Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

My 32-bit Xenialpup loaded from usb does not detect my wireless network interface. I've tried loading several other modules, but with no luck. I also used ndiswrapper with .inf file from my windows C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository folder, but it said that driver is invalid.

This is Ideapad S145-14IWL laptop, with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter.

IIRC, Xenialpup was missing a bunch of Atheros WiFi drivers. There may be an update package available - a member of the Xenial team can help you with this.

Forget about ndiswrapper - it is ancient, obsolete technology. The Puppy network connection tools should stop showing it as an option.

No reply from the Xenialpup team.

I thought there was a .pet package somewhere with the missing Atheros drivers.

I'm still working on my first cup of coffee. So haven't fully digested this. But it seems to be on-point: https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 35364ec574
Hope it helps.

Possible reference here:-

https://unix.stackexchange.com/question ... untu-18-04

Looks like the ath10k driver; kernel should, I think, contain this, but could need different firmware files..? May be a source here:-

https://github.com/kvalo/ath10k-firmwar ... 9377/hw1.0

(Just scratching around, TBH. Networking/compiling is not my forte; Bill has much more experience with this stuff than I do...)

May help; then again, it may not. Merely offered as a possible starting-point.

Mike.

Nor mine. But while trying to clear the cob-webs noticed that only atheros firmware packages were available via pkgs.org. So maybe the driver, itself, is built into the kernels used in newer Linux operating systems. Meandering eventually led to https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=266280 .

Why Xenialpup 7.5? Why not one of the newer Puppys? dpup-buster, or a 64-bit such as Fossapup64? And running xenialpup or a different Puppy, what does opening a terminal and running the command:
lspci -k

reveal?

If there's something special about xenialpup 7.5, and a newer kernel after installing firmware works, it's a simple matter to swap kernels.

@mikeslr :-

As it happens, I'm actually in Xenialpup 7.5 ATM; have been since this morning. I'm not running the standard-issue kernel here, rather the 4.1.30 huge kernel I found over at archive.org.....it just works better with my new hardware than anything else did.

Just one Atheros driver here - ath3k - and no firmware files at all. Perchance Bill could be right about all the missing Atheros stuff.

Mike.

aciddioxide wrote: ↑Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:55 pm

My 32-bit Xenialpup loaded from usb does not detect my wireless network interface. I've tried loading several other modules, but with no luck. I also used ndiswrapper with .inf file from my windows C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository folder, but it said that driver is invalid.

This is Ideapad S145-14IWL laptop, with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter.

There are a few suggestions here https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=327514
But you should show what Atheros drivers modules are showing up
Here are mine in 64 bit

Its 32 bit you are running .Is that different from modules on the 64 bit I wonder
You could try this

modprobe ath10k_pci 

it seems from what I have read that that is the driver you should have loaded .
Search with this string"Linux Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter"
Wifi adapters are a pain in the butt. I would suggest you pull the card out and try another ,any other.

If you got the latest version of Xenialpup 7.5 the Atheros driver stuff should be in it.
What was missing got added as a adrv sfs file.

The latest version is here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/puppy-xenial/32/
Notice this one was released Feb of 2019.

The needed files are in a adrv_xenialpup_7.5.sfs file that should be in the install you did to the USB.
Look at what is on the USB and see if this adrv_xenialpup_7.5.sfs is one of the files.
If not there.

I suggest you get the Xenialpup 7.5 iso from the above link
Redo the install using that ISO.

Could try this, if your install does not have the adrv file.
Download and add it to your install.
Reboot so it gets loaded and used.

Because laptops have an off/on switch for WIFI.

Laptop WIFI not working.

See if it is turned on

To determine if it is Hard Blocked. In a terminal (console):

 rfkill list all

wlan0 is usually the wifi

If it indicates it is hard blocked.
There is a switch on the laptop that turns it off/on.
Press that swich and rerun

 rfkill list all

to see if it worked to stop the hard block.