NAME

       ndiswrapper  -  Linux kernel module and user space tool to load and run Windows XP drivers
       for wireless cards

SYNOPSIS

       ndiswrapper

DESCRIPTION

       ndiswrapper is two parts: user space tool that is used to install Windows XP  drivers  and
       kernel module to load the Windows XP drivers. Both are called ndiswrapper.

ndiswrapper - tool

       The user space tool (/usr/sbin/ndiswrapper) is used whenever a new Windows XP driver is to
       be installed. This program takes the following options:

       OPTIONS

       -i <inf file>
              installs new Windows XP driver, where <inf file> is full path to INF file for  that
              driver.

       -l     lists the currently installed drivers.

       -e <driver>
              removes an installed Windows XP driver named <driver>.

       -m     writes  an alias for wlan0 (default wireless device) into module configuration file
              so that ndiswrapper kernel module is loaded automatically when  this  interface  is
              used.

ndiswrapper - kernel module

       The  kernel  module  loads  the  installed  Windows  drivers and executes them so that the
       wireless cards can be used in Linux. The module takes the following options:

       OPTIONS

       if_name=<basename>
              The default basename for the interface is wlan%d, so that the wireless  cards  will
              be  configured  as wlan0, wlan1, ... (%d is replaced with lowest available number).
              You may use any other basename or fixed name, such as eth%d, ndis2 etc.

       proc_uid=<uid>
              The  module  creates  files  in  /proc/net/ndiswrapper  that  provide  some  useful
              information.  These  files  are  created  so  that they can be read only by root by
              default. If some other user needs to access these files without having to login  as
              root, then replace <uid> with the user ID of that user.

       proc_gid=<gid>
              The  module  creates  files  in  /proc/net/ndiswrapper  that  provide  some  useful
              information. These files are created so that they can be read  only  by  people  in
              root  group by default. If users from other groups need to access these files, then
              replace <gid> with the group ID of those users.

              ndiswrapper kernel module uses loadndisdriver user  space  tool  to  load  all  the
              Windows drivers. This tool is not to be used under normal circumstances.  Only when
              ndiswrapper module is already loaded and a new Windows XP driver is  installed  (by
              ndiswrapper  user  space  tool)  and you want the kernel module to load that driver
              without having to unload the module that you need to use it.

AUTHOR

       This    manual    page    was    written    by    Giridhar     Pemmasani     <ndiswrapper-
       general@lists.sourceforge.net>, for the Debian project (but may be used by others).

                                          June 25, 2004                            NDISWRAPPER(8)