Worsening wireless convenience [solved]

[riseringseeker]

I have had less and less convenience as I've upgraded my Mandrake/Mandriva system the last few times.

 

With 10.2, I had some fits in getting it setup initially, but once I got it going, it was rock solid. I could put the (external PCMCIA Linksys WPC54) card in at any time, and if I was within range of an open network, presto, it was connected.

 

With 2005LE, I sometimes had to modprobe ndiswrapper, if I had run the computer without the card installed, but again, it would come up after I did so.

 

Then came 2006 (Official), then in frustration I even joined "the club" and *every* time I boot it after having had the computer running without the card, it tells me I do not have a wireless interface setup, use MCC to set one up.

 

Tonight, after playing with it some, I got it running by logging into a terminal as root, then going to /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts and typing "./ifcfg-wlan0" followed by "modprobe ndiswrapper", and finally "ifup wlan0", or I can also type "drakroam", or just click on the icon for drakroam I have on the desktop and all the networks show, and I can connect to any open network (or an encrypted on that I have the pass phrase for).

 

MCC shows I have "pcmcia-cs-3.2.8-8mdk.i586" installed, which, according to the description should allow hotplugging of the card without the extra effort I have had to put in to get it to work. However, unlike 2005LE, after modprobing ndiswrapper, it tells me that it "cannot contact daemon".

 

The only way I have gotten it to connect is to do as described above, or re-install the wireless interface, which I then have to do again if I run the computer with the wireless card inserted.

 

Please tell me there is an easier way to do this!

Edited March 30, 2006 by riseringseeker

[riseringseeker]

solved

 

/etc/modules.preload edited - added line "ndiswrapper"