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Ubuntu Call for help

edited July 2007 in Technology
OK I finally got my computer repaired and, I decided to install ubuntu from Rym and Scotts' high regard. But now I can't figure out how to get my Internet to work. I am using a router that goes to my dads windows xp and its all connected to a modem. Please help!

If it helps I'm using a linksys router model number wrt54g and wusb54g

Comments

  • OK I finally got my computer repaired and, I decided to install ubuntu from Rym and Scotts' high regard. But now I can't figure out how to get my Internet to work. I am using a router that goes to my dads windows xp and its all connected to a modem. Please help!

    If it helps I'm using a linksys router model number wrt54g and wusb54g
    Ah! You are using a USB wireless card. For the lose. You'll have to search on the Ubuntu forums. Here are some old directions, but they might still work.

    Really I have to say, if you have desktop computers in the same building, use a wired network. It is worth your time and effort to run the cable. Wireless should really only be used for laptops, DSes and such.
  • Your easiest option is to look up NDIS wrapper which can be got through Automatix.
    1. Get Automatix - you can find how on their site
    2. Use Automatix to install NDIS wrapper
    3. From Adept install "cabextract"
    4. Get the windows drivers for your card in exe form
    5. use cabextract to extract the files from the EXE
    6. Open up NDIS wrapper and select the drivers .inf file

    I would be more specific but most people on this forum seem technically minded. Ask for help if you need it.

    You can stick with wireless if your just doing things like web browsing but if you want bittorent then I would insist you use wires as wires give far better performance in terms of not loosing bits of the file and having to redownload them.

    One thing I don't get is my families insistence to put everything on CD/DVD for them when every computer has wires and transferring via network would be so much easier and trivial to set up (urinating dog, urinating dog [10 points if you get that reference])
  • Do NOT use Automatix. It will ruin your Ubuntu installation. There is nothing Automatix can do that you can't do without Automatix. There is no reason to use it. Sure, it might make a few things easier right now, but you will be ruined when you try to upgrade your Ubuntu later. Do NOT use Automatix, it is crap.
  • I feel happy. Today was the first day I spread Ubuntu to a non-techie. She brought me a vista laptop; I handed her an Ubuntu dream machine. She was content. That's why I really like Ubuntu: Non-geeks can use it without worry.

    Also, I agree with Apreche. Setting up a wired network in Ubuntu is a lot easier than wireless, even with the gui and such. (One could make the argument that it's easier to set up a wireless network in terminal, but I digress.) Also, if you can't find linux drivers for your network card, I'm not sure what you'd do. I guess you could try to find the .inf by installing the programs (that Omnutia mentioned) using either apt-get or synaptics, but I've never tried extracting .exe's. Good luck!
  • ndiswrapper will work with the USB wi-fi dongle.
  • Apreche, would you elaborate on how Automatix is crap? Id honestly like to know.

    Wired networks need setting up in Ubuntu?
    I'm starting a service where I take old computers away free then wipe the hard drive and install ubuntu or linux mint and sell them on. Could someone tell me of a good distribution for older computers though?
    BTW: ndiswrapper is actually in the repositories so you can install it without the need of Automatix.
  • Apreche, would you elaborate on how Automatix is crap? Id honestly like to know.
    Automatix does a lot of small bad things, but primarily it forces your computer to install many packages, and change many configurations, that are not necessary or supported. You might not notice problems right away, but over time you might notice errors and anomalies when trying to update or install certain packages. Your system will not be the same as a normal Ubuntu system. The biggest problem you will notice is when it comes time to upgrade from Edgy to Feisty, Feisty to Gutsy, etc. If you have used Automatix, this upgrade will almost definitely not work properly. You will have to do a clean install to get the upgraded version of Ubuntu or suffer with a broken system. Automatix breaks the forward scalability of your packaging system.

    Basically there is nothing Automatix can do that you couldn't just do with synaptic package manager. Using Automatix is like using a wrecking ball to kill an ant. It does the job really well and really easily, but later you will be made that you damaged your patio. If you just do things in the way that is supported by Ubuntu, you will find that it is just as easy, you will not end up doing anything extra or unnecessary, and everything will continue to work as intended for a very long time.
  • Duly noted. Any opinion on easyubuntu?
  • Duly noted. Any opinion on easyubuntu?
    EasyUbuntu is good. It doesn't really do anything that breaks your system. However, EasyUbuntu doesn't do anything you can't just do with Synaptic in a few clicks. Ubuntu is so easy by default that these third party tools to make it easier aren't really necessary.
  • Using Automatix is like using a wrecking ball to kill an ant. It does the job really well and really easily, but later you will be made that you damaged your patio.
    That made me lol.
  • edited July 2007
    Alright, I am still not getting how to do this. I am still trying but I am considering just setting up a wired connection.
    What would i need to do that and how?
    Post edited by lorddragonslayer on
  • Aright Irealize that Iprobably seem like an idiot but, there's another problem. When I go to use the terminal I can't us any $sudo commands or it asks for a password of which i have no idea what it is. I tried my account pass but it wont go through and there for I can't do anything in the guide scott had provided.
  • You might need to set it first, try:
    passwd su
  • In the NIX works su means super user, although I believe the actual command su more technically means switch user. The su command allows you to switch users on the command line. This is useful because sometimes you want to make another user execute a command other than your normal user. Most often you want the root user to do something that your normal user does not have the privileges to do. In most *nixes you use the command su, then you enter the root user's password to switch to the root user.

    Ubuntu has a different philosophy. The philosophy of Ubuntu is that you should never become the root user. You shouldn't even know the root user's password. It should be an incredibly complicated and random password, and you should never have to know it. This obviously helps for security reasons. The question of course becomes, what do you do when you need to install software or do something else that requires the super user privileges?

    The answer is sudo. It literally means, do this as superuser. So if I use the command 'sudo ls' it will execute the ls command with super user privileges. This is why you always do sudo apt-get in Ubuntu, because the super user has the privileges to install software.

    I won't get into exactly how sudo works, but let's just say that some users have the ability to sudo, and some do not. In Ubuntu, the account you create during installation has the ability to sudo. When you try to sudo something, it will ask for a password. The password is asking for is your account password. If your account password doesn't work, you are typing it wrong. That's all there is to it. If you are a user who does not have privileges to use sudo, and you try it, then a crazy error will pop up telling you that you are a bad person.
  • edited July 2007
    I'm using the right password. When I type the command it comes up and says password:. And won't let me type after that so I hit enter and type it. Maybe that is the root of my problems.


    Honestly I have no idea.
    Post edited by lorddragonslayer on
  • I'm using the right password. When I type the command it comes up and says password:. And won't let me type after that so I hit enter and type it. Maybe that is the root of my problems.


    Honestly I have no idea.
    You are typing, it just doesn't display what you type so that nobody can see your password. Type your password and press enter even though you don't see anything.
  • OK, I finally figured it out. I used a combination of ndiswrapper-common and ndiswrapper-util-1.9. and I've got my internets working.


    posted on linux :D
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