Help please - install the WiFi driver
My objective:
Install WiFi driver into Debian+LXDE so that I can connect to the Internet.
My problem:
All the help I can find covers installing packages over the Internet. But I can't install packages over the Internet because I can't reach the Internet until I've installed the driver (not part of Debian because it's non-free) and a Network Manager (apparently, not part of Debian+LXDE ...or at least I can't find it under System Tools ...I think that's what the menu item is named).
Packages I have:
aptitude_0.6.3-3.2+squeeze1_amd64.deb // Debian - Package Manager
firmware-iwlwifi_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb // Debian - WiFi Drivers
synaptic_0.70~pre1+b1_amd64.deb // Debian - Package Manager
wicd_1.7.0+ds1-5+squeeze3_all.deb // Debian (all but Gnome) - Network Manager
wireless-tools_30~pre9-5_amd64.deb // Debian - WiFi Tools
Documentation I have:
(copied off the Internet and saved where I can get to them when I'm in Debian+LXDE...)
"How to use a WiFi interface" (http://wiki.debian.org/WiFi/HowToUse)
"Intel PRO-Wireless 3945 and WiFi Link 4965 devices" (http://wiki.debian.org/iwlegacy)
"WiFi Ad-hoc Network" (http://wiki.debian.org/WiFi/AdHoc)
"iwconfig" (http://wiki.debian.org/iwconfig)
iwconfig man page as a text file.
BTW, before I go on, I already tried opening a file manager (in Debian+LXDE) and simply double-clicking one of the .deb files. Nothing happened.
I don't know what to do or what I'll need once I'm booted back into Debian+LXDE ...remember: I won't have Internet. Assuming that I'll need to know how to run a Package Manager, I've looked at the following (http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/index.en.html#contents):
(Before listing the contents of the appropriate section of debian-faq below, I need to say that I really, really tried to read this stuff. My eyes glazed over. I looked for something like "how to install a deb binary" but couldn't find it. As I read the details of what I couldn't relate to and what I didn't understand and what I don't really care about - God created the Earth in 6 days so that we could argue over it forever after - I had my hands full simply trying to stay awake. Forgive me but I don't want to know the excruciating details of Linux and how it works. I'm not going to stand back after a year of study saying, "My, that's wonderful!". I... don't... care. I'm here to use Linux, not to praise it. My objective is to copy stuff I *might* need for offline use.)
7 Basics of the Debian package management system
7.1 What is a Debian package?
7.2 What is the format of a Debian binary package?
7.3 Why are Debian package file names so long?
7.4 What is a Debian control file?
7.5 What is a Debian conffile?
7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?
7.7 What is an Essential, Required, Important, Standard, Optional, or Extra package?
7.8 What is a Virtual Package?
7.9 What is meant by saying that a package Depends, Recommends, Suggests, Conflicts, Replaces, Breaks or Provides another package?
7.10 What is meant by Pre-Depends?
7.11 What is meant by unknown, install, remove, purge and hold in the package status?
7.12 How do I put a package on hold?
7.13 How do I install a source package?
7.14 How do I build binary packages from a source package?
7.15 How do I create Debian packages myself?
8 The Debian package management tools
8.1 What programs does Debian provide for managing its packages?
8.1.1 dpkg
8.1.2 APT
8.1.3 aptitude
8.1.4 synaptic
8.1.5 tasksel
8.1.6 Other package management tools
8.2 Debian claims to be able to update a running program; how is this accomplished?
8.3 How can I tell what packages are already installed on a Debian system?
8.4 How to display the files of a package installed?
8.5 How can I find out what package produced a particular file?
8.6 Why doesn't get `foo-data' removed when I uninstall `foo'? How do I make sure old unused library-packages get purged?
9 Keeping your Debian system up-to-date
9.1 How can I keep my Debian system current?
9.1.1 aptitude
9.1.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom
9.1.3 aptitude
9.1.4 mirror
9.1.5 dpkg-mountable
9.2 Must I go into single user mode in order to upgrade a package?
9.3 Do I have to keep all those .deb archive files on my disk?
9.4 How can I keep a log of the packages I added to the system? I'd like to know when which package upgrades and removals have occured!
9.5 Can I automatically update the system?
9.6 I have several machines how can I download the updates only one time?
You guys know the stuff above. I'd be willing to *try* to read it if you think I'll need it, but please remember: all I want is to install the WiFi driver, firmware-iwlwifi_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb. Perhaps a year from now I'll step back and look at Linux and say, "That's wonderful!" but I doubt it. However, one thing's for certain: If I don't succeed with this, a year from now I will not be running Linux.
Any help gratefully appreciated!
Thanks, and Ciao.
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