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Can't load firmware even though files are present

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?Syntax Error
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Can't load firmware even though files are present

#1 Post by ?Syntax Error »

Hello, I'm trying to install Debian 11.3 and I get a firmware error during the initial install. I made sure I placed the non-free firmware files in the firmware folder on the installation media (USB), but it still says the firmware files are missing and asks me to insert external media to load the firmware files. Even if I place the firmware files on another USB drive, it still doesn't locate them. Yes the medias are formatted in the correct filesystem format also.

The firmware files in question are:
ctefx.bin
ctefx-desktop.bin
ctefx-r3di.bin
ctspeq.bin

The error I receive during installation:

Image

The root folder structure on my USB install media looks like this:

Image

Here are the files in the firmware folder on the install media (USB):

Image

The files were originally in a folder called ca0132 from the Alsa-Firmware package I got them from:

Image

I've tried placing the files both in the firmware folder and in /firmware/ca0132

What do?

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NorthEast
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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#2 Post by NorthEast »

Alternatively, using the install media with non free firmware in it may help: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unof ... -firmware/

?Syntax Error
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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#3 Post by ?Syntax Error »

NorthEast wrote: 2022-05-18 00:03 Alternatively, using the install media with non free firmware in it may help: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unof ... -firmware/
I already tried that. I still get the same error.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#4 Post by 4D696B65 »

Choose no at the firmware screen and continue on with the install. Boot into your new system, add non-free and contrib to your sources.list and install firmware-misc-nonfree

I'm not sure why the installer cant find your firmware.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#5 Post by ?Syntax Error »

4D696B65 wrote: 2022-05-18 01:16 Choose no at the firmware screen and continue on with the install. Boot into your new system, add non-free and contrib to your sources.list and install firmware-misc-nonfree

I'm not sure why the installer cant find your firmware.
First, thank you for replying.

I did manage to get the problematic firmwares working. However, now I've encountered another problem, the WiFi.

Speeds are extremely slow. Whether using a web browser and while updating/installing packages. Speeds are sub 56kb/s. I verified the problem isn't with my router, that expected speeds are present on my mobile device (they are.) I added contrib and non-free to my sources.list. Updated the repos. Then I installed the iwlwifi package and then regenerated initramfs and then ran update-grub. I followed workarounds here viewtopic.php?p=659039 and here https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=239854, a few of these workarounds don't have the packages available in the repos anymore to perform their relative commands. I forgot that I had this same problem last time I tried to use Debian and that's why I didn't. I use Debian whenever I can, but haven't been able to this time.

Any ideas? Something I'm missing? Should I just compile a kernel and use that? New thread?
Last edited by ?Syntax Error on 2022-05-18 07:25, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#6 Post by 4D696B65 »

Start a new thread for your wifi issue.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#7 Post by p.H »

?Syntax Error wrote: 2022-05-17 23:17 The firmware files in question are:
ctefx.bin
ctefx-desktop.bin
ctefx-r3di.bin
ctspeq.bin
These look like firmware for some Creative Technology sound device (ctefx.bin is used by kernel module snd-hda-codec-ca0132). I wonder why the "Detect network hardware" insists on such firmware.
4D696B65 wrote: 2022-05-18 01:16 I'm not sure why the installer cant find your firmware.
Last time I checked (Debian 10, it may have been improved since), the firmware file search was badly broken: it stopped at the first mountable filesystem found. The firmware package search was hardly better: it stopped that the first mountable filesystem found which contained *.{deb,udeb,ude} files.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#8 Post by ?Syntax Error »

Yeah, I'll start a new thread for the WiFi issues. Also, I noticed during boot that the ctefx.bin and ctefx-desktop.bin are still not available to the system even though I added contrib and non-free and then updated/upgraded, regenerated initramfs and ran update-grub. Sound isn't working through my sound card still, but having selected my USB sound amp sound is working that way, so the ctefx firmware files are still problematic. I also tried putting the firmware files in /lib/firmware/ and /lib/firmware/ca0132/. Still the firmwares aren't being found and utilized. Running isenkram-autoinstall-firmware also didn't resolve any of these issues either. This issue was in Debian 10 also. Along with the WiFi issues that I was never able to solve (hopefully we can this time.) I would have filed a bug report, but I'm not familiar with doing that.

As far as I'm aware, these ctefx firmware files aren't proprietary and are free. I found a page by the person who created the firmwares so they are technically unofficial firmwares. They are now listed as included in the linux-firmware.git, but when I download the package supposedly with the firmware in it, not all of the files relevant to this thread are in the package even though they are listed as being in the package from linux-firmware.git. Also, when I downloaded the nonfree-firmware package from the Debian website it was the same issue, the firmware relevant to this thread were listed as being in the nonfree-firmware package from Debian, but weren't actually in the package. So I'm guessing it's just an oversight mistake. I guess I might try filing a bug report, I just don't have faith that it will be looked at and fixed.
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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#9 Post by mm3100 »

Did you try to install firmware-linux-nonfree instead of downloading it manually?

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#10 Post by ?Syntax Error »

mm3100 wrote: 2022-05-18 17:56 Did you try to install firmware-linux-nonfree instead of downloading it manually?
Yes. Thanks.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#11 Post by mm3100 »

?Syntax Error wrote: 2022-05-18 19:03
mm3100 wrote: 2022-05-18 17:56 Did you try to install firmware-linux-nonfree instead of downloading it manually?
Yes. Thanks.
Did that solve part of the problem? I have checked and only ctefx.bin is mentioned in there.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#12 Post by ?Syntax Error »

mm3100 wrote: 2022-05-18 20:40
?Syntax Error wrote: 2022-05-18 19:03
mm3100 wrote: 2022-05-18 17:56 Did you try to install firmware-linux-nonfree instead of downloading it manually?
Yes. Thanks.
Did that solve part of the problem? I have checked and only ctefx.bin is mentioned in there.
It didn't solve the problem, and that's what's strange. Even though ctefx.bin is in there, it isn't working and it isn't being loaded. And as I had stated above, the notes for linux-firmware.git and the non-free firmware package from Debian, ctefx-desktop.bin is listed as being in the package, but it actually is not.

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Re: Can't load firmware even though files are present

#13 Post by -nomad- »

Exact same situation on my end. Using a Soundblaster Z on a dual boot win 11 machine (secureboot + firmware tpm) in case that's relevant somehow.
Before the graphical installer launches I get a TPM error (don't have exact details as it goes by way too fast), and a few lines concerning missing firmwares for intel_hda : ctefx.bin ctefx-desktop.bin

I fixed it with the following "hacky" way, as I couldn't find any other solution online. This resolved seeing missing firmware errors for intel_hda* in dmesg.
Even without this fix though the sound card seems to work fine, provided I grab firmware-misc-nonfree post installation but dmesg keeps reporting that the firmware is missing.

pasting from my own notes, apologies for the formatting

AUDIO FIRMWARE INSTALLATION FOR CREATIVE SOUNDBLASTER Z (CA0132)
grab latest alsa-firmware-x.x.x.tar.bz2 from https://www.alsa-project.org/files/pub/firmware/
run $sudo apt install build-essential
extract alsa-firmware.tar
run $./configure
run $make
run $cp alsa-firmware-x.x.x/ca0132/ctefx-desktop.bin /usr/lib/firmware
run $sudo reboot now

https://groups.google.com/g/linux.debia ... FSqM?pli=1
apparently has been an issue for quite a while
Last edited by -nomad- on 2023-08-19 13:16, edited 1 time in total.

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