Realtek RTL8191SEvB Linux driver?

[Chad Perrin]

On Wed, Jan 04, 2012 at 01:29:41PM +0000, Chris Whitehouse wrote:
> On 04/01/2012 00:57, Jeffrey McFadden wrote:
> >
> >um, well, yeah, but it's a laptop.  :/  And I bought it before FreeBSD ever
> >crossed my mind.<sigh>
> 
> Replacing the Realtek with a supported wireless card may be as easy
> as undoing a plate on the bottom of the machine, unclipping the old
> one and clipping in the new one. They are pretty cheap to buy on
> ebay.
> 
> Your wireless card is probably mini pci-e:
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=mini+pci-e+wireless+card&_sacat=See-All-Categories
> 
> An older style is mini pci. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MiniPCI_and_MiniPCI_Express_cards.jpg
> 
> It may require removing the keyboard which is a bit harder but quite
> doable. Generally you get into a laptop by carefully levering off
> the cover at the back of the keyboard. A service manual is a big
> help and can often be found with some googling.

As someone who has actually done laptop technician work, professionally,
I figure I should point out that the claim that "generally you get into a
laptop by carefully levering off the cover at the back of the keyboard"
is not strictly accurate in my experience.  This is certainly true of
certain models, but the reality is much more complex when you are not
specifying a particular model or even a particular brand.  ThinkPads, for
instance, are not prone to this design, and the first thing one does when
disassembling (most?) modern ThinkPads (after turning them off and
removing the battery, of course) is turn them over to remove screws.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]