linux driver problems

[froman1991]

how do i get drivers on to knoppix for my wireless card do i have to hook my computer up directly to the modem or can i get the files from my hard drive in knoppix?

[Harry Kuhman]

Wireless support in Knoppix is not great. Wireless support in Linux isn't perfect either, many manufacturers don't produce Linux drivers or release specs on the chips needed by independent driver writers. This is an on going problem. See the wireless networking section of the wiki for more details.

There are some wifi drivers in Knoppix. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get the one wifi card that I have that Knoppix does recognize and used to work in version 4.02 to work in any 5.x version, so I'm hardly the best one to give advice here. But if you tell people what make and model of card and/or chipset that you have someone may be able to help you. Be as specific as you can, don't just say you have a Dlink card, for example, give the model number and even the hardware version number. Card manufacturers often sell cards with differennt chipsets that need completely different drivers under the same model number and change only a hardware version number.

You might be able to use Windows drivers with "wrapper" software. Doesn't work with all drivers (never worked for me), but it has worked for some.

Quite frankly, I would suggest that hardwiring your computer may be your best bet. Or using a version of Linux with better wifi support, but it's certainly worth determining what the support status of your particular hardware is before you change from Knoppix.

As this is a networking quetion, it will be moved to the networking forum, where you may get better responses.

[froman1991]

ok let me clarify i have a wireless modem not wifi it is belkin f5d7000i do have a downloaded version of the driver but can i get to that with knopplix?

[Harry Kuhman]

I'm not clear what you have. A google search for f5d7000i and Belkin got only one hit, and that's a dead link (although the Google cache is still there but of no help). And going to Belkin's own site and trying to look up f5d7000i results in "Your search - f5d7000i - did not match any documents."

As to drivers, generally drivers have to be written for an OS. So if you have a Linux driver, maybe. If you have a Windows driver there is more of a problem. There is a Linux tool called ndiswrapper that in some cases can make a wireless card work, but I have no idea if it will work in this case.

[Harry Kuhman]

Your card seems to be a f5d7000, not a f5d7000i. It is indeed a wifi card as opposed to any other sort of wireless modem. A Google search for f5d7000 belkin and linux indicates that people have made at least some versions of this card work under Linux, although Belkin themsleves don't seem to offer a Linux driver for it (Many manufacturers use the same chipset and the first article I fould inducated how to make it work under Ubuntu with a driver from Dell). I expect that with some effort you might get it working under Knoppix, but consider my previous warning that I can't even get a wifi card that did work under 4.02 and that I know Knoppix already includes the driver for to work under 5.x, so this may not be simple.