Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

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Gutknecht

Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

I was trying to install Maya MATE 32-BIT on a Compaq Presario M2010US currently running Mint 11. The live DVD boots fine. I begin the install and select language and confirm drive space, power source, and Internet Connection. However, when I click Continue I get a debug screen:

[ 1693.891753] Bug: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 00000140

Followed by additional debug information. I have a Broadcom B43 wireless adapter on board. I have read the bug information and I suspected this might be the issue for the kernel panic. I'm not an advanced Linux user, so I did not understand the workarounds listed in the release notes, as the release notes seem to indicate Maya will not boot at all, but I was able to load live DVD no problem, and one solution is to install and the hard drive... I did not know how to boot in compatibility mode, modify boot options, modify grub or install B43 firmware when installing from a live DVD! This machine does not support boot from USB. I REALLY wanted to load this LTS! Here is how I fixed it, I hope it will help others:

First, for a good background on B43 and Linux drivers I would refer you to http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43 I was able to use the code for the Ubuntu/Debian to install the driver:

sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer

Next, let me introduce you to Mintconstructor: http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/918

This link is a tutorial on how to create an install .iso for CDs if your computer does not support DVD. However, it can also be used to install the B43 firmware on the .iso! Simply follow the instructions in the tutorial (I used LinuxMint 11 that I currently had installed on my computer to do this) When you open the chroot terminal simply install the driver (this terminal is already root so you omit sudo). You may install/uninstall other software to further customize your installation if desired (I added chromium-browser) Follow the remaining steps to clean up and create a description (beware, there apparently is a limited length for the description so keep it short or it will fail).

Once the .iso is created, burn to DVD (or CD if you uninstalled enough programs to reduce the size to fit CD). After burning boot the live DVD!

Once your live DVD has booted, connect to your wireless network entering any required security keys. Ensure you have power connected and sufficient disk space and launch the Install and continue as normal. I was pleasantly surprised that after install was complete and I restarted into the installed version on the hard drive my wireless was already configured and connected automatically!

I'm writing this post from my Maya installation using a wireless connection! I have now successfully upgraded my netbook from Isadora and installed Cinnamon on my other laptop. Next stop, I need to make a CD version for one of my older desktops. So far I'm loving Maya! I hope this helps others out. Good Luck and happy computing! If a neophyte like me can do it I know you can too!
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Arron

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Arron »

Thanks, I have been having same issues. This works great, i now can boot and have wifi on the live cd. However im still having it crash after the screen insuring i have enough disk space, and internet connection.
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

My broadcom requires the legacy driver, you may need the STA driver, or possibly you have another hardware issue...

http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

This website gives detailed guidance on B43 drivers.
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

In case anyone is interested I'm attaching a torrent file for Mint 13 MAYA Mate 32-bit with B43 firmware installed using firmware-b43-installer. If it is helpful to you please seed the torrent. Md5sum is included in the compressed file.
breaker

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by breaker »

Nice! Great idea! I have a chipset that is supported by B43, and this would be nice for a Live system on my laptop. It can be a pain to get wireless working from a Live boot sometimes. I'll try to seed. :)
mank_in

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by mank_in »

Clem already mentioning there is a bug in kernel 3.2 with B43. see solution in : http://linuxmint.com/rel_maya.php
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

@ breaker Let me know how it works out for you.
C-money

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by C-money »

@Gutknecht - You are the best! Your iso worked great. I kept trying the b43.blacklist=yes solution but it never worked for me. Fortunately your iso did the trick. One question though, when I ran the updates it said that I had modified something in grub, which I assumed was the work you did so I had it keep the old file. I don't remember what it was but for reference, are there any specific files that I shouldn't update and keep the same as before? Thanks.
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

@ C-money I'm glad it worked for you! If you have the capability, please seed the torrent. I didn't get any notifications about grub with my installation. Are you dual booting? The only change I made to the image was to run: apt install firmware-b43-installer. Hope this helps.
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winemaker9
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Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by winemaker9 »

Frustration...as I've been playing with this for three days.

Gutknecht ...today I downloaded your iso and did a fresh install. :D

I'm running a Thinkpad T23 with a Linksys Wireless -G using the BCM4318 chip 14E4-4318 (rev 02) as shown by lspci. This machine had been running the previous LT version of Mint with the above with no problems during install.

I've set the blacklist in grub, done the standard update/upgrade using apt-get. I know the card is good since when I plug it into a T30 with the same old version of Mint, it comes right up and works flawlessly.

When I check the software in 'Software Manager", both b43-fwcutter and firmware-b43-installer are installed as they should be. If I look in control center and check 'additional drivers', it tells me 'no proprietary drivers are in use' whereas in the previously mentioned LT, there was. (I remember installing it in the old system, it came right up in here and I said use it...and all was good).
As far as using the Windows Wireless Drivers, I haven't done anything as I never needed to.

This is an old box that I just pretty much use for testing before loading onto a newer system, but at this point, I don't dare screw up another machine.

Guess it's time to yell HELP... Thanks in advance...
Steve
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

Check this link http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43 for additional details on B43 drivers. You may need to use the STA driver or try some of the other alternatives. The Broadcom adapters can be challenging. Good Luck.
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winemaker9
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Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by winemaker9 »

Grr...you ain't kidding, the b43 is enough to make one drink.
NO luck with anything, including reloading and starting from scratch. Even if I try the 'Windows Driver', after I select the driver for the card, It then tells me I don't have ndiswrapper loaded, which of course I do. The other strange thing along with that was with the card in the pcmcia slot, if I select the XP driver, (and gives me the no ndiswrapper msg), it says it doesn't see the hardware, however if I use either the NT or 98xx driver, then it does. Something is definitely hosed and I'm just out of ideas. I may have to try loading kubuntu and see if that works (I refuse to use Ubuntu...can't stand the gui)
Anyone have any ideas as I'm not betting that kubuntu will work either.
Steve
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

If it is any consolation that misery loves company, while my wireless adapter works, it continues to lose connectivity and I find myself having to disconnect and reconnect to get my connection back...
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winemaker9
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Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by winemaker9 »

It's just so frustrating since there were NO problems with the card or connection in the last LT version. Seems that change isn't always good..the wireless here and the PAE issue in Ubuntu.
So that this doesn't seem like a 'misery loves company' post, I might suggest trying WICD http://wicd.sourceforge.net/ as an attempt around your issue. :arrow: It should be in the list, otherwise, just dl from their site. I used to use it some years ago when network manager had issues. If you can install from the list, it will automatically uninstall Network Manager, if you need to do it manually, uninstall NM first. Hope this help you. :lol:
Steve
Gutknecht

Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by Gutknecht »

Interesting.... I have discovered my loss of connectivity seems to come from an upstream bug in DNS resolution NOT B43 firmware. I am having a similar problem on another machine. Troubleshooting more to narrow down and find a fix...
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ashtonford
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Re: Linux Mint 13 MAYA installation with B43 firmware

Post by ashtonford »

this worked for me quick easy fix. after spending some time trying to fix the problem with my b43 card (Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g (rev 01) on HP ProBook 5310m) I found the solution and now the card is working pretty stable.
The problem was that each time 6 seconds after each AP association the connection was dropped with this error in the dmesg:

No probe response from AP xxxxxxxxxxxxx after 500ms, disconnecting

The fix is to disable the QOS of the driver.

sudo touch /etc/modprobe.d/b43.conf
echo "options b43 pio=1 qos=0" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/b43.conf
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