler than ubuntu. But I need you guys help installing it. Dont know how! I downloaded vector linux 6 gold iso right. I mount the iso image to a virtual drive so I dont have to burn the cd. Now the instructions were telling me that I had to boot to a command line dos prompt and run some odd command like loadlin ide root=/dev/ram rw initrsd=initrd.img but everytime i goto the command prompt and do that it tells me I dont have enough memory. And says some things about emm386 and what not. Says buffer sdize to small. Can you guys possibly give me help on installing this thing? Ive got two partitions on my harddrive. And I can format one iof the partitions anyway I need it formatted. Even to a ext3 partition using partition magic. Not sure at all how rto do this looking fo rinput =)

[nightflier]

Don't make things harder than they need to be. Burn the CD, boot and install from it.

[newt]

I think what's happening when you mount the ISO to a virtual drive is that Windows is then running the CD. I assume that an autostart-type window is popping up telling you about the 'loadlin' stuff. This is if you are trying to install VL on physical hardware - you are not.

Nightfliers suggestion of burning the iso to CD is the "intended" use for the ISO and will produce the most reliable results, however you _should_ be able to use the ISO directly within virtualbox.

Once you have your CD mounted to your virtual drive you should start VirtualBox.  Make sure your virtualbox virtual machine is using your windows virtual drive as it's CDrom.  Once that is set up correctly, simply start VirtualBox and it should boot from your windows virtual drive.  If it does not, then you just need to make sure VirtualBox is set to boot from CD first (either through the VirtualBox bios or via a boot option like F10/F11/F12).

You can make the above process even easier by editing your virtual machine and setting it's cdrom to use the ISO directly - this takes the windows virtual cdrom out of the equation and utilizes the iso without having to burn to CD.

Let us know how you progress.

[ezcomputers]

gotta agree with you there.... Download vector linux and forget ubuntu....
Vector recognized the wireless in all 4 of my laptops and even in my netbook.
Ubuntu might be fine for some people, but since finding Vector whic is based on slackware (basically the original distro) I haven't looked back.  You will thank yourself or US later by sticking with Vector and learning how to administer linux.