# wireless and ndiswrapper

## aproan

I am using an HP Pavilon dv6458se.

This is my wireless network controller.

```
lspci | grep Broadcom

03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation Unknown device 4328 (rev 03)

```

Since I double boot with Windows vista I did the following:

```

conan WLAN # pwd

/mnt/windows/SwSetup/WLAN

conan WLAN # ndiswrapper -i bcmwl6.inf

installing bcmwl6 ...

conan WLAN # ndiswrapper -l

bcmwl6 : driver installed

        device (14E4:4328) present

```

but now each time i do 

```
modprobe ndiswrapper
```

 I get:

```
FATAL: Error inserting ndiswrapper (/lib/modules/2.6.22-gentoo-r5/misc/ndiswrapper.ko): Invalid module format
```

I am really upset because my wireless is not working in linux  :Sad: 

----------

## GNUtoo

you must recompile ndiswrapper against the kernel you are running

----------

## aproan

i just did, and nothing.

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## aproan

could it be that im using windows vista drivers? i dont know where to get the XP ones...

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## GNUtoo

 *aproan wrote:*   

> could it be that im using windows vista drivers? i dont know where to get the XP ones...

 

lspci and then go on the ndiswrapper website...

you should use the driver they tells you to use otherwise you could have problems as the others aren't tested

----------

## aproan

```
03:00.0 0280: 14e4:4328 (rev 03)
```

so i'm looking for 14e4:4328 but that same card is not here, what should i do?

http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/joomla/index.php?/component/option,com_openwiki/Itemid,33/id,list_b/

----------

## GNUtoo

mabe try to find bcmwl6.sys and bcmwl6.inf

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3350876Last edited by GNUtoo on Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## GNUtoo

is your computer a dell?

if so you could go to the dell website and download the wireless drivers

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## aproan

it's an HP dv6458se

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3439481&lang=en

I downloaded this, got the .inf and .sys files, but I keep getting the same error 

```
FATAL: Error inserting ndiswrapper (/lib/modules/2.6.22-gentoo-r5/misc/ndiswrapper.ko): Invalid module format
```

 and even though ive recompiled ndiswrapper. once again.

----------

## swimmer

I'm sorry to ask but did you reboot in between? 

I had similar problems (with other external modules) during a new install and a reboot resolved that ... I know I know it is not M$ but you could give it a try  :Wink: 

HTH

swimmer

----------

## GNUtoo

it realy seems that it's not compiled against your kernel you are running so:

->check your kernel simlink

->check if you are running the kernel that is in /usr/src/linux

you could modiffy grub to point to /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage

then make modules_install

----------

## aproan

i've only installed one kernel in this computer

```
ls -l

total 4

lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root   22 Aug 30 22:27 linux -> linux-2.6.22-gentoo-r5

drwxr-xr-x 21 root root 4096 Sep 11 22:38 linux-2.6.22-gentoo-r5
```

but i am not sure what you meant by doing modules_install, what does that mean?

```
cat grub.conf

default 0

timeout 30

splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Good Ol' Gentoo

root (hd0,2)

kernel /kernel-2.6.22-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/sda6

title=Gentoo al rescate

root (hd0,2)

kernel /kernel-2.6.22-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/sda6 init=/bin/bb

title=windows V

rootnoverify (hd0,0)

makeactive

chainloader +1
```

 that is my grub.conf

----------

## GNUtoo

simple...just recopy your kernel to / or make grub point to /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage

the second solution is simplier because each time you recompile the kenrel you won't have to recopy it to /

and forget about module_install

----------

## aproan

sorry for taking so long to respond. classes just started.

but oh well - the solution would be changing my aforementioned grub.conf to:

```
cat grub.conf

default 0

timeout 30

splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Good Ol' Gentoo

root (hd0,5)

kernel /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage root=/dev/sda6

title=Gentoo al rescate

root (hd0,2)

kernel /kernel-2.6.22-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/sda6 init=/bin/bb

title=windows V

rootnoverify (hd0,0)

makeactive

chainloader +1
```

couldnt it be instead that something that should be enabled in my kernel isnt enabled making me having to recompile the kernel?Last edited by aproan on Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## GNUtoo

yes at least try it

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## aproan

it boots the same as the old time...

but whenever doing 

```
modprobe ndiswrapper
```

 i still get 

```
FATAL: Error inserting ndiswrapper (/lib/modules/2.6.22-gentoo-r5/misc/ndiswrapper.ko): Invalid module format.

```

I know ndiswrapper is still untested ~amd64 but I thought it would work...or else how do others make it?

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## GrindGod

Delete the /lib/modules/2.6.22-gentoo-r5/misc/ndiswrapper.ko by hand and then re-emerge ndiswrapper. 

This was working for me last week.

Which ndiswrapper do you use? Some versions do not work, sometimes helps downgrading.

----------

## Beju

 *aproan wrote:*   

> I know ndiswrapper is still untested ~amd64 but I thought it would work...or else how do others make it?

 

Is Your kernel 64bit? You cannot use 32bit drivers with 64bit kernel.

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## aproan

which version are you using?

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## aproan

yes, my kernel is 64 bit. where can i find 64 bit drivers for it?

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## Beju

The best place to look for the them is Your wireless manufacturer's homepage; maybe You'll find a drivers designed directly for linux architecture and therefore "bypass" ndiswrapper  :Smile:  , but if they aren't there or You'll find that 64bit architecture is not supported, then You can call it bad luck  :Sad:  Ndiswrapper is still just a wrapper after all.

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## aproan

but my computer is a 64 bit but also runs 32 bit programs, its a AMD Turion 64 - couldnt it run ndiswrapper as 32 bit??

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## DaggyStyle

 *aproan wrote:*   

> but my computer is a 64 bit but also runs 32 bit programs, its a AMD Turion 64 - couldnt it run ndiswrapper as 32 bit??

 

nope, in hp's drivers look for the following files:

bcmwl6.inf  bcmwl6.sys  bcmwl664.sys

these are the ones you need

try this driver

http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R129083.EXE

----------

