Can't get atheros ar9285 wireless laptop card running. module unknown

[nerdful1]

I've been searching and trying things for a couple hours with this new laptop.
HP Pavilion dv7-3066dx.
Both on the live cd and now dual boot with windows 7, I cannot get the atheros ar9285 card running. In pcc it says module unknown, although it shows in the hardware list.

On both the cd and the hd install, with some effort I am able to get on wifi with my WIBEE realtech rt8187 usb dongle.

I updated system using synaptic and ethernet cable, hoping new stuff would fix it.

I found quite a few threads hanging unanswered, maybe they should be marked unsolved?

I tried all ndis wrapper listings, and have all atheros and ndis stuff from synaptic installed.

I tried poking around the w7 partition for drivers, maybe i just need to be pointed to the right place?

[coffeetime]

Try

[nerdful1]

I have tried everything in that link.

Also, for more information:

There is no hardware switch for the radio, which is how I goofed up on another laptop. It is a lighted touch pad, red at the moment. When running w7, it turns blue during boot.

I looked at the driver details for the card in windows 7 device manager, it shows athrx.sys, and vwifibus.sys in use. Of course these are not usable by NDIS.

I searched C: drive for all *.inf, and could find nothing obvious.

I don't want to taint my new system by downloading illegal (non repo) files, as i want to work on the virtualization in PCLOS that I bought this AMD based machine for, and don't want to muddy the waters.

Anyone else is welcome to jump in.

I will now go to sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/list, as that seems to come up a lot.

[coffeetime]

I searched C: drive for all *.inf, and could find nothing obvious

Look again. As I said, win7 .inf did not work.

I don't want to taint my new system by downloading illegal (non repo) files, as i want to work on the virtualization in PCLOS that I bought this AMD based machine for, and don't want to muddy the waters.

I know we don't support installing software outside repos, but this was the only way I got it working. ath9k driver is included in kernel 2.6.28 or .29 and up. Try Mandy. It has ath9k included.

[nerdful1]

Just switched the laptop back from Mandriva64. (Talk about fast booting!). It works perfectly with the atheros.

I notice 2.6.28.8 kernel-devel in our repo, so if I choose that at boot, the atheros ar9285 should work?

[smcs_steve]

I've been searching and trying things for a couple hours with this new laptop.
HP Pavilion dv7-3066dx.
Both on the live cd and now dual boot with windows 7, I cannot get the atheros ar9285 card running. In pcc it says module unknown, although it shows in the hardware list.

I recently setup an Acer netbook for my wife using atheros 9K wireless chipset...  first I tried kernel update to 2.6.27.31.tex5
This got the front mic working but still no wireless.
The clue to wireless setup came from siamer on this forum if I recall correctly> http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,61632.msg518285.html#msg518285

Downloaded compat-wireless-2.6.32.tar.bz2 from> http://linuxwireless.org/
Did this>
Unpacking source
After downloading, unpack the source by typing (as example: version 2.6.32-rc5):
$  tar -xf compat-wireless-2.6.32.tar.bz2
put contents of unzipped folder into /home/{username}/wireless

Building and installing
cd /home/{username}/wireless
(open terminal here)
$  ./scripts/driver-select           (to list driver names - I chose> ath9k)
then
$  ./scripts/driver-select <driver-name>
( eg: I used>   ./scripts/driver-select ath9k  )
$  make
su to root then
$  make install

Then reboot machine
>Steve

Edit> I started with my 2.6.26.8.tex3 remaster and updated kernel to 2.6.27.31.tex5 using http://kde3.pclosusers.com/pclosfiles/  repo.
sections> main extra nonfree kde gnome testing
I'm using KDE 3.5.10

[nerdful1]

yeah, but that is not from our approved repo.   So would taint my install.

great info though, I'll try it on a virtual machine in my windows 7 first, then on a sacrificial PCLinuxOS machine.

I have a wifi dongle on the laptop when running PCLinuxOS in the meantime.

wish i could compare files from the Mandriva install that runs the native wifi hardware without a hitch.

[nerdful1]

Ok, I tried smcs_steve's approach and ran into a snag.


Make file runs, but ends with errors. I ran make install anyway, it also seemed to run ok until end with errors.
Rebooted, and module still unknown, etc.

So I went and got latest driver from the same website, and got same error. (I I did make uninstall before trying the new one).

I ran make as user, make install as root.

Here is make response:
[pcluser@localhost wireless]$ make
./scripts/gen-compat-autoconf.sh config.mk > include/linux/compat_autoconf.h
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.26.8.tex3/build M=/home/pcluser/wireless modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.26.8.tex3'
  LD      /home/pcluser/wireless/compat/built-in.o
  CC [M]  /home/pcluser/wireless/compat/main.o
In file included from /home/pcluser/wireless/include/linux/compat-2.6.h:18,
                 from <command line>:1:
/home/pcluser/wireless/include/linux/compat-2.6.27.h:173: error: redefinition of ‘iwe_stream_lcp_len’
include/net/iw_handler.h:482: error: previous definition of ‘iwe_stream_lcp_len’ was here
In file included from /home/pcluser/wireless/include/linux/compat-2.6.32.h:10,
                 from /home/pcluser/wireless/include/linux/compat-2.6.h:23,
                 from <command line>:1:
include/asm/compat.h: In function ‘is_compat_task’:
include/asm/compat.h:215: error: ‘TS_COMPAT’ undeclared (first use in this function)
include/asm/compat.h:215: error: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once
include/asm/compat.h:215: error: for each function it appears in.)
make[3]: *** [/home/pcluser/wireless/compat/main.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [/home/pcluser/wireless/compat] Error 2
make[1]: *** [_module_/home/pcluser/wireless] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.26.8.tex3'
make: *** [modules] Error 2
[pcluser@localhost wireless]$

What do these errors mean?
Thanks

[smcs_steve]

Ok, I tried smcs_steve's approach and ran into a snag.
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.26.8.tex3/build M=/home/pcluser/wireless modules

I recently setup an Acer netbook for my wife using atheros 9K wireless chipset...  first I tried kernel update to 2.6.27.31.tex5

I used a different kernel!
Therein may lie the difference!
>Steve

Edit> also

put contents of unzipped folder into /home/{username}/wireless

>this appears to be a requirement of this script..

[nerdful1]

I had extracted all the files in a desktop folder, then copied the extracted files/folders into the /wireless dir.

I tried yours, then thought I'd better try the later one, as it was sometime after your post.

Every time I post about this I am on a W7 box, so can't look in system to see what kernel is installed/available at the moment.
I am quite sure I have 2.6.26.6. I'll have to poke around the linux wireless directories.
Thanks

[nerdful1]

I went and d/l the compat-wireless-old tarball to my home folder.
under user $ prompt, extracted it according to the instructions.
Since I had been playing earlier with a wrong file, I did (su prompt) make unload, make uninstall, went into synaptic and uninstalled madwifi, and other things wireless I had no longer installed like a usb realtek wifi etc. reboot.

When I run make, resident in the home/wireless directory, as a user it runs, ends with an error, and during the run it is surprised that it 'found mac80211 in your kernel. when your kernel is not supposed to have them' or words to that effect, (I am not on the CUD (computer under distress)) as I type.
As I mentioned earlier, I ran this:
--
Unload:

Since you might be replacing your old mac80211 drivers you should first try to unload all existing mac80211 and related drivers. Note also that broadcom, zydas, and atheros devices have old legacy drivers which you need to be sure are removed first. We provide a mechanism to unload all old and legacy drivers first so you should run to be sure:

sudo make unload
--
I went on to make install under su, it ran, but ended with error. Result is still that the card shows in PCC, and module loaded shows unknown.
I am running 2.26.8 kernel.

Thsnks

[siamer]

Hi all !

In testing repo is kernel 2.6.32.2 and module "ath9k" is working just perfect from there... The easiest way to make Your atheros 9** card working is just install that kernel -> reboot -> in terminal as a root "modprobe ath9k" -> in pcc configure wifi connection -> reboot -> enjoy Your network

And if everythink is working ok than later remove Your old kernel (by synaptic)...

it's simple

good luck
siamer

[nerdful1]

I tried the 2.6.27.31 kernel today, and the computer would not5 boot after, even when I selected the older kernel in the boot menu.

I had forgotten why I never updated the kernel, then remember this very thing. **It ends with:
mount: could not find filesystem '/dev/root
setting up other filesystems
setuproot:moving /dev failed:no such file or directory
(misc stuff)
switchroot: /dev does not exist in new root
booting has failed.**
So I tried menus from my super grub disk, not changing anything, just trying the various boot options including the W7 to make sure its boot was ok, and suddenly it booted into the 27.31.
So I went and tried the newer compat-wireless, make uninstall, make unload, etc, and eventually got it working.

So you say I should be able to use the testing kernel. I think then I will reinstall, without formatting the /home dir. Then I should once again have a legal all synaptic install.
Thanks in advance. Will mark solved if this works.

[siamer]

"and the computer would not5 boot after, even when I selected the older kernel in the boot menu." hmm very strainge situation... older kernel anyway should boot for You. When You installing new kernel than old kernel is not changing... so i don't know... almost impossible situation in my opinion 

Next time try 2.6.32.2 for me working very well hmm but from second way installing soft outside repo is the same bad like install software from testing section i like play with that so for me it's only good fun  compact-wireless changing only wireless modules in Your kernel (for newer) nothing else...

good luck !
siamer

[nerdful1]

Well, maybe I'll just wait for the new release on cd. This is just a laptop I got to try VMing with. Although its native W7 complains when I try to run it in virtualbox. But that's an ulbernaught of a different color.
Thanks