Setting up n ad-hoc wireless network in Linux

HI,

My current setup has my desktop wired through a NIC to my Internet connection ....I have also set up a Compex WLU11 USB wireless card through which I share the Internet/files to my two laptops via an ad-hoc wireless network...
I recently installed Mandrake 9.2 (dual boot with XP ) on the desktop....
When I boot into Linux, my NIC gets recognized and I can easily use the net on the desktop...However, My USB Wireless card (WLU11) shows up as an unknown device....
I tried installing the Linux drivers from Coompex's site but no go....

My question is:
1- Can someone kindly guide me how to set up a new device on Linux
2- Is it possible to set uup a Wireless ad-hoc network with file/internet sharing between a Linux and XP machine...

Any help will be greatly appreciated...

1. What went wrong with the Coompex drivers and how do you know that?
2. Yes of course.

Hi Nodsu...
I downloaded the atmelwlan driver and did a make/make install (Basically followed the directions from the istallation guide that was inside the tar.gz...)
so far so good....
However, when I go to Harddrake (the h/w configuration GUI in Mandrake) I do not see the device listed...what I see however is unknown device on USB1.....
Obviously, the device doesn't show up in my Network cars list either
Eth0 shows ua s my RTL8139 NIC card and Eth2 shows up as my onboard NIC (don't remember the name though)

iwconfig on the console shows up as an unrecognized command.....

Have no idea what to do nxt....Though I am an expert at *indows, I am very much a noob when it come to *nix...

For iwconfig you have to install some wireless tools package. The wireless card does not necessarily turn up as an eth? device. It may have an ID of atml0 or whatever - check the logs to see what it is assigned.

Are you using the atmelwlandriver from sourceforge (http://atmelwlandriver.sf.net) or the one from Simon Kelley (http://thekelleys.org.uk/atmel/)? Whichever you have, try the alternative :) And make sure you have the latest versions of these. And don't install the two packages simultaneously - that will end up in a mess.