DOS wireless - Orinoco Gold

[Ole Juul]

Ironically the Linux support/community really ran with these cards. Rarely have that problem.. I can find the linux drivers everywhere, windows drivers for whatever reason are being a pain.

Yes, that's funny. I noticed a lot of Linux offerings - and all the times I've had trouble with Linux hardware drivers. You just can't win. The MS drivers all seem to be for Win98 and CE which seems odd since the card has been around a long time.

 

[Ole Juul]

I'm afraid that the problem may not be with the drivers and rather with me, or my setup, or the hardware, or all three.

I finally found another set of drivers here.

Here is what I'm doing:
In config.sys I load WVLANCAD.SYS which doesn't seem to complain. Then I load the driver.

With both my original driver, and the newer version I get the message:

WVLAN42: Error: Primary firmware functions incompatible.
Packet Driver loaded anyway.

Hints, suggestions, insults - all welcome.

 

[Ole Juul]

From what I can find out, WVLANCAD.SYS and WVLAN42.COM have to be matching versions. The numbers don't correlate, although I've found a couple of correlation lists, they didn't have my versions. My solution was to find a complete archive and use the ones from there. This is turning out to be a bit of a nightmare. I've spent several more hours trying all available versions and combinations of parameters - although the params are probably not the problem.

The "primary firmware" reference in the error, suggests to me that the drivers don't match the hardware, or that the device has been altered. So, I went looking for relevant information and found wsu.hlp, wsu.cnt, and WSU10872.exe, from the same place I got the drivers that I currently am trying. The problem is that when I type "wsu10872" it tells me it won't run in "DOS mode" - which I assume to mean that it requires Windows. However I don't know how to run it in Windows. Typing the name in a DOS window gives the same error, and clicking on it in file manager doesn't do anything. Can someone tell me what "This program cannot be run in DOS mode" means, and how to get around that?

 

[Unknown_K]

I don't know if generic orinoco drivers will work on every branded card, but I have a few sets of drivers if you want to try them. PM me if you do.

 

[Ole Juul]

I don't know if generic orinoco drivers will work on every branded card, but I have a few sets of drivers if you want to try them. PM me if you do.

I'll PM - thanks.

I read all over the place that people are flashing these cards. I'm wondering if that is only to make Silver cards into Gold cards, or if there is some other reason.

Also, like I said earlier, I'm not so concerned about security. However, there is a problem connecting to a modern wireless router which generally won't accept WEP unless you set it up for that - which one wouldn't. I could add another router just for connecting this card, and that might be a good solution. For now I'm avoiding the problem and just turning off encryption on the router while I'm testing.

 

[Unknown_K]

I just used my old B router as an access point for my old gear (turned off then not used) and my G router for normal use.

 

[Bungo Pony]

Not sure why you'd want to use DOS for wireless. There isn't much practical DOS software that is useable with a wireless connection. I have an old PII laptop running WinME for all my older dos/windows software, and it supports my wireless card easily.

...and wardriving is fun

 

[Ole Juul]

Not sure why you'd want to use DOS for wireless. There isn't much practical DOS software that is useable with a wireless connection.

A DOS machine is superior in may ways when it comes to text. I use it daily and have for many years. These cards are supposed to work with DOS so all I need is for it to connect. As for network software. ??? What does one need besides telnet and ftp? I could use BSD or even Linux (which I might end up doing), but neither OS has anywhere near the text functionality due to lack of good software in that regard - virtually no choice of editors and no cursor control that I've been able to find over the last decade. Without some serious cursor acceleration using the cursor keys to navigate a document is very trying and downright frustrating. I have a great distaste for pointing devices in conjunction with keyboard use. As for Windows, I have no expertise and no interest in getting it.

It's just a project, but a DOS laptop for use in other parts of the house would allow me to get work done.

 

[Ole Juul]

So, now I've tried the files from Unknown_K and I also downloaded the full CD from the Proxim support site and tried those drivers. So far no luck. As for the flash program not working in DOS or "Windows", I found the problem. I only have Win3.1 and "non DOS mode" seems to be Win95 and up. I'm not convinced that I should be fooling with that anyway.

In all cases, no lights on the card light up, and I get the same message about incompatible firmware as I posted above. This is on the Thinkpad 755c. I got the same result on a Toshiba T1910 using the same boot disk and configuration.

At this point I'm pretty sure I'm doing it by the book as I've read the readmes thoroughly. I'm setting the config.sys as per their instructions and loading the pcmcia services driver with IRQ 10. That part loads without complaint and I see IRQ 10 in use. Nevertheless, either I'm missing something, or the card doesn't work.

 

[Caluser2000]

I could use BSD or even Linux (which I might end up doing), but neither OS has anywhere near the text functionality due to lack of good software in that regard - virtually no choice of editors and no cursor control that I've been able to find over the last decade.

Goodness I can see all the vi and emacs users cringing already....

On a serious note I've been thinking the same about wi-fi on a dos box just lately and will keep an eye on this thread with interest. Hope it goes well.

 

[Ole Juul]

Goodness I can see all the vi and emacs users cringing already....

And so they should. The time period when DOS utilities were developed for general public use provided us with a huge amount of material similar to what is happening with more recent popular platforms. We'll never see so such development of command line programs/utilities again. Nobody is going to write assembler utilities like Michael J. Mefford did for PC Computing in the late 80's and early 90's. It was a golden time for text utilities in DOS while the UNIX people of the time were all professionals with different needs. That time is gone - even for *nix.

 

[Ole Juul]

I think I might be doing something wrong. I was led to believe by the Proxim documentation and some web sites, that I needed to use the card services driver provided with the card driver. Perhaps that is not true, and I actually need a card services driver for this particular computer.

The docs actually say:

This driver supplies the facilities to the Agere Packet driver WVLAN42.COM and the DOS ODI driver WVLAN43.COM to access the Network Interface Card (NIC)
When the driver is loaded it checks for the presence of 'Card Services' and if determined to be present, it will use Card Services functions to setup and manage the Agere PCMCIA adapter. If no 'Card Services' detected, the driver will setup and manage the adapter via an Intel 82365 PCIC.

I don't know if the Thinkpad 755c has an 82365 or not. I've been looking around for a card services driver for this particular laptop. Lenovo has likely files, but when downloaded turn out to not work either.

DICRMU01 SYS        12,748 07-11-00   1:01a
IBMDOSCS SYS        46,224 07-11-00   1:01a
IBMDSS14 SYS        15,866 07-11-00   1:01a

I believe it would be the first two files, and they load fine in CONFIG.SYS but the driver still won't work after that.

Edit: I just found this page and the 755c does not use the Intel 82365 but rather the RicohRF5C266. Now I'm on the lookout for a driver for that.

 

[Caluser2000]

This page any use at all? http://www.notanon.com/tag/ms-dos/

According to the read.me you can use the drivers without card services:

Example usage of WVLANCAD.SYS without using card services
============================================================
Insert this line into config.sys:

DEVICE=WVLANCAD.SYS /i=10 /b=1300 /m=d000

The actual values of the /i, /b and /m parameters may vary depending on your system.
Use 'MSD.EXE' to determine which resources on your system are available.

 

[Ole Juul]

This page any use at all? http://www.notanon.com/tag/ms-dos/

DEVICE=WVLANCAD.SYS /i=10 /b=1300 /m=d000

The actual values of the /i, /b and /m parameters may vary depending on your system.

Thanks Cal. Very kind of you. I've been to that page and have indeed been using that line (with a couple of variants). That is the program that is referred to by the docs as needing to be used, but which appears to want the Intel 82365. And as I discovered, the 755c has the Ricoh.

This does seem to be where the conflict lies. I just tried again with the IBMDSS01.SYS socket services driver, followed by the IBMDOSCS.SYS card services driver. If I then load the packet driver the message is:

WVLAN42: Unable to locate CAD. Packet Driver not loaded.

So far, I have been unable to load the CAD along with the chip specific services mentioned above. Putting it as the third driver in the CONFIG.SYS causes a hang at that point. I will try a couple of setting to see if that is the problem.

At this point I'm leaning toward the problem being that the driver needs the WVLANCAD.SYS utility and that utility cannot run on this computer because it is for the Intel 82365 chip. Perhaps I should look around to see if I have a laptop with that chip.

Could it be true that the Orinoco cards can only work in DOS if you have n Intel 82365 chip? Since there are no other drivers out there, I believe that could be the reality that is preventing so many people using this card. From the net I can tell that many have tried and most have failed.

 

[Ole Juul]

Well, I've gotten somewhere. I found the IBMDSS01.SYS socket service and IBMDOSCS.SYS card services versions which are supposedly for the 755c with Ricoh chip. This was very interesting because they both loaded just fine. At least they said they did and there were no complaints. On top of that, I was able to add the CAD. After that the packet driver loads just fine!

But it doesn't work. There are different errors when I try do do something. Mostly it relates to not having a MAC address. I can remedy that message by putting one in the PACKET.CFG file, but then other errors occur such as PING saying there is no ethernet address available.

A check on the IRQ says that it is not in use. I've tried several available ones (10, 11, 15) and none work. I think what is happening is that the IBM services are not accessing the card like they should. Could it be the "card services"? Nothing I do makes the card light up.

Other than (apparently) not having the IBM files for a 755c and/or RicohRF5C266 I think I've gotten to the right configuration.

One other problem is that IBM stuff tends to come in image format with lots of files intended to be installed on a HDD. Since I'm only testing, that approach is out of the question. I wish to only work on a 1.44 floppy. There's more than enough space for anything I could possibly want, including diagnostics. Anyway, that's only a minor problem and it just makes IBM a little less user friendly than they could be if they would just make the necessary files available. Perhaps they used to. Now it's Lenovo and a lot of their stuff has "off shore English" which doesn't inspire much confidence.

From what I can tell, the Thinkpads are only similar on the outside, and they all require individual software. I guess nobody has a ThinkPad of the 755c variety or they'd likely pipe up with the correct files.

So far I've spent about 20 hours on this. Plus, it took a month to get the card from eBay and I don't even know if it works. That was a waste of money. At this point I feel really stupid for having even tried this. I think it's time to throw in the towel and admit defeat.

Thanks to those who offered help.

 

[Ole Juul]

Do you actually need the socket services driver to be loaded? What happens when you just use the card services, cad and wlan driver?

I thought of that too. And no, that doesn't work. I've tried all combinations of numerous drivers at this point. (20 hours is a long time!) I think it's one of those situations where each hardware iteration had a different driver, but nobody knows what goes with what, and the drivers are not individually identifiable. One site had a long list and there seemed to be four per year - labelled by season. It's not likely that anybody will get one of these cards working any more. Sorry, I'm feeling very negative about it at the moment.

 

[Caluser2000]

That's quite understandable. Of course you could try that other OS to determine if the card is indeed functional. Hell, a long shot I know, you might even have more luck OS/2

 

[Ole Juul]

That's quite understandable. Of course you could try that other OS to determine if the card is indeed functional. Hell, a long shot I know, you might even have more luck OS/2

You mean Multics?

I did plug it into a laptop with Debian and it lit up, but I didn't pursue it beyond that. As for Windows, the problem is that I don't have that handy, and not with a PCMCIA slot to use. I do have a Toshiba 1910 with Win3.1 and I tried it there, but as I suspected that doesn't make any difference since that's not really "windows". I've also got CDs with Win95 and Win98, but the learning curve and time to put those on a laptop isn't exciting me at the moment. There's a Toshiba 460CDT (P1) with a CD drive which would be suitable though.

I'm going to try this card on the Debian machine at some point, but I'm a bit burnt out on this right now. Besides, It was really the DOS laptop that I was looking forward to having as a "roamer".

 

[Unknown_K]

I have a 755c (or two), if you can't figure it out I will try to get wireless working on one of mine sometime next week.

 

[Ole Juul]

I have a 755c (or two), if you can't figure it out I will try to get wireless working on one of mine sometime next week.

Thanks UK, I'd really appreciate that.

For now, I'm out of ideas (and software) to try, but may try again if I get a brainstorm. In which case I'll definitely post the results here right away.