Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 11:20:03 -0700 (PDT) From: John DeStefano <deesto@yahoo.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: hardware for onboard/WiFi NICs and chipset Message-ID: <20040830182003.30660.qmail@web52910.mail.yahoo.com>
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I remember part of this topic being addressed somewhat about a year ago, and I'm wondering if it's reached a resolution by now (doesn't seem so from recent list discussion, but it can't hurt to ask). I have a Chaintech Zenith motherboard: http://www.chaintechusa.com/tw/eng/product_spec.asp?MPSNo=13&PISNo=196 I've always had a bit of trouble installing FreeBSD on this machine; now, unfortunately, it's the only one I have to work with. I've just tried installing both 4.10 and 5.2.1, and both give unpleasantly similar results: they get through most of the initial install boot sequence but freeze as it tries to mount. However, if I install by booting into "safe mode", I can get through the install process with a few hiccups, one of them (the entire XFree86 library) being fairly crucial. Even when I do this, I still can't boot BSD afterward in its default mode, only using "safe mode". In addition, I can't configure the onboard NIC, which is the ongoing problem I mentioned earlier. I asked about a year ago, and the basic response was that support hasn't been added because the chipset MFR doesn't want to help in developing a solution or offering source code for the drivers. I'm hopeful (but somewhat cynical) this has changed. In any case, the chipset is: NVIDIA nForce2 SPP + MCP-T. The on-board LAN controller: - Fast Ethernet Controller with MII Interface - Support 10/100Mb Fast Ethernet with External PHY The alternative I have is a wireless-G NIC card from TrendNET: http://www.trendnet.com/products/TEW-403PI.htm I have this card configured for Windows XP (not flawlessly, but it works after some tinkering). I haven't been able to find drivers for BSD, and the MFR support wasn't warm to my plea for a non-Windows solution. I've seen a few threads on wireless use, but nothing reporting the results or what works/what doesn't work, and nothing specific to 802.11g support. A side note: as you may surmise, I wouldn't recommend TrendNET products to my worst enemy. The product was absolutely painful to configure (after about a year, they just came out with a driver that actually works for XP, and then promptly discontinued the product) and their customer service was equally painful to endure. Any help you could offer to get this thing running BSD and back on the network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, ~John __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail is new and improved - Check it out! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
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