NDISWrapper
8.04 Hardy Heron Obvious Fixes (WPA PSK and Broadcom Wireless Driver)
Apr 28th
For a long time I was annoyed by having to input my routers WPA PSK passcode each time I booted. At minimum I would have to unlock the keyring containing the passcode, even after checking the button to automatically unlock it upon login. These issues are resolved in the new release of Ubuntu. The new version has definitely provided many upgrades to increase stability, and further polish this awesome Linux distribution. Also regarding Broadcom wireless card support, ndiswrapper is no longer needed. The new B43 driver uses the well known fwcutter (firmware cutter) very effectively. The driver allows full speed data transmission that was typically only achievable using ndiswrapper. Now, right out of the box Ubuntu is fully compatible with Nvidia graphics cards, and basically all wireless cards. With each new release I see less reasons to stick with Windows 
Ndiswrapper – Ubuntu WiFi in 4 Easy Steps
Mar 10th
First download Ndiswrapper:
1) http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/joomla/
Then install your kernel headers and compilation packages:
2) sudo apt-get install build-essential
Unzip the ndiswrapper package. Navigate to the folder and issue:
3) make
Then issue:
4) sudo make install
Your done. Add Ndiswrapper to autostart on boot:
sudo nano /etc/modules
Add ndiswrapper to the bottom of the list. And blacklist any conflicting drivers (my conflict was bcm43xx) to prevent conflict:
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
Add “blacklist bcm43xx” in my case, to the bottom of the list.
Now add your windows module to ndiswrapper. Windows drivers are .inf files. A typical Windows driver is bcmwl5.inf:
sudo ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf
You can extract drivers from exe files using “cabextract”. Install cabextract using apt-get then issue:
cabextract drivers.exe
This will unzip the exe to the current directory of the terminal window. You may want to place the exe file in a new folder to prevent making a mess.
Just type ndiswrapper at a terminal prompt to see other options the binary allows. Also for a graphical frontend use ndisgtk.
Instantly load the ndiswrapper module to get your WiFi working without rebooting:
sudo rmmod ndiswrapper && sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
Now, could this be any easier Send a comment if your having trouble 
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NDISWrapper Finishing Touches to get it Working
Nov 19th
NDISWrapper is a powerful tool to get your wireless hardware working. You can install NDISWrapper following my previous video tutorial, and/or my previous texual how-to. http://www.bgevolution.com/blog/index.php/fedora-8-bcm43xx-ndiswrapper/ As for the finishing touches, NDISWrapper requires the blacklisting of conflicting drivers, and configuration for autostart in order to behave as expected. This video tutorial shows what two files need to be configured, and how to properly unload the bcm43xx driver, and load the NDISWrapper module.
Fedora 8 – bcm43xx – NDISWrapper
Nov 9th
This article is applicable to people who want to use a Windows wireless driver, instead of bcm43xx or a derivative. The benefit is usually increased performance. The bcm43xx Firmware does not operate at 54 Mb/s therefore the windows driver can be utilize with ndiswrapper. To get the driver visit your manufacturers website; for instance I have a HP laptop, therefore I go to HP.com and then to their drivers page. On the drivers page I look for the broadcom driver package for WIndows XP; it will be an .exe file. You will have to install cabextract to unpack the file. One of the files after unpacking will be bcmwl5.inf: yum install cabextract Your downloaded driver package will most likely be on the desktop: cd Desktop cabextract sp43654.exe The .exe file will unzip and all the inner files will now be on the desktop. Proceed with the installation of NDISWrapper and then you can install the driver (bcmwl5.inf). To download NDISWrapper you can visit: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=93482 You need gcc and the kernel headers to compile ndiswrapper: yum install gcc kernel-devel-$(uname -r) With these two packages, and associated dependencies NDISWrapper will install successfully. Once your headers and compilation software are installed, navigate to the NDISwrapper folder and proceed to build: cd Desktop cd ndiswrapper-1.49 make sudo make install Then install the driver. Navigate to the desktop where you unzipped the .exe driver pack. Then proceed to install the new driver: cd ~/Desktop sudo ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf Now you have to blacklist the bcm43xx driver to prevent conflict: sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist Add at the bottom of the file “blacklist bcm43xx”. Save and exit. Now add NDISWrapper to the modules list for autostart purposes: sudo nano /etc/modules Add on a new line “ndiswrapper”. Done, finito, completo
NDISWrapper Compile and Install Video Tutorial
Nov 8th
The following video thoroughly covers the compilation, and installation of ndiswrapper on Ubuntu, and Debian based systems.
Best Backup Method
Oct 26th
I have been backing up my server for over a year now, and the simplest method of backup is a direct copy of the files on a usb hard drive. Linux detects the NTFS format with help of ntfs-config, thus allowing a usb hard drive to be readable on both Windows and Linux operating systems. I back up my personal computer simply by dragging and dropping my home folder onto my usb hard drive. Then I install a fresh copy of my favorite Linux OS, and drag and drop the folder contents from the usb hard drive into the home folder on the desktop machine. All your settings will be restored, and with the installation of your pre-existing programs I’m sure you’ll have your system up and running in no time. My favorite programs that I always restore include VirtualBox, and NDISWrapper. Frankly I have compiled NDISWrapper, and installed the famous bcmwl5.inf driver countless times.
