WG311v3.INF will not install

I have exactly the same troubles with my Sitecom WL-117 usb WiFi card based on ZyDas 1211 chipset
What's interesting is that this card is sold with self installing drivers, so it's impossible to load the .inf driver in order to load it with ndiswrapper. But what's more interesting is that the kernel has a module zd1211.ko already compiled in it but even if the modprobe can load the module, it fails to detect the card anyway.
I tried also with a WiFi usb card Hamlet HNWU254G to load the windows drivers (there's a CD with the .inf .sys drivers), but once I copied them in a directory and loaded with ndis wrapper I got the same error showed: "couldn't copy rt73.inf at /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper line 135"
I also tryed to download the drivers from the website and they're different from those in the CD (totally different names!) but with the same error.
Is there anybody out here that can suggest a way out from this swamp?

Were you logged in as root? If not, you may not have permission to make the needed updates.

I've got a Netgear WG311v3 and it will work with SimplyMEPIS 6.0 (with some quirks).

You've got to specify the ESSID, and you've got to remove the mrv8k51 driver already in ndiswrapper before adding the correct driver (the mrv8k51 conflicts and doesn't actually work with this card, even though it says hardware and driver present).

Make sure you're logged in as root, too.

If you get a bad install of the driver, make sure to remove it and try again this way:

ndiswrapper -e WG311v3

When installed correctly, you should see driver and hardware present when you type this:

ndiswrapper -l

Use the drivers under the Win2000 folder on the CD that came with the card.

How I do it:

Copy the files from the Win 2000 folder on the CD to your desktop and do this (making sure you're logged in as root). Copy ALL of the files in the folder, not just the .inf file.

Note that directory changes are case sensitive (and make sure to substitute the correct ESSID for cockfield, as this card will not work via ndiswrapper without a valid ESSID).

cd Desktop
ndiswrapper -e mrv8k51
ndiswrapper -i WG311v3.INF
ndiswrapper -m
modprobe ndiswrapper
modprobe -r ndiswrapper
modprobe ndiswrapper
iwconfig wlan0 ESSID cockfield
dhclient

Here is a screen print I made while installing my Netgear WG311v3 card in SimplyMEPIS 6.0:

If you get any segmentation faults, reboot and try again, making sure to repeat the above steps in the exact order.

If you mess up and type something wrong (or you're in the wrong folder when you install the driver, since you will need to run ndiswrapper from the same folder with the driver files you copy from the CD), remove it and try again:

ndiswrapper -e WG311v3

There is something "flaky" with ndiswrapper and SimplyMEPIS 6.0, requiring a little different approach with this card to get it working (the way you need to use modprobe ndiswapper, modprobe -r ndiswrapper, modprobe ndiswrapper), or it will give you segmentation faults. I found a way around it (if you follow the exact steps outlined above).

Then, make sure to go to Mepis Utilities (System Settings>System Administration>Mepis Utilities) and set the correct ESSID in the WiFI tab, and set the desired options under the wlan0 tab, as shown in this thread:

http://www.mepis.org/node/9665

Jim C.