Ndiswrapper Will Not Accept .INF File

Post Reply
Message
Author
jhcoles
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu 12 Feb 2009, 22:47

Ndiswrapper Will Not Accept .INF File

#1 Post by jhcoles »

The depression in the wall caused by my Linux headbanging daily grows deeper. I simply cannot get Puppy to recognise my Belkin FD6020 PCMCIA card. I have read numerous posts on the matter but cannot achieve success. Going through the Autoprobe method was unsuccesful . I then decided to attempt using ndiswrapper. I started the Wizard and got to the stage where I had to point to the relevant .inf file. This is in my Windows98 partition. I gave the location as "/mnt/sda1/Belkin/AUTORUN.INF" - which is where it assuredly is - and back comes the reply "The File Name Should End In .INF"......!! What am I supposed to make of that? The card is definitely functional - it works properly in Windows. I used the Wary-500 ISO to install but have been attempting on and off - with other versions - for about a year.
Will somebody please come to my rescue before I finally get to the hara kiri stage.

DPUP5520
Posts: 800
Joined: Wed 16 Feb 2011, 05:38

#2 Post by DPUP5520 »

What Version of the card are you using there are three seperate versions? When you attempt to use ndiswrapper copy the inf and associated sys file over to puppy first. Have you tried using the xp drivers for your pcmcia card?

User avatar
rjbrewer
Posts: 4405
Joined: Tue 22 Jan 2008, 21:41
Location: merriam, kansas

#3 Post by rjbrewer »

Three different versions of card.
Version number should be on back of card.
Should not need ndiswrapper.

http://linux-wless.passys.nl/query_part ... ame=Belkin

Inspiron 700m, Pent.M 1.6Ghz, 1Gb ram.
Msi Wind U100, N270 1.6>2.0Ghz, 1.5Gb ram.
Eeepc 8g 701, 900Mhz, 1Gb ram.
Full installs

DPUP5520
Posts: 800
Joined: Wed 16 Feb 2011, 05:38

#4 Post by DPUP5520 »

Didn't even bother to check to see if it was compatible, sometimes I feel so stupid

jhcoles
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu 12 Feb 2009, 22:47

#5 Post by jhcoles »

This is so incredibly frustrating. It's taking over my life!
Firstly the card. It has no V suffix so I asssume its V1. The drivers for this version suit all Windows varieties. I did later notice in one part of Puppy's messages that Ndiswrapper requires a .inf and a .cat file and my Windows Belkin folder ain't not got the latter. Nonetheless I copied all the Belkin files over and then ran the Connection Wizard and (amazingly) I'm informed I have an available interface: eth0. Wonderful. I carry on with the Wizard and Puppy suggests orinoco_cs. This surprised me as I remember having tried this months ago with a different Puppy without success. Next is configuration. Select a network profile to use. Scan button - this finds my network "MYOFB" (amongst others). Select mine and press OK.
Now in the next stage I obviously made a boob of some sort.
Edit profile, Encryption - WEP, Profile Name - Me, ESSID Name - MYOFB, Mode - Managed, Security - Restricted, Key - Is this where I boobed? Do I enter all 50 characters or just the first 10 and how are they entered (spaces, commas etc)? I tried one string of all 50. Next is configure using Auto DHCP. Up comes the message regarding broadcasting for a lease. Then the dreaded "Configuration of eth0 unsuccesful".
(I am sure that I clicked the relevant "Save" button where necessary.)
So after a break I try again and there is no Network Interface!!!! Where has it gone?
Reboot - same result. OK - lets try loading orinoco_cs. Unsuccesful - simply doesn't want to know.
I left it overnight and this morning the situation is the same - no interface and orinoco_cs isn't succesful. What do I now try?

DPUP5520
Posts: 800
Joined: Wed 16 Feb 2011, 05:38

#6 Post by DPUP5520 »

jhcoles I believe even if your card is a v1 this might work, I was unable to find the correct inf file inside the driver package for the v1 and v2 however they were present inside the v3 package so go to the belkin support site and type in your card then download the driver package for v3 , it is an executable. Once downloaded extract the exe file using winzip or izarc if you are on windows or the unzipper in puppy. inside that folder will be bel6020.inf and bel6020.sys I believe these are the two driver files that you need/are looking for. The bel6020 catalog file is also inside that folder although I don't know why you would need it when I used ndiswrapper it was always the sys and inf files unless if im missing something else here.

DPUP5520
Posts: 800
Joined: Wed 16 Feb 2011, 05:38

#7 Post by DPUP5520 »

Also just found this though don't know how useful it would be as I haven't ever tried it.

http://www.linuxant.com/driverloader/wl ... METHOD%20B

jhcoles
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu 12 Feb 2009, 22:47

#8 Post by jhcoles »

Thank you. Nice idea but...
Downloaded and then copied over files as you suggested and then ran ndiswrapper. Progressed further this time as bel6020.inf was accepted and message "bel6020:driver installed" appeared. Pressed OK and "Module ndiswrappear has loaded succesfully" came up. Pressed OK and "No new interfaces were detected" was the result.

Is there some sort of History folder where the initial succesful interface detection was recorded that I can get back to......desparate as ever!!!

User avatar
yorkiesnorkie
Posts: 504
Joined: Mon 04 Jun 2007, 13:11
Location: George's Island

ndiswrapper woes in Lupu 5.2

#9 Post by yorkiesnorkie »

Hi jhcoles,

I have the same problem with Lupu 5.20. I have a Dlink external USB device which under 4.3.1 connects perfectly using the network wizard and using the ndiswrapper. However under Lupu, when I attempt to use the ndiswrapper I find the INF file, it gives me the same message, and then, nothing, it quits the wizard.

I havent' poked around here looking for a solution yet because 4.3.1 works so well. Lupu and 4.3.1 will find my pcmcia card, an old rtl8180l without an issue. However, I don't like the card as much because if I move, wiggle around, I sometimes lose my connection. So, 4.3.1 it is for me.

I'm not sure what to suggest except you could boot up a live CD of 4.3.1 and give that a try in the meantime until a solution appears.

Yorkie
:)
[url]http://www.busygamemaster.com[/url]

jhcoles
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu 12 Feb 2009, 22:47

#10 Post by jhcoles »

Yorkiesnorkie - you are my salvation - it worked!! Using a live CD of 4.3.1 I am able to go online. (Once again Puppy used Orinoco_cs.)
Now - where does this leave me? I elected to save my settings and also save pupsave.2fs (Better safe than sorry) I assume my route is to replace the current Pup 5 (in SDA2) with Pup 4.3.1. Can I simply run the CD again and do a full install over the existing Pup or will this present problems of some kind? Or do I run up the CD and - if asked - incorporate any saved settings and then do the install. Will whatever I do keep the connection settings intact? Don't laugh but after my previous experience of initially having a network connection and then losing it when I next switched on I obviously don't want that happening again.....and again....and again!!
I'd appreciate any suggestions.
One last note. On the final screen I chose to not save pup-431.sfs after which the computer seemed to "hang" and not close down properly. Am I in for disappointment when I next start up...........

User avatar
rjbrewer
Posts: 4405
Joined: Tue 22 Jan 2008, 21:41
Location: merriam, kansas

#11 Post by rjbrewer »

System > bootmanager > give module preference; has orinoco:
hostap listed 4 times.

One of those is probably the right version; but needs the orinoco
listed in second place. (hostap:orinoco) ?

Inspiron 700m, Pent.M 1.6Ghz, 1Gb ram.
Msi Wind U100, N270 1.6>2.0Ghz, 1.5Gb ram.
Eeepc 8g 701, 900Mhz, 1Gb ram.
Full installs

User avatar
yorkiesnorkie
Posts: 504
Joined: Mon 04 Jun 2007, 13:11
Location: George's Island

#12 Post by yorkiesnorkie »

>I elected to save my settings and also save pupsave.2fs (Better safe than sorry) I assume my route is to replace the current Pup 5 (in SDA2) with Pup 4.3.1. Can I simply run the CD again and do a full install over the existing Pup or will this present problems of some kind?


Glad I could help. :) My suggestion though would be to perform a frugal installation of 431.

When you like to run the installer you should make sure to put the installation inside a 431 folder. So the directory that houses the LUPU folder will have two folders one for LUPU "520" ? and one for 431. You could then probably edit your GRUB menu to include 431 so you could boot either one.

I think you can safely run the installer and perform this frugal installation, but you do not have to install grub again, so I'd stop the wizard there. What you will need to do though is edit your menu.lst file to include 4.3.1 so that you can boot it. Read on...
>Or do I run up the CD and - if asked - incorporate any saved settings and then do the install.


The pupsave for LUPU... well its probably not going to be backward compatible. That's my thought. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. You'll probably have to make one for 431.
>Will whatever I do keep the connection settings intact? Don't laugh but after my previous experience of initially having a network connection and then losing it when I next switched on I obviously don't want that happening again.....and again....and again!!
If you create a new pupsave for 431, which it will ask you to do on the first shut down you will essentially have a different set of saved information. Your settings will be saved. My experience is that it does work and I didn't have to re-configure the network.
>I'd appreciate any suggestions. One last note. On the final screen I chose to not save pup-431.sfs after which the computer seemed to "hang" and not close down properly. Am I in for disappointment when I next start up...........
No. There's a bug in the shutdown which I see in my laptop, it hangs, but there's a line you can edit which I'll post here later that is a fix for that. After the edit, no more hang.

Like I said above you will still have to edit the GRUB menu.lst file to include the boot entry for your frugal 431 install, something like this:

Code: Select all

title Puppy Linux 4.3.1 frugal    
rootnoverify ()   
kernel /puppy431/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=puppy431
initrd /puppy431/initrd.gz 
Make sure your reference to the drive is correct "hd0,5" is just an example. Refer to: http://www.puppylinux.com/hard-puppy.htm

It should be the same as LUPUs I'd think. When you add it, after LUPU lets say you'll still be able to boot LUPU if you've made an error and can re-edit the GRUB file.

Yorkie
:-)
[url]http://www.busygamemaster.com[/url]

Post Reply