Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 21:38:54 -0800 From: Kevin Oberman <kob6558@gmail.com> To: Richard Morse <pukku@mac.com> Cc: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Subject: Re: RealTek 8188CE NDIS panic Message-ID: <CAN6yY1sDdNyYFA7jQ%2B6_kyEQGQN8x%2BTCEF_SLK2o6MEgo%2BrvfA@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <79A59E77-5AD2-4F98-819F-2F39EFB458B2@mac.com> References: <79A59E77-5AD2-4F98-819F-2F39EFB458B2@mac.com>
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On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 8:10 PM, Richard Morse <pukku@mac.com> wrote:
> Hi! I'm trying to install FreeBSD on a Lenovo ThinkPad X120e. The wifi ca=
rd is a RealTek 8188CE, which is not supported by any of the standard drive=
rs. I have tried to use the `ndisgen` utility with the Windows XP driver fi=
les, but whenever I try to `kldload` the generated .ko file, I get a kernel=
panic.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions for how I should proceed? I'd really lik=
e to use FreeBSD for
> this, rather than going over to a Linux variant, but I do need the WiFi t=
o work...
There are a few approaches you can take.
1. Wait an hope someone figures out how to get NDIS to work or writes
a driver. Probably not a real viable approach for you unless you can
pay someone, do it yourself, or someone else decided to do it now.
2. Replace the card with a supported card. I get a Lenovo labeled
Intel Centrino Advance-N card at an exorbitant price, but it works
with the iwn driver. I have seen the cards from Lenovo repair places
at 100-150 USD while a standard card is about 20 USD.
3. Mod your system to accept a standard WiFi card by:
a. Installing a patched BIOS (very risky)
b. Get a supported card and re-write the PCIID with the Lenovo ID
c. Get a supported card and install it in the other mini-PCIe slot
(If you don't have a wireless modem in that slot) (Note, the wireless
modem is a full height card and the wireless is half-height, so you
will need to adapt it in some way. Adapters are available, but may
raise the card too much to fit under the keyboard. I thought about
fabbing my own, but I don't have access to the tools I'd need.
--=20
R. Kevin Oberman, Network Engineer
E-mail: kob6558@gmail.com
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