How to install windows driver for my bcm43xx wireless card?

Hi!
I was trying to install ubuntu on my laptop (HP pavillion from 2006), but the system has problems to recognize my wireless card (broadcom bcm43xx). There appears an icon ``install non-free driver'' on the desktop, but after trying to install it, it reports that the installation failed. There is almost no message in /var/log/* (the one suggested by the installer).
Also running ``sudo lshw -C network'' I recognise that my wireless card is disabled even though the light on the laptop in ON (and can be toggled on/off).
Where can I find more information about installing the chainsaw or whatever tool for installing 3rd party drivers? Do I need the windows driver installer disk to install the driver (it seems I lost it)?
Thanks for suggestions
melli79

1 answers, votes, 1030 views

Submit Answer

asked by melli79
1 year 39 weeks ago

Post Comment

1 Answers

Thanks for the reply. Glad to know there is a tool cutter which can convert windows drivers to be used in linux machines. have you figured out and got the wireless working?

- Visitor 1 year 39 weeks ago

Sorry, I forgot to say, that I am using Ubuntu 10.04 (i.e. the latest version).
The tool I was talking about is called fwcutter (firm-ware cutter) and can extract/ use the essential parts from the windows driver.
I am still hoping for some easy solutions, alternatively I'll have to buy a USB wireless device (hoping that I can get one from Intel or Linksys, not Broadcom).

Thanks
Melli79

- melli79 1 year 39 weeks ago

Answer

Windows wireless driver won't work with ubuntu or linux anyway. So the disk is of no use.

Since this is a quite a old laptop the wireless driver might not have matched, but i'm just guessing. Run Update Manager, reboot the machine and give it a shot.

Which version of ubuntu are you using ubuntu 9.10 or ubuntu 10.04. Ubuntu 10.04 has support for ton of devices just out of the box. Unfortunately hard to answer this question due to device specific nature :)

All the best

answer by Visitor
1 year 39 weeks ago

Ubuntu 11.04 released!

Ubuntu 11.04 code named natty narwhal is released download ubuntu 11.04

Read ubuntu 11.10 reviews and share yours now!!

ubun2