[root@localhost ~]# tail /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
blacklist sstfb
blacklist neofb
blacklist tridentfb
blacklist tdfxfb
blacklist virgefb
blacklist vga16fb

# ISDN - see bugs 154799, 159068
blacklist hisax
blacklist hisax_fcpcipnp
[root@localhost ~]#
What else should I be doing...Anything to edit? Am I using the right firmware? It just seems like I am almost there.

[root@localhost ~]# ls /lib/firmware
b43 ipw-2.4-boot.fw iwlwifi-3945-1.ucode
ipw2100-1.3.fw ipw-2.4-bss.fw iwlwifi-3945.ucode
ipw2100-1.3-i.fw ipw-2.4-bss_ucode.fw LICENSE.ipw2100
ipw2100-1.3-p.fw ipw-2.4-ibss.fw LICENSE.ipw2200
ipw2200-bss.fw ipw-2.4-ibss_ucode.fw zd1211
ipw2200-ibss.fw ipw-2.4-sniffer.fw
ipw2200-sniffer.fw ipw-2.4-sniffer_ucode.fw
[root@localhost ~]#

Ok...this is what I am getting when I execute these last two commands you posted PTrenholme.

Are there any of these that I should blacklist or remove. Or are they all fine. Also should I delete that wlan0 profile in my Network-Config...or will it reconfigure when I reboot my system.

Blacklist ndiswrapper or completely remove it if you're going to use bm43. It's not in the list of things you posted.

The only firmware you have in the place bm43 is going to look is for an Intel card. Copy the firmware files you extracted earlier to /lib/firmware.

One thing to keep in mind is that you need to extract firmware from a different file for b43 than for bcm43xx or b43legacy. Read this for details.

I did completely remove ndiswrapper. Now I cut the firmware...How can I copy the driver files to /lib/firmware. Where are they located. You can look at one of my previous postings. I did a bcm43-fwcutter -l...and it showed me some files. Where are they located.

b43legacy wl_apsta.o 295.14 e08665c5c5b66beb9c3b2dd54aa80cb3
b43 wl_apsta.o 351.126 9207bc565c2fc9fa1591f6c7911d3fc0
b43 wl_apsta_mimo.o 351.126 722e2e0d8cc04b8f118bb5afe6829ff9
b43 wl_ap.o 410.2160 1e4763b4cb8cfbaae43e5c6d3d6b2ae7

These one's here. Remember I cut the firmware: b43-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware /tmp/broadcom-wl-4.80.53.0/kmod/wl_apsta.o
/tmp/b43-fwcutter-008 -->>this is where the b43 file is.
/lib/firmware/b43 -->> this is in my /lib/firmware directory.

When you said this:

"ndiswrapper device wlan0 does not seem to be present, delaying initialization."

It sounded like NDISwrapper was still installed & loading. You uninstalled after that?

Looking again at your output from ls /lib/firmware, looks like the firmware cutter created a b43 directory. It was munged onto the same line as one of the Intel f/w files, so I missed it. Hopefully, /lib/firmware/b43 is the proper location.

There is precious little info out there on bm43. I've been reading the Fedora dev lists and frankly the whole thing looks like a high school science project. Wish I could help more, but the best advice I could give is to steer clear of FC.

Ya I did uninstall after that. I went through everything to make sure there was no ndiswrapper anywhere on my system. I need to know if I should erase that device in network-config. Or just leave it alone. I turned off the option to load it on boot? Go or no go on that? I also created ifcfg wlan0 in network scripts and in networking. Is this necessary...or should I remove them?
Yeah FC really does seem like a HS science project. It's been a helluva a deal to get things going. I haven't been able to get my wireless up at all. Plus I am learning all of this Linux as I go, with a couple of books from the library as reference. GoogleLand is OK...It is really a handful of mixed results.

How is the Slackware...? I am really just trying to find a good distro to keep on my HP laptop. I have a number of other distro's on RW.

I just noticed that I untared a b43-fwcutter-008, and the linux wireless website does not have the 008 attached to it. Does this make any of a difference at all?

Slackware is the best. I started on Mandrake, moved to SuSE, then Red Hat, tried Linspire, Debian, Ubuntu (have that loaded on a spare laptop for testing). Slack just feels right. I have it running on four PCs (two laptops with wireless) and my sons use it on their machines. It's not everyone's cup of tea.

The 008 on the end of the file (b43-fwcutter-008) is probably your browser appending the download with a number to denote multiples of the same file name.

Do you mean that Fedora Core is not a high school science project?

We thought it was the fork when RedHat announced officially in 2004 that it couldn't produce a reliable desktop Linux OS.


ENDI1111,

Slackware is the oldest surviving Linux distribution. Quoting from What is Slackware Linux?:
The Slackware forum at LQ has the most posts. You will find more users of Slackware (vs. FC) able to help you out of these jams.

Slackware does not hide what it's doing behind GUIs ... you can do all your system configuration and maintenance in CLI (command line interface), where you see everything that happens while you do it. This might be different from your past experiences, but will be easier each time you use it.

Look up your laptop at Linux on Laptops and TuxMobil Linux Laptop & Notebook Installation Guides to see if anyone's posted information about it. You might find the solution in a HOW-TO on one of those sites.

Hey guys I really appreciate the help. That is what these forums is all about. All of our lives are tapestries of student/teacher conundrums in all its shapes and fashions. I'm gonna jump to Distrowatch and get slackware on a download. FC has been frustrating...I like it...One of my reasonings is that website that you referenced Bruce...Linux on Laptops. When I bought my HP laptop, oddly, on 9/11 on of the first google searches that I did was Linux on Laptops as a search and came across the previously mentioned website. I have the HP Pavillion dv6000...and on this particular model the site had Fedora Core 6 on it. Sooooo I have been trying to adapt to this distro while at the same time picking up on my Linux Know-How!!!! Again I thank those of you who have provided as much help as you could.
---I like to keep my glass half full...how bout you?---

You know, you might consider dropping back to FC6 if you want to stick with Fedora. At least as far as wireless is concerned, FC7 is an unholy abomination that needs to have a very large wooden stake driven through its heart. And that goes double for Broadcom victims, uh, I mean users.

And I'll add my voice to those suggesting Slackware. It isn't the easiest distro to pick up, but a LOT of the criticism about it is overblown, and once you've learned it, you have a good, rock solid distro. And you never have to worry about an upgrade borking your system the way Fedora seems to love to do.

OK...so I have the latest version of Slackware on a DVD/RW...I am trying to look through the website on some different info. How well does Slackware support HP laptops with the AMD64x2 technology?

My understanding is that the problem isn't AMD so much as the 64 bit thing. Slackware itself is 32 bits, but there are a couple of 64 bit ports. Since my rigs are 32 bits, I've never played with them.