ndiswrapper does not launch at boot

[ledenjes]

Under Ubuntu Feisty 7.04 it was possible to make ndiswrapper launch automatically at boot using the command "sudo ndiswrapper -m".

However, under Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10 the module doesn't load at boot, although I did get the message "Adding "alias wlan0 ndiswrapper" to /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper." Manually loading the ndiswrapper module using the command "modprobe ndiswrapper" after boot does work, though. And, only then, the PAM Keyring also loads. When I type the command "sudo ndiswrapper -m" again, I get a message saying that the alias had already been added.

[Andreas Gnau (rondom)]

ndiswrapper -m creates an alias i.e. the module is being loaded when wlan0 is used. That means that you have to use wlan0. If you haven't configured your wlan card to connect at boot (i.e. auto wlan0 in /etc/network/interfaces) it won't load at boot, but when doing a sudo ifup wlan0
I'm not sure how (and if) this works, when using network-manager.

In order to make ndiswrapper load at boot (or also insertion of the device for usb-devices) sudo ndiswrapper -ma should be added. This will make ndiswrapper load if the cards supported by the installed windows-drivers are present (using usb- and pci-ids).

Please make sure you have configured your card this way. Also attach your /etc/network/interfaces .

[ledenjes (jpa-rijks)]

Thank you! It worked!

I didn't realise that "sudo ndiswrapper -m" and "sudo ndiswrapper -ma" differed in that way.

So thank you very much for this information.

Strangely enough, though, under Feisty I did manage to get ndiswrapper boot automatically, merely by doing "sudo ndiswrapper -m", while my wlan was attached to the system under "eth0" instead of "wlan0".

To my opinion, however, your way should be used at all times.

[Andreas Gnau (rondom)]

> Strangely enough, though, under Feisty I did manage to get ndiswrapper
> boot automatically, merely by doing "sudo ndiswrapper -m", while my wlan
> was attached to the system under "eth0" instead of "wlan0".
Maybe this is the cause of your problem. What is your interface called
now, wlan0 or eth0? Do you use network-manager? If you don't, please
attach /etc/network/interfaces and /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper (after
removing the new aliases created by ndiswrapper -ma (sudo rm
/etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper) and creating the ones that didn't work
using ndiswrapper -m)

Thank you for helping making ubuntu better.

[Andreas Gnau (rondom)]

Closing, as this wasn't a real bug.