I'm glad you've managed to fix the problem.

These are my params for CDImage:



If you download CDImage GUI it makes things a whole lot easier.

Actually that's no less arcane than MKISOFS. Having said that, one thing I like about the live Linux CDs is K3B. Granted it's a lot to boot an entire OS just to burn CDs/DVDs, but K3B is a front-end for MKISOFS/GROWISOFS and then some. Maybe that is a reason for booting an OS....Jet

I have some problems booting .iso's with isolinux. I know that not all .iso image can be booted but I've tried some of them with bcdw and works fine. How can I boot an .iso with isolinux ? Or can I use it together with bcdw somehow?

How can I add parameters to memdisk ? Here is what i've did:
Create a folder called dosapps in superdisk/boot/isolinux and put amset folder (maxtor drives tool) in it with all the files. Something like this:
superdisk
---boot
----isolinux
---dosapps
--amset

Create a batch file (startup.bat) in amset folder with the following content:


Copy dosubcd.igz from ultimate boot cd to isolinux folder
Run image like this:


But it doesn't work although dosubcd.igz is booting:


Any ideas?

Read this again. There are reasons for problems booting ISOs. If necessary, get a fresh copy of ISOLINUX.BIN from the ZIP you downloaded, but that's it.

All that ISOLINUX.BIN does (after being patched into the ISO image by MKISOFS, whatever) is to read ISOLINUX.CFG and subsequently load whatever files from the CD/DVD as selected via its menu. That's it. That all GRUB does, that's all that BCDW does, that's all CDSHELL does. They only differ in the syntax of the config file "language" and how they configure extended memory (RAM > 640KB.) So, one loader mite load one util, where another can't, like Doc Mem that Kof and I have been trying to use from ISOLINUX.

I personally bailed on the others bec I didn't want to learn another language (CDSHELL) and I didn't want to deal w/ a poorly documented program that's been abandoned by its author (BCDW.) GRUB has been nothing but a PITA. Others swear by those systems and that's just fine. Pick one (for a particular proj) and accept the consequences....Jet

PS: No loader really boots ISOs, certainly not large ones. Certain distros (eg. Slax, Knoppix, et al) will boot their own customized ISOs (from the hdrive.) Maybe you'd be better off sticking w/ BCDW....

I'm starting to think that Virtual PC is not terribly good for testing ISOLinux stuff out on. In switching from the plain jane boot menu to vesamenu, some of my boot disks no longer boot properly. For the Universal TCP/IP Boot Disk I had to add the raw option to memdisk to get it to boot inside Virtual PC and I'm still having issues getting Seagate DiscWizard, Maxtor MaxBlast, and Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools to boot up correctly.

Here the obligiatory screenhots of my disc.

Before (old menu)


After (new vesameu)


with password protection


Cheers

I have to say Jotnar, that is one sexy menu you have there .

On to the more technical stuff...

The raw and bigraw switches are required when your boot images have been created using Windows. I have to use raw to boot ViVARD and CopyWipe because of this reason!

This isn't a failing of VPC, you'll probably find you require these switches on a real machine as well. In fact I have found in a lot of cases VPC replicates a real machine more closely than VMWare or VirtualBox.

As for your Disc Manager programs, none of them will boot via memdisk it just one of those things.

@google44

Your better off building your own NwDsk for executing DOS tools. It isn't difficult, you could even take the UBCD images apart to do this, I did to start with. Everything is modular so you can add and remove particular components as required. I would recommend using the FreeDOS versions though since they seam to be more stable.

@jetman/google44

What version of isolinux/vesamenu are you using to provide help info/code box?

Thanks.

I use the last version (still in development but i have no problems) 3.50 pre5 from here http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/Testing/. TEXT HELP feature it is explained in readme.menu.


Ok, but from where to start ? It is enogh to use this tutorial http://www.veder.com/nwdsk/ ?
The problem is not creating nwdsk but getting parameters passed to floppy images. I don't know if it is necessarry to build my own nwdsk because to get parameters passed to floppy image they used bcdw.com and a batch file. But it seems that it doesn't work either, bcdw.com always returning 1. kof94 did you manage to get parameters passed to floppy image ? Maybe some hints, something ?

What gets me is that with the old menu system my floppy images worked fine. The network bootdisk booted fine under Virtual PC with no extra memdisk switches required. The only time I had to use the raw switch was with the WinME/XP DOS Boot Disk which was the reason they put the raw switch in there in the first place. It was something about that version of DOS failing if it couldn't access a certain part of memory if I remember correctly. For that reason I always used Win98SE DOS boot disks if I ever had to make a bootable floppy. I just don't understand how changing the menu system should make an image that booted fine before hang horribly.

Cheers

Edit... I've had DiscManager, MaxBlast, and Data Lifeguard Tools all booting with the old menu system, they even boot up with the new menu system. The program seems to hang when it starts though. It doesn't do this with VirtualBox or QEMU so I have to burn a CD and test it on a real system to see if its just VirtualPC.

What about DSKEMU as an alternative to MEMDISK ? On my Todo list for a quick trial. I looked at it (the web page that is) after Sir Kof mentioned it and it appeared to be a definite maybe....Jet

@google44

Thanks buddy, I'll be taking a look at that asap.

@Jotnar

As memdisk is still in active development it wouldn't surprise me if a new version would require you to use a switch to make an image boot where as before you didn't require one. I'm only really stabbing in the dark here to give you plausible answers to the the problem, it could be any number of things really.

@Sir Jet

If diskemu could be ported for use with isolinux it would be fantastic. The original diskemu binary does hold the key to booting those images that memdisk can't touch e.g. DocMem.

In an ideal world you'd really want the updated version contained in CDShell. The author added extra features that even enabled you to directly boot an .iso image .

We can but dream.........

@google44

I nearly forgot.... NwDsk...

The reason your using that FreeDOS NwDsk image is to execute apps from your boot CD/DVD, hens why there is a folder called 'dosapps' on the UBCD disc.

Basically all you've got is a modular DOS boot disc that you can add as many drivers as you want to, to achieve your goal i.e sata,aspi,usb,keyboard(if your not in the US),mouse,DPMI etc and some utils if you like.

Personally I don't want or need a networking DOS boot disc so I ripped all of that out. I also removed NTFS and LFN support as well as Volkov Commander for the same reasons.

To do this I took the FreeDOS UBCD NwDsk 3.42 from Erwin's site (you need to look in the beta section) and just started cutting.

You really need to read the little section about how the boot process works i.e. what level you want you're cab's at and you need to look at what each cab contains. This may take a while but once you've got the general idea about how this works you'll realise it's quite simple, for the user anyway.

The next part is easier than you might think.

The first thing you want to happen after all your drivers and stuff are load is to find your boot CD/DVD and set a variable for it . You can do this quite simply with a command like this:



This command basically looks at all your drives for a file called autorun.inf at the root of it and sets a variable called %bootdrv%.

The second thing you want to happen is to execute your app. This is also rather simple and wouldn't be possible without using memdisk.

Whist booting your FreeDOS image it is possible to set an environment variable that is recognised in DOS.

Some thing like this:



The bit your interested in is setup=hdat2, that is your variable!

From there it's just a question of how to use it. Now this is were I confess I have stolen some idea's from UBCD.

Here is my entire setup.bat that is execute by autorun3.bat. Autorun3.bat is contained in the 'etc' folder on the NwDsk
and executes what ever you want at the end of the boot process. I chose to launch my setup.



It's not the best batch in the world but it does the job. Finds my boot DVD finds the app I want to execute by it's folder name and launches it.

the batch contained in that folder can do this how ever you like I chose to keep all my apps in zip files and decompress them into ram for use but it's up to you.

Here's an example:



There's alot more to it than this including tweaking settings here and there, but I feel I might drown you with info at the mo.

Have a mess around with it and if you have any specific questions drop me a line.

-kof94

Thank you, I will try but i cannot find nwdsk 3.42 anywhere.

If you follow the 'All Downloads' link from the main page then go to 'beta', you end up here. You want fdubcd.img .

It appears that it cannot find the bootdrive and of course no dos program is launched. Here is the output:


The same output if I use dosubcd.igz from ultimate boot cd. Only if i boot ultimate boot cd and run fprot for example, then it's working. I use virtual pc and vmware, the same output.

isolinux command:


There is an amset folder in dosapps folder. Basically i have in root of my cd the following folders: boot-->isolinux (fdubcd and all config files) and dosapps -->amset (with startup.bat and amset files).
I injected in fdubcd.img your startup.bat in "bin "folder and then modify autorun3.bat to run startup.bat at the end.

I've tried with this code to find the bootdrive but it's the same thing, it cannot find the bootdrvive:

Thats because it's the same image just not compressed!



Thats because you need a tag file, in my case it's autorun.inf at the root of the disc. Once DOS has searched all drives and found the one with autorun.inf in it, it will set that drive as %bootdrv%.

Here it is again:

for %%i in (C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) do if exist %%i:\autorun.inf set bootdrv=%%i:

I've set autorun.inf in bold so you can see where to add your tag file.

If you just want to use the existing, bloated UBCD image then make a file called ubcd.ico at the root of your disc, it'll work then.

You're the man, now it's working . Thank you very much for your help

No, I don't want ot use it because it's obviously too bloated, i will create my own, i just use it for testing purposes.

There are easier ways to do all of this. You can explicitly set the drive letter of the ramdrive, if one uses the corr ramdrive driver. And the same is true of MSCDEX, for optical drives. Then set the LASTDRIVE letter (in CONFIG.SYS) to Z, use R for the ramdrive, and X for the starting letter of the opticals. (X bec an IDE-based PC has a max of four drives, where at least one is a hdrive.) I use the higher drive letters for all of this, to avoid collision w/ hdrive partitions if a PC has a lot of drive partitions. So, if you need to go searching for files on an optical drive, you have fewer drives to search

Anyway, that's a generic solution which has always served me well....Jet

For a minute there I thought I was in the wrong forum. Then I realised... we've been stickied



To be honest, my batch is just a copy of the techniques people have used for RunOnceEx and batch file software installations. I just went with what I knew!

Understood. Short of using something like Python (a better scripting lang) to interrogate registry entries, I guess everyone goes the brute-force way (yours truly incl) for XP scripts....Jet

To be honest I very rarely use a batch file for anything these days, with the exception of these DOS tools of course.

Anything I do with Windows is usually performed via an inf or WPI if I'm installing apps.

Then of course if an app itself is playing up I'll either write an installer using Inno or an AutoIt script. Saying that, if something looks like I may have to resort to a batch file I write an AutoIt script instead.

Granted it's probably nowhere near Python (I don't know) but it does the job.

I'm starting to sound like a bit of a snob, sorry .

:: EOF

Hardly. The word Python keeps coming up, bec it's platform-independent and syntactically it's no more complicated than InnoScript. You should give a look one of these days.

In the next couple of weeks, I plan to regen my BartPE disc, that's when Python really goes to work. More news soon ....Jet

Hello, I just received a link to this thread from a user.

I'm the author of SYSLINUX, and it's always interesting to see how my stuff is being used. There have been a couple of interesting bug/misfeature reports in this thread, in particular the MENU MARGIN/MENU WIDTH issue which could perhaps be handled more cleanly.

I'm always interested in feature requests or bug reports, which doesn't mean I will always be able to accept and/or deal with them, but I will consider things and perhaps add them in the future if I feel it is appropriate.

The best place to comment is on the SYSLINUX mailing list, syslinux@zytor.com. I do ask that you do not send questions to me personally, since the only way I can moderate my workload is to allow other people on the mailing list a chance to repond; writing on the mailing list also allows questions and answers to go into the archives for other people to use.

Thanks,

-hpa

Now we're really cooking

May be I should. I'm no programmer but if there's a decent help file I can usually muddle my way through. Hay, may be then I really could be a snob .

All laughs aside, how good are you at modding Slax?

Catch ya later.

Here are some Python eBooks. The Python tutorial that comes w/ the Python pkg (@ python.org) is pretty good and you can get Dive Into Python from the 1st site. Finally, ActiveState has an all-in-one Python pkg w/ lotsa docs and a nice little IDE for creating/testing Python code. I like it bec you can make a module, then switch to a code (the Intermediate) window and try what you just typed instantly. Non-Programmer's Tutorial for Python will let you look at Python w/o downloading or installing anything.

I grok Slax. What do you want to do ? Jet

I changed the name of the topic bec it's gone beyond what I originally intended. I have a bunch of new ideas that will show up here, all in good time. Anyone can add new things, but I encourage contributors to do so using a directory layout consistent w/ the layout illustrated in the opening msg. Of course, explain, explain, explain.

Finally, the 1st msg will also serve as an index to the milestones and significant additions to the thread. Time to get some sleep....Jet

Just for the record, and to keep things together as possible, here is an interesting thread on 911CD about using parameters passed to memdisk into autoexec.bat, in case you are using DOS based floppy images:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=5706

just a few days ago the thread was revamped:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=19634
with contributions (hopefully enhancements) by d4vr0s and yours truly.

jaclaz

Thanks for the links buddy, I'll def take a look now.

Grok , a little lost in translation I think.

I'm really looking for a cross between Killbill and server with a more up-to-date ver or ntfs-3g.

I just want something else to play with really as well as a replacement for Knoppix. Don't get me wrong, Knoppix is great but I never use everything it provides so something slimmer and customisable is really starting to appeal.

Edit:

I just noticed a glitch with one of your links in the first post for 'adding an XP installer'

It reads: http://http//www.msfn.org/board/index.php?...st&p=636838

Thought you'd want to know!

Grok roughly means 'to understand', from Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.

Anyway, what you seek is straight-fwd. Regarding NTFS-3g support, that's the easy part. You mite recognize a similar writing style in this thread. Not a coincidence.

Now, what do you want to add to KillBill to make it more like the Server Ed ? Most additions require zero scripting. And since we've established that you know how to make a bootable CD/DVD, you know almost everything you need to know.

About the link, two words: sleep deprivation. Thanx for the heads-up....Jet

I did wonder, since you signed yourself off as Jet. I forgot to mention that bit in my last post.

I have one question about your update, why exactly do you need to update the kernel. Remember I am a Linux n00b although I am trying.

Nevermind I think I get it now. You know reading is useful .

I have one question then I'll drop this line of inquiry or make a new thread (I feel I may be quite responsible for taking this thread of on different tangents, sorry).

Have I got this right:

Download your ntfs-3g archive (killbill in this case)
Update the fuse + ntfs-3g drivers in said archive with new .mo's you have on the Slax site.
Then just over write /boot and /modules from modded archive.

I know I'm probably asking stupid questions, but I don't want to just go ahead thinking I've got it and end up nuking someones Windows install.

Thanks.

You have it rite on all counts, exc the stupid part. If you have any probs, bring them rite here. My idea on this whole Super-Disc thing is to do more than simply illustrate how to make a multi-boot CD/DVD, but to get into customization (as you're doing), so it really is a Super disc.

Quick digression: last nite, on the Syslinux mail list, there was an inquiry about MEMDISK loading ISOs. I commented that an ISO-compatible MEMDISK isn't nec, if one knows a bit about hacking and invests some of one's own time to find a custom solution. Needless to say, I got a long-winded rationalization rite back, rife w/ talk about 'what avg users need', 'what avg users don't know', blah-blah-blah. I could've mentioned Super-Disc, but he/she didn't sound like the type that's interested in working for this stuf.

Bottom line: If someone GOOGLEs for info about ISOLINUX, multi-boot CDs, whatever, they'll get a lot more than they bargained for. I have some ideas for future Super-Disc extensions, including stuf involving Slax, Knoppix, maybe even Kubuntu (that's a def maybe.) That is, if you're interested in working for it. That is, if one reads thoroughly and follows instructions carefully.

Oh yes, in advance, PLEASE spare us all the long-winded explanations about what other folks/the market/Linux-in-general needs or wants ! Speak for yourself !!

Good luck. TTYL....Jet

Jaclaz: As always, your contributions are welcome and interesting. Thanx and expect to see you post more stuf RSN....Jet

I have to agree that the ability to directly boot a .iso image is useful and I say this is from experience with CDShell/Diskemu.

This doesn't mean you can just bung a load of your favorite .iso's on your disc and go 'there, I'm done'.

However, it does mean you can directly boot apps like say Super Grub Disk or chntpwd without having to decompile them or resort to an older floppy ver.

There are some other advantages as well.

I worked out a system that enabled me to use the original isolinux menu/display for any linux app/distro I liked by booting mini .iso's. These .iso's just contained the isolinux dir, kernel and ramdisk the rest of the disc i.e. .squashfs etc was then in a relevant location on my disc.

It worked quite well but I have to admit I did feel like a bit of a cheat.

I keep banging on about this but I would really like to see a switch for memdisk that enabled diskemu style image reading. So, instead of loading the whole floppy image in ram it just reads the contents of it from the disc. I believe this will solve a lot of problems with some images not booting.

Kof: I don't care if Peter (user hpa) decides to enhance MEMDISK to read/boot large ISOs. If he provided said enhancement, I'd use it myself as it would be a real labor-saver. Having said that, I won't add my voice requesting this enhancement bec it really only benefits those who want to make multi-boot CDs/DVDs, when there are viable alternatives. Ultimately, he (and other OSS developers) enhance their offerings bec (1) it helps a significant portion of the user community at large or (2) it helps them on a paying job or (3) they like the challenge of implementing a particular capability. The principal user of SYSLINUX is the system builder, either the author of a distro or someone who needs a boot menu for a PC. SYSLINUX works very well in this role, as it is.

As a developer, I'm sympathetic to guys like Peter and dismissive of these characters who offer these long-winded, self-serving rationalizations of why someone else should invest their labor to make their lives a little easier (present company excluded.) SYSLINUX is a labor of love that he's chosen to share w/ the rest of us. There are many non-coders who have no clue about the complexity of developing and enhancing something like MEMDISK and think what they want is widely desirable. Yet they feel qualified to wax at length about what someone else's obligations are.

I find these diatribes esp annoying after one points out that the requester can realize comparable results w/ a some effort on their part. Yes, the developer should invest his/her labor (for free) to accommodate someone who's loathe to invest their own labor, to satisfy their own desires. Why ? Bec I don't know a shell script from a head of cabbage and don't want to learn about any of that. I just want what I want !

In summation, if you want to use Linux (or some other OSS offering), one should understand and respect the underlying do-it-yourself (DIY) philosophy behind this movement. BTW, have you noticed several topics posted in the last few weeks, that ask for help w/ issues covered (to some degree) right here in this thread ?

Diatribe-mode-off.....Jet

Wohhh, I really didn't mean to hit a nerve with this .

At the end of the day I am just an end user. I respect the fact that there are a lot of people around me that contribute a hell of a lot of time and effort into developing software that I use.

The least I can offer is ideas or suggestions that may enhance this software. I by no means expect or demand anything and/or wish to offend anyone by making these suggestions.

You may not have been trying to have ago at me, but I thought I better clear that up.

Please take this in good Jest, like all my other ramblings .

-kof94

In the past, I've been guilty of some of the things I deride. About a year ago, when I was putting my 1st disc together, just DSL/TRK/BartPE using BCDW, I sputtered, fumed, and was a mess. I didn't want to do the things I now present. With careful reflection, one has a change of heart. Those comments weren't aimed at you, but to let future participants know that no self-justifying crap is welcome. If you want to learn or offer your own constructive insights, go for it.

Anyway, how did you make out w/ your 1st Slax disc ? I'm esp interested in knowing whether KDE is working well for you. If not, then try this. KDE, or rather X, could be a little more helpful and the XCONF2 module is something I hacked together which has been very helpful, making X/KDE behave. Later....Jet

Fair enough .



I been 50% playing with Slax and 50% trying to make a common sense menu for everything on my disc, which is a bit like moving into a new house. I can't stop moving the furniture around!

As far as Slax goes, I've only managed so far to put your ntfs-3g + fuse drivers in and test in VM to see if it works.

When I get back from work tomorrow I'm gonna burn a test build of my current disc inc Slax and give it a full outing. I'm also gonna install Ubuntu 7.04 on my Linux drive since I nuked my 6.10 install last week (don't ask cos I don't know ) and haven't got around to fixing it.

Once all that's done I'll get back to you.

-kof94

Ok, I only have one thing to say... SLAX ROCKS .

Your ntfs-3g driver + fuse (what is fuse by-the-way) works a treat.

I really pushed the boat out moving stuff around on my Win partitions and editing files. I admit this was probably stupid but hay 'no pain, no gain' .

Unlike previous encounters with ntfs-3g this time I didn't encounter chkdsk on reboot and as far as I'm aware I havn't killed anything. This is great!!!

Anyway, besides that, I was also very pleasantly surprised at the speed, especially since I was running everything from a DVD.

Bart/WinPE has a lot to live up to now with this kind of speed and access.

There are a couple of things I need to sort out though.

The first is wireless networking.

Since moving house I've had to stump for wireless networking. Needless to say on more than one occasion I've threatened to buy a long cat-5 and start drilling holes in the house just so I don't have to put up with it.

That aside... Slax was unable to config my wlan card. This may be my inexperience or just a lack of drivers, any ideas on how to solve either?

The second is, I was unable to view the contents of my boot DVD and I was unable to mount the drive via right click (You can tell I'm a Windows user ). I gather this might be because I'm actually running Slax from it but I wondered if this was normal behavior?

Apart from that though, quite a successful outing if you ask me. I'm now torn between going back and playing some more or doing what originally planned and install Ubuntu... life is so unfair sometimes .

I just did the heavy lifting of putting the pieces together. Smart guys over in the UK did the real work on NTFS-3g. FUSE is a module that permits filesystem drivers to exist in userspace, as opposed to kernelspace. Bottom line is that a sophisticated driver like NTFS-3g can be developed+debugged like a regular program, no hassles w/ complicated schemes to test code inside the kernel itself. Much faster turnaround time in the development cycles and lots more mechanisms can be used as filesystems. NTFS-3g has had several revs in the last five months alone.



Most wireless cards can be made to work using NDISWrapper, a cool hack to make Windows networking drivers work w/ Linux. As always, read the instruction carefully and you should be connected in a less than an hour. I don't think you have to add modules for that, exc if you need WPA encryption (wpa_supplicant.)

WRT BartPE, I'm putting less an less into that one, since discovering Slax. In fact, there are a couple of Linux AV pgms in the module section which are really viable bec of NTFS-3g. I haven't done a complete regen/rebuild of my BartPE config (just AV/spyware def updates) in almost a year. I periodically run CHKDSK just to be safe, but I haven't had a failure since I started using it on New Year's Eve. In fact, I run a swap file from a NTFS partition.

A custom Slax KillBill/Server is way smaller than BartPE, but has a full computing env including multimedia and a full-function office suite. Modules are way easier to put together than Bart plugins. All portable and extensible using multi-session CDs ! Experiment w/ diff modules using CD-Rs+Track-At-Once, multisession writes. Then, once you've got a system tweaked the way you want it, use those files to integrate into your DVD-R. Those are the words of a stingy guy who hates wasting media on one-off experiments !



A dbl-click should work to display the contents of your boot (DVD) drive, but there should also be a Mount cmd on the context menu as well. BTW, when you mount it, you still have to open it, but a dbl-click does both. Other than having to explicitly mount partitions/drives, KDE is reasonably Windows-like. As least for folks like us....

I realised that but without people willing put the pieces together where would we be!?



I ran mount from right click after discovering an empty drive when I double-clicked my on my DVD but nothing happened! I'll take another look.



I decided to install Ubuntu 7.04 a minute ago and had similar problems with no connection. Granted I do use a WEP key and I don't broadcast my ssid so this may be causing me some problems. Drilling holes in the house is starting to become more appealing by the minute though.

On the subject of Ubuntu I like some of the new features but what a pig to install.

During live boot up I had an error which I ignored and carried on cos it disappeared so quickly. Then at first boot, post-install, I was taken to some kind of disc check/filesystem check which failed and then rebooted the machine before I could read anything. Following that everything went fine but I'm still left with a nagging question 'is anything broken or not'. How frustrating...

All-in-all the rest of this week I'm probably gonna spend a lot more time with Slax and Ubuntu so I'm sure I'll get there in the end.

The Q-n-D WiFi/NDISWrapper Mini-HOWTO:

Look, once you have the .inf+.sys file for your WiFi card it's pretty much:



Above is an extract from the 2nd-gen script I use to fire up my WiFi-Wired router, so it's perfected. Actually, it's almost a verbatim rip from the NDISWrapper wiki. I literally got my Moto WPCI810G going in under an hour. It took about another day or so til I found the formula for turning the box into a WiFi-Wired router (basically a high-perf ICS PC), which talks to a Netgear wireless router, then out to the Net via the landlord's cable modem. Under (my) Knoppix, the WiFi device is always eth1, but under Slax it's always wlan0, as it's supposed to be. What's happening is:

1) Install the Windows driver
2) Display the driver's installation status
3) Load the NDISWrapper kernel module
4) Display the newly installed wireless device's name and params
5) Configure the wireless device
6) Setup the IP settings (via ifconfig) for a new network device
7) Turn it on
8) Manually setup the default gateway for Internetworking, altho dhcpcd does all of the IP stuf, if you use an auto IP from the AP/router.

I manually set the IP and default route bec I use port forwarding (from the Netgear) for P2P/RDP/VNC apps. Just to get started, one can skip those commands and simply bring up the device and prime it via dhcpcd. I wanted to go w/ disabled SSID broadcasts too, but I had to get the router working very quickly and simply couldn't coax Windows into dealing w/o a SSID. But I was able to get WPA-PSK going under Windows+Knoppix+Slax, which is much more robust than WEP, so I could live w/ the SSID broadcasts.

Where do the .inf/.sys files come from ? From the driver disc for the device, of course. You do have the driver disc ? Well, assuming you don't, you can obviously go back to the card's vendor and d/l a driver kit or you can resort to digging into the bowels of the beast and extract them from Windows itself. The Windows Device Manager entry for the device has a Device tab w/ a Device Details button, which should give you the location of the .sys and .inf files. If the .inf isn't indicated, it's somewhere under \WINDOWS\INF.

For completeness sake, there are some built-in kernel modules that do WiFi directly. My bcm4306 is almost supported w/ the bcm43xx kernel module under Knoppix. Almost, as it requires a slightly illegal util which extracts (cuts) downloadable firmware from the .sys file of the Windows driver and loads it via the bcm43xx kernel module. It was great until the great WPA migration weekend, at which time the bcm43xx kernel module decided it didn't grok WPA. WPA means wpa_supplicant, which is a matter for another post.

Truth is, unless you have one of a handful of wireless cards (don't ask, as I don't know other than the Orinoco cards), no distro does universal turnkey WiFi. More WiFi drivers are coming out w/ every kernel update but NDISWrapper really is our friend....Jet

PS: Kof, this wasn't exclusively for your benefit, but once I started typing, I figured I go ahead and make this into a mini-HOWTO for everyone else....

PPS: The Code box w/ the script uses full paths for the programs as installed on Knoppix. Your mileage will vary, in order to use it on another distro. As always, copy+paste w/ brain engaged.

Well wireless networking in Linux sucks.

I cannot for the life of me get this to work in Ubuntu. I've now resorted to trailing a large cat-6 cable across the landing and downstairs to the router, much to my Wife's discussed. Actually that's not true she finds it bloody hilarious .

The drills coming out tomorrow along with some cable clips and a hammer. Shortest route is a straight line and all that!

As far as Ubuntu was concerned, it knew exactly what my wlan card was and assigned a driver to it, just didn't want to work. I've even gone as far as broadcasting my ssid and disabling all security, still no go.

Oh well, as least I'm on the net now. I'll probably return to this again but to be honest I was losing my patience with it and that doesn't help anyone.

Not true. You simply haven't relinquished "ready-to-wear" WiFi Windows drivers yet. When I did my 1st Unix (actually FreeBSD) WiFi project about four years ago, I had Orinoco/Agere cards and they worked almost instantly. I think they're the only company that has completely OSS driver support for Linux/BSD/Unix. I was spoiled too, but I got over that, as you will. But by your remarks, I probably would've found last nite's scene entertaining, as did your spouse.



Go ahead and wire up a little Ethernet "security blanket", then when you've got your patience back, you'll see it wasn't that tough after all. I can share a couple more pointers:

1) The sequence of iwconfig cmds to setup WiFi seems to be sensitive to the order of each element (AP/SSID/WEP key/channel) is sent to the card. This was esp true, in order to enable WPA.

2) Since you can specifically choose an AP by MAC address, you should have no trouble disabling SSID again. I gave up on that bec Windows simply wouldn't cooperate.

3) Did you look the system or kernel logs for more init details about your WiFi cards ? My WPCI810G is detected (under Knoppix), but the bcm43xx driver doesn't know that to do w/ it, for lack of firmware. Which reqs human intervention.

Anyway, scarf a Guinness or something and relax....Jet

Exactly my thoughts. I went back to have another go and discovered NDISWrapper was actually unable to use the generic Broadcom driver I use or the bodged Belkin/Broadcom driver that came with the card.

Although it's probably only bodged under Windows cause it installs extra sortware that peaks the CPU to 100% after about half an hour on the net.

I'm gonna have another go tonight with a fresh sense of humour and see what happens.

I nearly forgot, I switched to WPA as well last night (after all of the above) is this a good idea now or am I just asking for trouble?

Hmmm. Not sure what you mean by generic Broadcom driver WRT to NDISWrapper. See, the generic Broadcom driver I know is the kernel module that comes w/ Ubuntu/Kubuntu. I think that's bcm43xx, at least that's what I know it to be under ZenWalk Live (Slax done better) and Knoppix 5.1. Isn't used with NDISWrapper. Now, referring back to my mini-HOWTO, check your kernel log for details about why the driver didn't like your card. OTOH, using the NDISWrapper and the Belkin files is more troubling. Just to see what success others have had w/ your gear, one can try LinuxQuestions HCL.

WPA ? Absolutely better than WEP. As I've been reading and hearing lately, WEP can be cracked so easily my grandmother could probably figure it out ! WPA isn't even hard to setup w/ Linux. Just another program to add to the mix. I can't call myself an expert on all of these subjects, but my PCs earn their keep daily under Windows and Linux. I'm even typing this from my mini-WiFi router via IceWeasel (what a lousy name !)

Anyway, TTYL....Jet

The first post I read on LinuxQuestions HCL about my card:



This guy was also running it under Ubuntu.

Hay-ho all is not lost, I'll have my wired connection in a tidy, permanent condition in a few days so none of this will matter so much. I wouldn't be so hasty if it wasn't such a necessity. Ubuntu without the internet is like cutting an arm off!

I'm gonna keep play with this though. I might be able to grab another card (not Belkin/Broadcom) of a work colleague to try out so I'll see what happens then.

At the end of the day this is all good practice. I'm determined to be less Windows dependent and more Linux savvy so the more I play with the better.

Thanks for your help Jet.

I'm shocked and amazed ! I've never had a single whisper of trouble from any Belkin offering. Guess there's a 1st time for everything. If at 1st you don't succeed and all that. The biggest prob and obstacle is what you pointed out: being disconnected. Nowadays, that's like taking drugs from the addict. At least when you're hooked on the 'Net, you're in the comfort of your own home and not hanging out w/ dirtbags in abndoned buildings.

Should have something really interesting going by next Thurs. Hope so anyway. Later....Jet

Ooooookay..... .





I'm intrigued... keep talkin'...