Is it really there
 

Just a thought...
Have you checked that the module is really there?
Follow the path: /lib/modules/2.4.20/kernel/arch/i386/kernel/apm.o.gz: and make sure it's OK, and that the module is there. Also check the permissions for it, that you are allowed to read it.

I have had the most frustrating errors, depending on bad installation media. The thing to do was burn a new CD, and reinstall it again.
Just a thought... Don't know if it works...

gunzip -r /lib/modules/2.4.20/*
then
depmod -ae
whilst logged in as root might work, the module seems to be there but i'm not sure why it is zipped. I have come to the conclusion that there is an element of randomness as to exactly what the machine does when I type 'halt' but if it swiches itself off then I leave all apm settings alone.
btw what does
cat /proc/apm
do?

I unzipped the files like you said and I tried modprobe apm, but I got the same error message. I tried depmod -ae, but nothting was returned to the screen. I did a man depmod and found that this program creates some kind of file about dependencies:scratch: ?

I don't have a file named apm in /proc, so performing a cat /proc/apm results in "file not found".

So is my case hopeless?? No way to get APM support unless I recompile the kernel?

If u can do automatically turn off with apm on WindowsXP then u probably don't need to change BIOS setting, if not then check ur bios more thoroughly for options or figure out which kind of bios r u using (award ..) maybe one is able to help u further ..

Trebor, the file you're looking for is in /etc/rc.d called modules.rc .

Codewarrior, how old is your computer? Are you sure the hardware supports APM? Have you tried flashing your BIOS?

Just wondering because I had this same issue on a Compaq laptop I configured and configuring the modules.rc fixed pretty much everything including the battery charge display.

Well, I am dual booting with WinXP and when shutting down in XP, It powers down like it should. My computer is pretty new( < 1year old). I don't know if my hardware supports APM, how do you find out? What does "flashing" the bios mean?

Well, if it's only a year old you shouldn't have to worry about flashing the BIOS and it should support APM (you can always go to the manufacturer site or look in your manual to find out for sure).

For the sake of knowledge, flashing BIOS is simply updating the software in the system BIOS to fix certain issues. Usually it's done using a utility you can download from the manufacturer along with the latest BIOS version.

It sounds like your system is working fine with WinXP but not with Slackware so it's probably not a hardware issue. Frankly it would take less time and effort just to recompile the kernel.

I only just recently started compiling my own kernel and found it's one of the easiest things to learn in linux. Here's an awesome thread that'll help and may answer your questions about the apm module.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=85298