[SOLVED] Dell Vostro 2420 wifi issue

[stevepusser]

Ummm--OK. You don't have the headers installed for your current kernel, so you can't build any drivers for it. There's a simple way to fix that, but this is more pressing:

Why did broadcom-sta-dkms download from the Sid repo, and how long have you been using that repo on top of Jessie?

I'm also curious to see how your wifi would work in a 64-bit MX 16.1 Live session, since smart people worked hard on some tools that just handle all this Broadcom garbage automatically. If it works on that live session, then we know it can also work on Debian, and you can run

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inxi -N

in MX to see what driver the chipset is using.

[dannyhmui]

Hi, I added sid repo because I needed to install realtec firmware, now I have removed it from sources.list and ran apt-get update then:
root@DannyHome:/home/danny# apt-get install broadcom-sta-dkms
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
broadcom-sta-dkms is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 4 not upgraded.
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/main amd64 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-amd64_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/contrib amd64 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_contrib_binary-amd64_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/main i386 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/contrib i386 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_contrib_binary-i386_Packages)
W: You may want to run apt-get update to correct these problems
root@DannyHome:/home/danny#

how can I install correct headers?

[orythem27]

Assuming you are running the kernel from backports.

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# apt-get -t jessie-backports install linux-headers-`uname -r`

[v&n]

How about purging and reinstalling the broadcom-sta-dkms package after an apt-get-update? But I didn't take a look at previous posts so maybe missing something. I'd recommend to wait for stevepusser's advice therefore.

[dannyhmui]

root@DannyHome:/home/danny# apt-get -t jessie-backports install linux-headers-'uname -r'
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package linux-headers-uname -r
root@DannyHome:/home/danny#

[dannyhmui]

apt-get install -t jessie-backports linux-{image,headers}-amd64

I used this one, installing now

[Dai_trying]

root@DannyHome:/home/danny# apt-get -t jessie-backports install linux-headers-'uname -r'

Should be

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apt-get -t jessie-backports install linux-headers-`uname -r`

backticks instead of apostrophes

[dannyhmui]

here is the output:
root@DannyHome:/home/danny# apt-get update
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie InRelease
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie Release.gpg
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie Release
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie/main amd64 Packages/DiffIndex
Err cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie/main i386 Packages
Please use apt-cdrom to make this CD-ROM recognized by APT. apt-get update cannot be used to add new CD-ROMs
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie/main Translation-en_NZ
Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01] jessie/main Translation-en
Ign http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie InRelease
Get:1 http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie-updates InRelease [145 kB]
Get:2 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates InRelease [63.1 kB]
Hit http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie Release.gpg
Ign http://dl.google.com stable InRelease
Hit http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie Release
Get:3 http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie-updates/main Sources [15.5 kB]
Get:4 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-backports InRelease [166 kB]
Get:5 http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 Packages/DiffIndex [7,900 B]
Ign http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie InRelease
Ign http://httpredir.debian.org jessie InRelease
Get:6 http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie-updates/main i386 Packages/DiffIndex [7,900 B]
Get:7 http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en/DiffIndex [2,704 B]
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie Release.gpg
Hit http://dl.google.com stable Release.gpg
Hit http://dl.google.com stable Release
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie Release
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie Release.gpg
Get:8 http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie/main i386 Packages [6,793 kB]
Get:9 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Sources [208 kB]
Get:10 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-backports/main amd64 Packages/DiffIndex [27.8 kB]
Get:11 http://dl.google.com stable/main amd64 Packages [1,392 B]
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie Release
Get:12 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-backports/main i386 Packages/DiffIndex [27.8 kB]
Get:13 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-backports/main Translation-en/DiffIndex [27.8 kB]
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/main amd64 Packages
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/main amd64 Packages
Get:14 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main amd64 Packages [414 kB]
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/non-free amd64 Packages
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/main i386 Packages
Get:15 http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/main i386 Packages [6,793 kB]
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/non-free i386 Packages
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en
Get:16 http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/contrib i386 Packages [49.5 kB]
Hit http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/non-free Translation-en
Get:17 http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/non-free i386 Packages [80.4 kB]
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main Translation-en_NZ
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/contrib amd64 Packages
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main Translation-en
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/non-free amd64 Packages
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/contrib Translation-en
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/non-free Translation-en
Get:18 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main i386 Packages [415 kB]
Hit http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie/main Sources
Hit http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie/main amd64 Packages
Hit http://ftp.nz.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en
Get:19 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Translation-en [218 kB]
Fetched 8,540 kB in 10s (804 kB/s)
W: Failed to fetch cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01]/dists/jessie/main/binary-i386/Packages Please use apt-cdrom to make this CD-ROM recognized by APT. apt-get update cannot be used to add new CD-ROMs

E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
root@DannyHome:/home/danny# apt-get install broadcom-sta-dkms
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
broadcom-sta-dkms is already the newest version.
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
cpp-4.8 gcc-4.8 libasan0 libgcc-4.8-dev linux-compiler-gcc-4.8-x86
linux-headers-3.16.0-4-amd64 linux-headers-3.16.0-4-common
linux-image-3.16.0-4-amd64 linux-kbuild-3.16
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/main amd64 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-amd64_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/contrib amd64 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_contrib_binary-amd64_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/main i386 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_main_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie/contrib i386 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/httpredir.debian.org_debian_dists_jessie_contrib_binary-i386_Packages)
W: You may want to run apt-get update to correct these problems
root@DannyHome:/home/danny#

hope this can help

[stevepusser]

What a mess of text! Can you install inxi and replace all that crap with the output of

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inxi -r

in a code box, like I just used? That's more readable by regular humans.

To set up your headers and compilers correctly, I would just install module-assistant and run as sysadmin

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m-a prepare

[dannyhmui]

oh..I still get:
danny@DannyHome:~$ sudo apt-get -t jessie-backports install linux-headers-'uname -r'
[sudo] password for danny:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package linux-headers-uname -r
danny@DannyHome:~$

[dannyhmui]

this is the output:
danny@DannyHome:~$ inxi -r
Repos: Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list
deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 8 _Jessie_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20170506-15:01]/ jessie main
deb http://ftp.nz.debian.org/debian/ jessie main
deb-src http://ftp.nz.debian.org/debian/ jessie main
deb http://security.debian.org/ jessie/updates main
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ jessie/updates main
deb http://ftp.nz.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main
deb-src http://ftp.nz.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian jessie-backports main
deb http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie main contrib non-free
deb http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie main contrib
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian jessie main non-free
Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main
danny@DannyHome:~$

how do I format the post here, how did you make a box and code inside?

[dannyhmui]

sorry, just googled how to put a code box:

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this is test

[dannyhmui]

I should already have latest headers:

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danny@DannyHome:~$ sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
linux-headers-4.9.0-0.bpo.3-amd64 is already the newest version.
linux-headers-4.9.0-0.bpo.3-amd64 set to manually installed.
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  cpp-4.8 gcc-4.8 libasan0 libgcc-4.8-dev linux-compiler-gcc-4.8-x86
  linux-headers-3.16.0-4-amd64 linux-headers-3.16.0-4-common
  linux-image-3.16.0-4-amd64 linux-kbuild-3.16
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
danny@DannyHome:~$ 

[dannyhmui]

again, I can see wifi there, but not able to list any available networks...

[dannyhmui]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is working now. I pressed my keyboard's Fn and wireless ON/OFF twice, then restarted my laptop, it is working now....!!! Don't really what happened.....

[dannyhmui]

big thank you for stevepusser !!!! Thx for your patience for days helping me out regarding to this issue...didn't know why it was not working in kernel 3.16 but it is working now...I am so glad.

[sunrat]

Good work!
Comment out the CD lines in sources.list to remove most of those apt errors.