How to install driver for HP mini 210 netbook BCM4312 wifi?

[z2168235]

Hi All,

Recently I got my hand on HP mini 210 netbook laptop with Atom N450 and 2Gbytes DDR3.
I'm succesfully install 64bit lubuntu 18.04, have some problem with BCM4312 wifi card but resolve by installling driver using "sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source" command.
Reading from internet I found that bionicpup should have better performace for single core processor, so I try booting bionicpup from USB thumbdrive.
It is succesfully boot but same as lubuntu, it is having problem with BCM4312 wifi card. However this time I cannot use sudo apt-get command.
How do I install BCM4312 driver on bionicpup 64bit?

Thank you
Robertus

[HerrBert]

Hello @z2168235 and

I'm not an expert in this but it looks like bionicpup64 is missing some firmware for b43 driver...

I don't know about your skills... so let's try:

Do you have any messages about fail to load firmware in terminal command dmesg | grep -E 'error|fail'

[stevie pup]

One of my old laptops had a Broadcom B43 wifi, and I didn't have any problems connecting with either Bionic32 or Fossapup. So it could well be that something is missing in Bionic64. Unfortunately I don't have that laptop anymore (it died completely) so I can't check anything out for you.

Just a thought, but when you go into the Internet Connection Wizard have you tried all 3 options? i.e. Simple Setup, Frisbee and Network Wizard?

[z2168235]

Hello @z2168235 and

I'm not an expert in this but it looks like bionicpup64 is missing some firmware for b43 driver...

I don't know about your skills... so let's try:

Do you have any messages about fail to load firmware in terminal command dmesg | grep -E 'error|fail'

I'm totally newbie on linux.
i follow your suggestion, i got the following message:

root# dmesg | grep -E 'error|fail'
acpi PNP0A08:00: _OSC failed (AE_TYPE); disabling ASPM
hp_wmi: query 0xd returned error 0x5
b43 ssb0:0: Direct firmware load for b43/lp0initvals15.fw failed with error -2
b43 ssb0:0: Direct firmware load for b43-open/ucode15.fw failed with error -2
b43 ssb0:0: Direct firmware load for b43-open/ucode15.fw failed with error -2
gsettings-data-[5965]: segfault at 48 ip 00007f9a02b1905b sp 00007ffdbe284500 error 4 in libgconf-2.so.4.1.5[7f9a02afb000+2e000]
root#

Thank you
Robertus

[z2168235]

One of my old laptops had a Broadcom B43 wifi, and I didn't have any problems connecting with either Bionic32 or Fossapup. So it could well be that something is missing in Bionic64. Unfortunately I don't have that laptop anymore (it died completely) so I can't check anything out for you.

Just a thought, but when you go into the Internet Connection Wizard have you tried all 3 options? i.e. Simple Setup, Frisbee and Network Wizard?

I try all 3 without luck. The network wizard allow me to load driver but also no luck. Tried both b43legacy and b43.

[HerrBert]

You can download b43 firmware from https://github.com/puppylinux-woof-CE/w ... 120920.pet

Clicking this .pet file will install b43 firmware, but it may not be in place to be usable.

README-all-firmware:

Firmware taken out of all-firmware to separate PETs
---------------------------------------------------

The directories inside /lib/modules/all-firmware are the "firmware" needed by modems.
Actually, this can be any data-files, scripts, configuration or even binary-executables.

This "firmware" has been kept in the Woof repository, however the Fossil Version
Control System Sqlite repository is not the most appropriate place.

So, I am in the process of taking them out, to separate PETs. A Woof developer would
include these PETs in the package-list, so they will be built-in to the build of Puppy.

Note, the developer would of course choose an appropriate list of firmware PETs to
include. For example, the "hsfmodem" analog modem firmware might not have an appropriate
kernel driver in recent kernels. Though, the Woof build script '3builddistro' can
detect this situation and suggest to remove innapropriate firmware.

These firmware PETs are named "firmware_linux_module_*" to make it unambiguous what
they are for. The "*" part is the name of the directory inside /lib/modules/all-firmware,
for example "firmware_linux_module_b43".

Firmware removed from Woof, now PETS
------------------------------------

b43 (20120920)
dgcmodem "
hsfmodem "
b43legacy "
brcm "
wl "

Further technical notes
-----------------------

A "firmware_linux_module_*" PET will have files that get installed, just like any PET.
However, the location /lib/modules/all-firmware is special, as files in here only get
installed if matching kernel modules are loaded, meaning that the appropriate hardware
is present.

This keeps files out of the way and not potentially causing conflicts in the system.

To see how a directory inside /lib/modules/all-firmware gets installed, see script
/sbin/pup_event_backend_modprobe.

Regards,
Barry Kauler
Sept. 2012

I don't see any code in bionicpup64's /sbin/pup_event_backend_modprobe to install firmware
from /lib/modules/all-firmware/
Apart from that the automatic install never worked in Slacko 5.7 either.
Unfortunately my Ideapad with Broadcom 4312 chipset is 32bit only, so i can not check if it would work
for you.

Maybe it is done differently in newer Puppies? Question @all: does anybody know?

Otherwise you will have to copy or move or symlink files from /lib/modules/all-firmware/b43/
to /etc/modprobe.d/ and /lib/firmware/b43/ manually.

If you are on a frugal install i would recommend to boot in RAM mode and create a new savefile/-folder
for testing or backup your currently used savefile/-folder before doing changes.

[Phoenix]

It goes to /lib/firmware but first try the directory suggested by the documentation.

[z2168235]

I download and install the .pet

Screenshot.png (18.57 KiB) Viewed 1053 times

Then copy it to the /etc/modprobe.d/

Screenshot(1).png (23.25 KiB) Viewed 1053 times

and /lib/firmware/b43/ manually.

Screenshot(2).png (40.57 KiB) Viewed 1053 times

[z2168235]

After reboot, still unable to detect BCM4312 wifi card. I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Sofiya]

Hi All,

Recently I got my hand on HP mini 210 netbook laptop with Atom N450 and 2Gbytes DDR3.
I'm succesfully install 64bit lubuntu 18.04, have some problem with BCM4312 wifi card but resolve by installling driver using "sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source" command.
Reading from internet I found that bionicpup should have better performace for single core processor, so I try booting bionicpup from USB thumbdrive.
It is succesfully boot but same as lubuntu, it is having problem with BCM4312 wifi card. However this time I cannot use sudo apt-get command.
How do I install BCM4312 driver on bionicpup 64bit?

Thank you
Robertus

run the command in terminal lspci
and show the terminal output, copy the output to a text file and post it here

[HerrBert]

Sorry, my mistake...
Writing

Otherwise you will have to copy or move or symlink files from /lib/modules/all-firmware/b43/
to /etc/modprobe.d/ and /lib/firmware/b43/ manually.

was not precise enough.

What needs to be copied is the files from subdirectories in /lib/modules/all-firmware/b43/
to the corresponding places in /etc/modprobe.d/ and /lib/firmware/b43/
OR
- like you did - copy the directories etc and lib not to /etc/modprobe.d/ but to the filesystem root ( NOT /root but / )

[z2168235]

I successfully make it work by installing broadcom wl driver from puppy quickpet.
After that use the network connection wizard Frisbee. The simple network setup unable to detect the wifi card.

Screenshot(3).png (38.5 KiB) Viewed 1057 times

Thank you everyone for the help

Regards,
Robertus