ndiswrapper

ndiswrapper [options] <driver> [interface]

Common usage examples:
ndiswrapper -i <inf_file>
ndiswrapper -l
ndiswrapper -e <driver_name>
ndiswrapper -m
ndiswrapper -a <driver> <vendor_id> <device_id>

-i
    Installs a Windows driver specified by its INF file (e.g., driver.inf).

-l
    Lists currently installed Windows drivers and their associated PCI IDs.

-e
    Erases (removes) an installed Windows driver by its name.

-m
    Makes module configuration entries for ndiswrapper so it loads automatically on boot.

-a
    Adds a PCI Vendor ID and Device ID association to an installed driver. Useful if the driver's INF file doesn't list the specific hardware.

-r
    Removes a PCI Vendor ID and Device ID association.

-v
    Shows the version of ndiswrapper.

-t
    Performs a test on an installed driver, checking its capabilities.

-s
    Shows the status of PCI IDs currently associated with ndiswrapper.

-k
    Kernel module management (often used for automatic module loading).

-q
    Runs in quiet mode, suppressing non-essential output.

-d
    Enables debugging output for a specific driver.

ndiswrapper is a free software driver wrapper that allows Linux users to use Windows NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) wireless drivers on their systems. It was developed primarily to address the historical lack of native Linux drivers for many popular wireless network adapters, especially during the early 2000s when wireless technology became widespread. By acting as an intermediary, ndiswrapper translates calls from the Linux kernel to the Windows driver, effectively tricking the Windows driver into thinking it's running in its native environment. This enabled many users to get their Wi-Fi cards working without waiting for or developing open-source Linux drivers. While immensely useful in its time, ndiswrapper's importance has diminished significantly as Linux kernel support for wireless chipsets has matured and improved, with many formerly problematic devices now having native, robust open-source drivers.

Performance & Stability: Wrapped Windows drivers may not offer optimal performance or stability compared to native Linux drivers, often leading to slower speeds, dropped connections, or system freezes.
Security Risks: Running closed-source Windows drivers in the kernel space can pose security risks, as their code cannot be audited for vulnerabilities.
Compatibility: ndiswrapper might not be compatible with all Windows drivers, especially newer ones, or with very recent Linux kernel versions.
Resource Consumption: It might consume more system resources than a native driver.
Deprecation: With significant improvements in Linux kernel support for wireless hardware, ndiswrapper is less actively developed and is generally considered a legacy solution.

After installing a driver with ndiswrapper -i and making configuration entries with ndiswrapper -m, you often need to load the ndiswrapper kernel module. This can be done with sudo modprobe ndiswrapper.

If your system has a problematic native driver for your wireless card, you might need to blacklist it (prevent it from loading) before ndiswrapper can effectively take control of the hardware. This is typically done by creating a .conf file in /etc/modprobe.d/ with an entry like blacklist <native_driver_name>.

ndiswrapper emerged in the early 2000s, a period when widespread adoption of wireless networking coincided with a significant gap in open-source Linux driver support for many commercially available Wi-Fi chipsets. Faced with proprietary hardware and a lack of specifications from manufacturers, the ndiswrapper project offered a pragmatic solution, allowing Linux users to leverage the Windows drivers provided by hardware vendors. It quickly became an essential tool for many Linux distributions and users, enabling Wi-Fi connectivity on previously unsupported hardware. Its peak usage was probably around 2005-2010. However, as the Linux kernel community worked extensively to reverse-engineer and develop native, open-source drivers, and as hardware manufacturers began providing better Linux support, the necessity for ndiswrapper gradually declined. While still available, its role is now largely superseded by robust native kernel modules.

modprobe(8), lsmod(8), iwconfig(8), ifconfig(8), lspci(8)