Modules wont load, slackware 10.2
 

I am using slackware 10.2 on a HP Pavilion DV4000. I have been updating the kernal from 2.4.* to kernel 2.6.13. That has not been a problem it loaded and all is good. After that i tryed to recompile my kernel so i can get my ipw2200 Wireless network card to work. I followed a "howto" someone made on this site, anyway when i was finished recompiling i rebootet the computer. The kernel loads but E.g the mouse, nettwork card, soundcard dosen't work. I belive that is because of the modules dosen't load or whatever you call it.

I am sorry if i am not clear in my issue here, I really hope someone can help me cause this is the second time i have to reinstall slackware, because of my kernel recompiling. :P

Your problem is kernel configuration. You should start with one of Slackware's kernel configs. They can be found in something like pub/linux/distributions/slackware/slackware-10.2/kernels/test26.s/config on the Slackware download sites. Take that config and copy it to the base directory where the 2.6 kernel sources are. BUT, when you copy it, you have to copy to a file called .config so that when you run "make menuconfig" and add the support for your wireless card, settings are already there for the rest of the kernel. Each of Slackware's kernels come with config files so you should start with that. The default configs that come with kernel sources, from kernel.org for example, don't really produce good kernels without heavy modification.

One other thing that I do (and you don't have to), is to get rid of the initrd image. Slackware includes this so the kernel is more generic. All you have to do is configure the kernel with *built in* (NOT as modules) support for the file system that your kernel resides on. In other words, say "y" to "reiserfs support" if that is your filesystem. You're never going to unload that module anyway because your system will not have access to the filesystem, and hence your hard disk!

One last thing, you can start with Slackware config for a kernel with a newer kernel and just run make oldconfig for the things that have changed between 2.6.13 for example and the current kernel from kernel.org. Same steps apply, "oldconfig" just makes upgrades easier.

The funny thing is that slackbook.org dosen't mention anything about that, but ill try it. last time i compiled the kernel it woulden't even boot i got kernel panic, something about mounting root fs if i am not mistaking.

Anyway i'll try it mabye i can get i to work, cause without my wlan card its useless :P

I haven't looked at the Slackbook in a long time but kernel compilation is something that I ended up learning with an enormous amount of trial and error. Lot's of bad kernels before I could start using them. Then I wondered if the kernel configs were included somewhere for each of the Slackware kernels. Of course I found them in the most obvious place! This isn't too tough to do so post back if you run into any trouble.

What howto did you follow? It sounds to me like what happened is, after compiling and copying the new kernel, you forgot to "make modules && make modules_install" or forgot to copy the new System.map file to /boot. And if you use LILO run the lilo command as root to detect the new kernel. Kernel compiling is one of those things that you really can't learn just by reading. You have to try, fail, try again, fail again and keep trying until you get it right.

yeah, i think it was because i diden't copy the system.map
Any way got the kernel booting in the end, but it was so much problems with the Wlan issues so i decided to change to a distro that supported my Wlan card. Thanks for all the help i got!