Comprehensive ndiswrapper troubleshooting guide

[pytheas22]

MickM: no worries about my time; if I didn't want to volunteer it I wouldn't be here! Plus I'm back from traveling as of today and so I should be able to respond faster.

The problem was that you didn't cd into the directory containing the files after you unzipped them. After typing "unzip RTL8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922.zip" and before typing "chmod +x install.sh" try doing "cd RTL81*" Then proceed as before. This should work.

I wish I could think of a simpler way for you to do this, or one that wouldn't require the command line, but because of the way Realtek has packaged this driver I think this is the only approach.

SlaneBoy: sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately wireless on Ubuntu is not always as pain-free as it would be in an ideal world--though in Ubuntu's defense, there are very many wireless devices which do "just work" out-of-the-box, with absolutely no installation of third-party drivers necessary. That's a lot better than Windows can do.

Unfortunately there is apparently no driver built into Ubuntu for your particular device (either that, or for some reason the driver exists but is not loading properly; that's unlikely, however). In most cases you can solve this problem either by installing a native Linux driver yourself, if one exists, or failing that you can use ndiswrapper in conjunction with a Windows driver. (The "invalid driver" message you received while trying ndiswrapper before usually means that you didn't install the Windows driver properly.)

To figure out what to do in your situation, we will need to know exactly which wireless chipset you have. Knowing the device name ("RTL 81922SU") is not always sufficient because often manufacturers will change the wireless chipsets while still selling devices under the same exact name (this is one of the reasons that wireless issues can be complicated for Linux users).

If you post the output of these commands they'll tell me the wireless chipset, as well as some other information that might be useful to advise you on how to get the device working:

lsusb
lspci -nn
lshw -C Network
uname -a
dmesg | grep -ie rtl -e wlan

You run these commands by in a terminal window, which you can open by pressing the keys control-alt-t at he same time, or by launching it from the Ubuntu menu.

[MickM]

Hi pytheas22,
Well that worked OK this computer now has wireless. Sorry I no longer have wireless, after rebooting to check.
There is an error message at the end of the install as can be seen below.


carolm@carolm-OptiPlex-GX620:~$ cd RTL81*
carolm@carolm-OptiPlex-GX620:~/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922$ chmod +x install.sh
carolm@carolm-OptiPlex-GX620:~/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922$ sudo ./install.sh
[sudo] password for carolm:
Auto install for 8192cu
September, 1 2010 v 1.0.0
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/clean
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/efuse/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/efuse/rtw_efuse.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_cmd.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_debug.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_eeprom.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_ieee80211.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_io.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_ioctl_query.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_ioctl_rtl.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_ioctl_set.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_mlme.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_mlme_ext.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_mp.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_mp_ioctl.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_p2p.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_pwrctrl.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_recv.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_rf.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_security.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_sta_mgt.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_wlan_util.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_xmit.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/hal_init.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_cmd.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_dm.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_hal_init.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_phycfg.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_rf6052.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_rxdesc.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/rtl8192c_sreset.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/Hal8192CUHWImg.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/rtl8192cu_led.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/rtl8192cu_recv.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/rtl8192cu_xmit.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/usb_halinit.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/usb_ops_ce.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/usb_ops_linux.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/hal/rtl8192c/usb/usb_ops_xp.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/ifcfg-wlan0
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/autoconf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/basic_types.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/byteorder/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/byteorder/big_endian.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/byteorder/generic.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/byteorder/little_endian.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/byteorder/swab.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/byteorder/swabb.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/circ_buf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/cmd_osdep.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/drv_conf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/drv_types.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/drv_types_ce.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/drv_types_linux.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/drv_types_xp.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/ethernet.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/farray.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/h2clbk.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192CEHWImg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192CPhyCfg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192CPhyReg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192CUHWImg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192DEHWImg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192DETestHWImg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192DPhyCfg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192DPhyReg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192DUHWImg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/Hal8192DUTestHWImg.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/hal_init.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/ieee80211.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/ieee80211_ext.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/if_ether.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/ip.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/mlme_osdep.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/mp_custom_oid.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/nic_spec.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/osdep_ce_service.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/osdep_intf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/osdep_service.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/pci_hal.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/pci_ops.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/pci_osintf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/recv_osdep.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_cmd.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_dm.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_event.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_hal.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_led.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_recv.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_rf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_spec.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_sreset.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192c_xmit.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_cmd.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_dm.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_hal.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_led.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_recv.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_rf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_spec.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtl8192d_xmit.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_byteorder.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_cmd.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_debug.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_eeprom.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_efuse.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_event.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_ht.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_io.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_ioctl.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_ioctl_query.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_ioctl_rtl.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_ioctl_set.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_led.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_mlme.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_mlme_ext.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_mp.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_mp_ioctl.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_mp_phy_regdef.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_p2p.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_pwrctrl.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_qos.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_recv.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_rf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_security.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_version.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/rtw_xmit.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sdio_hal.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sdio_ops.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sdio_ops_ce.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sdio_ops_linux.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sdio_ops_xp.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sdio_osintf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/sta_info.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/usb_hal.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/usb_ops.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/usb_osintf.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/usb_vendor_req.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/wifi.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/wlan_bssdef.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/xmit_osdep.h
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/Kconfig
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/Makefile
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/ioctl_linux.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/mlme_linux.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/os_intfs.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/pci_intf.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/recv_linux.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/sdio_intf.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/usb_intf.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/linux/xmit_linux.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/os_dep/osdep_service.c
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/runwpa
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/wlan0dhcp
rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922
Authentication requested [root] for make driver:
make ARCH=i386 CROSS_COMPILE= -C /lib/modules/3.0.0-12-generic/build M=/home/carolm/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/driver/rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922 modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-3.0.0-12-generic'
CC [M] /home/carolm/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/driver/rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_cmd.o
In file included from /home/carolm/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/driver/rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_cmd.c:24:0:
/home/carolm/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/driver/rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/include/osdep_service.h:49:29: fatal error: linux/smp_lock.h: No such file or directory
compilation terminated.
make[2]: *** [/home/carolm/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/driver/rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/core/rtw_cmd.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/home/carolm/RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922/driver/rtl8192_8188CU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-3.0.0-12-generic'
make: *** [modules] Error 2
Compile make driver error: 2, Please check error Mesg

[pytheas22]

MickM: ok, after much sleuthing I think I've figured this one out. It seems the driver doesn't want to compile on the latest version of Ubuntu because it hasn't been patched for the Linux 3.0 kernel. Below is the solution (I got it from answer #4 of this page).

Actually, instead of explaining all of what I did, since I'm kind of in a rush at the moment, here's the quick and easy solution. First download this file and save it to your desktop. Then run:

cd ~/Desktop
unzip rtl8192cu_patched.zip
cd RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922
./install

Enter your password when prompted and it should work this time. Note that the password it wants is the root password for the system, not your user account password. If you don't have a root password set for the system, type "sudo passwd" to set a new password--it can be whatever you want; just remember what it is and input it to the script when asked. You will be asked a few times for it.

If this works for you I'll edit this post explaining what I did to the source code to make it compile, for the benefit of others who may have this issue. (The source code package I asked you to download is just a customized version that I uploaded to my Web server, since that's faster than going through all the steps needed to fix the source code manually.)

EDIT: this is what I did to the source code so that the driver would compile on the Ubuntu 11.10 kernel. First, I downloaded the source code in zip format from this link on Realtek's site. I then unzipped the file to my desktop. Inside the folder created by unzipping the file is another folder named "driver." Inside that folder is a tar archive. Open the tar archive by right-clicking on it and selecting "Open with Archive Manager." Then, in the Archive Manager, open the sub-folder named "include." In that folder, open the file "rtw_io.h" Find the line that says "#include <linux/smp_lock.h>" and change it to say "#include <linux/smp.h>" Close and save the file. Then repeat the process for the file named "osdep_service.h"

When this is all done, close the Archive Manager (make sure you say yes if it asks if you want to update the archive) then open a terminal and run the install.sh script as per the instructions above. It should compile this time.

[MickM]

MickM: ok, after much sleuthing I think I've figured this one out. It seems the driver doesn't want to compile on the latest version of Ubuntu because it hasn't been patched for the Linux 3.0 kernel. Below is the solution (I got it from answer #4 of this page).

Actually, instead of explaining all of what I did, since I'm kind of in a rush at the moment, here's the quick and easy solution. First download this file and save it to your desktop. Then run:

cd ~/Desktop
unzip rtl8192cu_patched.zip
cd RTL8192CU_8188CUS_8188CE-VAU_linux_v3.1.2590.20110922
./install

Enter your password when prompted and it should work this time. Note that the password it wants is the root password for the system, not your user account password. If you don't have a root password set for the system, type "sudo passwd" to set a new password--it can be whatever you want; just remember what it is and input it to the script when asked. You will be asked a few times for it.

If this works for you I'll edit this post explaining what I did to the source code to make it compile, for the benefit of others who may have this issue. (The source code package I asked you to download is just a customized version that I uploaded to my Web server, since that's faster than going through all the steps needed to fix the source code manually.)

Hi pytheas22,
We have wireless, thank you. I had to try it a number of times before eventually connecting.
First I had to use the commands: chmod +x install.sh and then sudo ./install.sh to install the drivers.
Then the first time I was connected but when I rebooted to check the wireless connection was again lost, so I went through the whole steps again but this time I could not reconnect the wireless. I was at a loss, however after going through all the steps again a few times,without success,I then deleted the wireless configuration in the network connections and added a new wireless connection and this time the wireless worked, to check I rebooted and when restarted the wireless connected.
Again thank you for your help,a little persistence helps I guess.

A Great Big Thank You,
Mick M

ps. I am going to reboot again

[pytheas22]

MickM: glad you finally that sorted out! I'll update my previous post explaining what I did to the source code so it would compile on Ubuntu 11.10, in case other users want to know.

When you upgrade your Ubuntu kernel, which happens once a month or so if you apply updates regularly, you will probably need to run through the steps again in order to compile the driver for the new kernel. You may want to keep a copy of the source code on hand for this purpose, so you don't have to download it each time.

[praseodym]

Hi friends,

in 11.10 there is a bug. The config-file of ndiswrapper is not located at /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper.conf, but in /etc/modules.conf.

sudo cp /etc/modules.conf /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper.conf

does the trick (I didnt read the whole thread, so if this issue is already known...)

[pytheas22]

praseodym: thanks for the tip but on my 64-bit Ubuntu 11.10 system that doesn't seem to be the case. I have no /etc/modules.conf file. Are you using the version of ndiswrapper from the Ubuntu repositories or did you install something else?

[praseodym]

Sorry, maybe this is only the case using the FritzStick-1.x (without N) with Texas Instruments chipset, see here, if ndiswrapper doesnt start automatically.

[OldschoolVgamer]

I have set up a dual boot of Windows 7 Pro and Ubuntu Linux (I've got 11.04 if it helps). When I first set it up, I was shocked to see the internet connection almost automatically connected.

However, in the short span of time since I've originally installed it, my net adapter has changed and I'm not having anywhere near the same luck. The exact model number is in the title and I tried for some support in the IRC channel and apparently the Trendnet TEW-684UB is not yet supported although other models from the same company are. It makes me think that there is a possibility I might be able to get it to work somehow.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm a new Linux user, so I wouldn't know.

[wolfen69]

If the wireless chipset is relatively new, the kernel provided by ubuntu 11.04 may not support it properly. I would suggest trying a live cd of ubuntu 11.10 to see how it works.