No Wi-Fi networks are visible after I ran "sudo pacman -Syu"

General system EndeavourOS installation
1

When I started up my machine with a USB drive that has the endeavouros-2019.10.15-x86_64.iso on it I saw a bunch of Wi-Fi networks and was able to login to my router using Wi-Fi.

Immediately after installing endeavouros-2019.10.15-x86_64.iso to the SSD in my machine I saw a bunch of Wi-Fi networks and was able to login to my router using Wi-Fi.

Immediately after that I ran sudo pacman -R kalu. Then I chose “Yes” (which was the default) in response to the question asking if I wanted to replace Ilmbase with openexr.

Then I ran sudo pacman -Syu. Then the machine updated for about 10 minutes or so. The updates seemed to install properly. However, after that no Wi-Fi networks were visible.

When I tried to reboot my machine eventually froze up. One of the messages on the screen was, Failed to unmount /oldroot: Device or resource busy.

Therefore, I manually reset my machine. Then I booted up. Once again, no Wi-Fi networks were visible.

2

Which wifi card are you using?

3

lspci > log.txt && lsusb >> log.txt && journalctl -b -0 >> log.txt && cat log.txt | curl -F 'f:1=<-' ix.io
Will give us all needed info.
Simple post the short URL it gives out after running the comnandline in terminal

4

@Bryanpwo and @joekamprad

Thanks for your quick responses.

I ran…

lspci > log.txt && lsusb >> log.txt && journalctl -b -0 >> log.txt && cat log.txt | curl -F 'f:1=<-' ix.io

in a terminal.

I tried to attach the resulting file called log.txt but this forum does not allow it. Therefore I pasted the contents of log.txt to a page on pastebin.com.

According to the file called log.txt my machine has a…

Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR9462 Wireless Network Adapter (rev 01)

5

It is the ath9k driver (Atheros ) IEEE 802.11n spec

6

ricklinux

Thanks @ricklinux but I don’t know how to use that information to help me enable my machine to see Wi-Fi networks.

7

Is there no icon in the bottom right hand task bar? Click on the network icon and see if there are any visible networks on wifi and then add your password to connect.

8

Perhaps this link will help you, follow th ath9k instructions:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Network_configuration/Wireless#Atheros

9

@Bryanpwo @joekamprad @ricklinux

Thanks for spending your time to help me. I appreciate that.

This is purposely a long posting and detailed posting. No. It’s not a wall of text. But I don’t want to keep going back and forth with you guys about this. I need to get some work done.

I installed Endeavor OS for the first time about five days ago. At that time, after I installed Endeavor OS, I was able to see my Wi-Fi network immediately. I was pleased with the experience.

Specifically, at that time I did not need to follow the…

ath9k instructions
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Network_configuration/Wireless#Atheros

Sure. I can follow the ath9k instructions. Believe it or not, I was looking at those very instructions last night as I began to install Arch Linux because I was curious to see what installing it was like. As I got deeper and deeper into the Arch Linux instructions (which actually aren’t too bad) I essentially decided, “Nope. I’m not dealing with this hassle. I am neither interested in becoming a Linux sys admin nor a Linux hobbyist.”

Despite that, I have spun up myriad servers on VPSes and installed various applications via a terminal (onto mostly Ubuntu and CoreOS). I clearly remember spending scores of hours figuring out how to “simply” install shopping cart software and trouble ticket software.

Frankly, I’ve decided to learn Ansible to both configure some servers I need to set up (no, I am not looking forward to doing Linux sys admin work but good Linux sys admins tend to be expensive and difficult to deal with) and to set up my local machines. I’ve watched a bunch of Ansible videos. It looks remarkably powerful yet not too difficult to use for my relatively simple needs. I particularly like the fact that I can download Ansible playbooks from Ansible’s website so that I won’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Therefore, believe it or not, I am very probably capable of installing Arch Linux. Yeah. “The real thing.” But, frankly, I would prefer to watch paint dry than do any more “Linux stuff” than I need to. Therefore, I presume I can sucessfully follow the ath9k instructions at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Network_configuration/Wireless#Atheros.

But. Well. See. Here’s the thing. I’m not normally connected to the Internet via an ethernet cable. It’s actually a little bit of a hassle for me to connect to the Internet via an ethernet cable.

If I can’t immediately find a Wi-Fi network after installing EndeavorOS, then I’m simply going to deal with Ubuntu’s outdated distros and continue using the flavor of Ubuntu I’m currently using.

Linux is not a hobby of mine. I use it to get work done. I’ve skimmed the EndeavorOS forum. I’m not interested in sharing cooking recipes (like someone indicated in one of their posts). The primary reason I want to use EndeavorOS is not because I want to brag to people “I use Arch Linux, er, um, sort of.” I couldn’t care less about that. I simply got tired of dealing with Ubuntu’s outdated distros.

However, any disto that fails to allow me to install from a USB and then choose my Wi-Fi network qualifies, in my mind, as a non-user-friendly distro. “Been there, done that” with Puppy Linux. The Puppy Linux forums were full of people who seemed to make Linux a hobby. I liked the speed and simplicity of Puppy Linux. But the notion of trying to figure out install applications that weren’t Puppy Linux distros repulsed me.

At least to me, installing software on EndeavourOS is very similar to installing it on Ubuntu. Instead of “sudo-apt get…” I use “sudo pacman -S” or “yay…” Although neither are what I’d call user-friendly, they are both actually very simple.

Finally, I have four machines I need to set up. Furthermore, in my experience, I inevitably end up needing to do a “fresh install” every couple of years or so on each machine. (Theoretically it might not be necessary, but in practice I have found it is necessary).

In closing. No. I’m not upset. Not at all. Why should I be? Actually, I appreciate the work you guys are dong. I presume, as is the case with most FOSS projects, you guys are not being paid for your time. Frankly, I think EndeavourOS has a lot of potential because Arch Linux (which, as you know, EndeavourOS is based on) seems generally better for most client machines than any of the 'buntus (such as, Ubuntu, Lubuntu, and Xbuntu). But, as I type this on my machine which is running a flavor of Ubuntu, I am wondering if its time for me to terminate, or perhaps at least postpone, using EndeavourOS.

10

I think something went south. I would try again. I’m not sure how you did the install but don’t give up too quickly as EndeavourOS doesn’t disappoint.

11

@Bryanpwo @joekamprad @ricklinux

Thanks for spending your time to help me. I appreciate that.

This is purposely a long posting and detailed posting. No. It’s not a wall of text. But I don’t want to keep going back and forth with you guys about this. I need to get some work done.

I installed Endeavor OS for the first time about five days ago. At that time, after I installed Endeavor OS, I was able to see my Wi-Fi network immediately. I was pleased with the experience.

Specifically, at that time I did not need to follow the…

ath9k instructions
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Network_configuration/Wireless#Atheros

Sure. I can follow the ath9k instructions. Believe it or not, I was looking at those very instructions last night as I began to install Arch Linux because I was curious to see what installing it was like. As I got deeper and deeper into the Arch Linux instructions (which actually aren’t too bad) I essentially decided, “Nope. I’m not dealing with this hassle. I am neither interested in becoming a Linux sys admin nor a Linux hobbyist.”

Despite that, I have spun up myriad servers on VPSes and installed various applications via a terminal (onto mostly Ubuntu and CoreOS). I clearly remember spending scores of hours figuring out how to “simply” install shopping cart software and trouble ticket software.

Frankly, I’ve decided to learn Ansible to both configure some servers I need to set up (no, I am not looking forward to doing Linux sys admin work but good Linux sys admins tend to be expensive and difficult to deal with) and to set up my local machines. I’ve watched a bunch of Ansible videos. It looks remarkably powerful yet not too difficult to use for my relatively simple needs. I particularly like the fact that I can download Ansible playbooks from Ansible’s website so that I won’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Therefore, believe it or not, I am very probably capable of installing Arch Linux. Yeah. “The real thing.” But, frankly, I would prefer to watch paint dry than do any more “Linux stuff” than I need to. Therefore, I presume I can successfully follow the ath9k instructions at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Network_configuration/Wireless#Atheros.

But. Well. See. Here’s the thing. I’m not normally connected to the Internet via an ethernet cable. It’s actually a little bit of a hassle for me to connect to the Internet via an ethernet cable.

If I can’t immediately find a Wi-Fi network after installing EndeavorOS, then I’m simply going to deal with Ubuntu’s outdated distros and continue using the flavor of Ubuntu I’m currently using.

Linux is not a hobby of mine. I use it to get work done. I’ve skimmed the EndeavorOS forum. I’m not interested in sharing cooking recipes (like someone indicated in one of their posts). The primary reason I want to use EndeavorOS is not because I want to brag to people “I use Arch Linux, er, um, sort of.” I couldn’t care less about that. I simply got tired of dealing with Ubuntu’s outdated distros.

However, any disto that fails to allow me to install from a USB and then choose my Wi-Fi network qualifies, in my mind, as a non-user-friendly distro. “Been there, done that” with Puppy Linux. The Puppy Linux forums were full of people who seemed to make Linux a hobby. I liked the speed and simplicity of Puppy Linux. But the notion of trying to figure out install applications that weren’t Puppy Linux distros repulsed me.

At least to me, installing software on EndeavourOS is very similar to installing it on Ubuntu. Instead of “sudo-apt get…” I use “sudo pacman -S” or “yay…” Although neither are what I’d call user-friendly, they are both actually very simple.

Finally, I have four machines I need to set up. Furthermore, in my experience, I inevitably end up needing to do a “fresh install” every couple of years or so on each machine. (Theoretically it might not be necessary, but in practice I have found it is necessary).

In closing. No. I’m not upset. Not at all. Why should I be? Actually, I appreciate the work you guys are doing. I presume, as is the case with most FOSS projects, you guys are not being paid for your time. Frankly, I think EndeavourOS has a lot of potential because Arch Linux (which, as you know, EndeavourOS is based on) seems generally better for most client machines than any of the 'buntus (such as, Ubuntu, Lubuntu, and Xbuntu). But, as I type this on my machine which is running a flavor of Ubuntu, I am wondering if its time for me to terminate, or perhaps at least postpone, using EndeavourOS.

12

Don’t give up yet. Maybe try again if you had wifi. Something happened maybe it won’t again.

13

@ricklinux Last night, I did a fresh reinstall. Specifically, I used Gparted to wipe my machine’s SSD; then I installed EndeavourOS from a USB stick.

Let me explain.

See, there’s more I didn’t bother mentioning. I have EndeavourOS installed on two of my machines: one which is a freshly reinstalled, the other has many applications which I’ve installed. After updating EndeavourOS somewhere around 24 to 48 hours ago neither could see any Wi-Fi networks. Prior to that both could see many Wi-Fi networks. Furthermore, my machine with Ubuntu (a third machine) could see many Wi-Fi networks. All machines are within a few feet of one another. Does that make it seem like something went south on my end? I doubt that very much.

Perhaps I am wrong but it seems like your advice to me has been, “Go do some unnecessary technical steps” because of a fault, probably with Arch Linux or EndeavourOS.

Let me repeat: this is almost certainly not a fault of my end. I could see many Wi-Fi networks on two machines. Then I could not see any Wi-Fi networks on either of the two machines. Here’s some more detail.

After that, I booted one of those two machines from a USB with endeavouros-2019.10.15-x86_64.iso on it. Then I could see many Wi-Fi networks. Then I freshly reinstalled the endeavouros-2019.10.15-x86_64.iso on that machine. I could see many Wi-Fi networks.

But… then I updated that machine. As I indicated above…

Immediately after that I ran sudo pacman -R kalu . Then I chose “Yes” (which was the default) in response to the question asking if I wanted to replace Ilmbase with openexr .

Then I ran sudo pacman -Syu . Then the machine updated for about 10 minutes or so. The updates seemed to install properly. However , after that no Wi-Fi networks were visible.

What do I think? I guess someone on the EndeavourOS team messed up a setting within the last 24 to 48 hours that has caused the problem. Dealing with engineers it’s almost always the same: unless its a super obvious problem it’s never the engineer’s fault; it’s always user error. Ummm. Yeah. Sure. I’m not a gullible newbie. I don’t like wasting my time with engineers who are not being forthright.

If you guys want to play around with a shiny new Linux distro that’s fine by me. But you must indicate somewhere something like, “This is an unstable alpha which is undergoing frequent changes with very little testing. Therefore, this distro is currently suitable for hobbyists and students.”

This message was written on, yeah, you guessed it… a machine running a flavor of Ubuntu.

14

Thanks for the explanation and your welcome!

15

I’m very sorry you’ve encountered these problems and thank you for trying our distro. This is an upstream problem, because the only thing we provide is a GUI installer for Arch, a welcome greeter, an update notifier and a convenient Nvidia-installer, for those who need it.

My guess here, is that Arch doesn’t support the wifi card anymore. They’ve changed a lot very recently and dropped packages.

I’m running Arch on my work machine for three years now and it never broke. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but a very large group of Computer users run Arch without serious problems, so that disclaimer you advice doesn’t go for everyone.

I really appreciate that you gave us a run and I’m genuinely sorry it didn’t work for you, at least your staying on Linux.

16

To follow up… We do not provide any related packages on our own, they come directly from archrepos.
I am also very sorry that EnOS is not working currently for your Wifi-Card, it is may the last kernel update causing this (Last Updated: 2019-10-28 07:43 UTC) a common thing on a wifi chipset known to work unstable under linux (what i can see from resaerch on this).

We do take all issues as they are issues with the need to solve them, and find the cause for it to solve it, does not matter if it is an issue on our side or the users side or upstream.

17

The atheros cards seem to be an issue. I recommended to another user to just change the card for one known to be working such as the Broadcom. Some of the Intel’s are a similar problem. Not all hardware is always going to work and if you can’t get it working then it becomes necessary to change the hardware. Yes they may work on other distributions but they aren’t Arch.

18

@ricklinux @joekamprad @Bryanpwo

I fixed the problem.

It was trivial… as I had assumed.

I don’t mean to demean you guys (rhyming intentional) but next time I have a EndeavorOS problem that is not apparently “super simple” I will first try to solve it on my own because, frankly, dealing with you guys on this issue has been a big waste of time for me.

As @joekamprad surmised it was apparently a problem with Arch Linux.

It took me about one minute to find the solution on Google: really, 60 seconds, maybe less (see, my “brilliant” Google search terms) and then a couple minutes to figure out what it meant. But, believe it or not, it took me about fifteen minutes to figure out how to create /etc/modprobe.d/gsmi.conf (a file I created to blacklist gsmi). Really. I am not exaggerating: 15 minutes to create a simple text file which contains the two magic words “blacklist gsmi”.

The solution is on the official Arch Linux website on this page…

Index-> Kernel & Hardware → No wifi after kernel update

Here’s the solution…

https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/64302 you also have some weird stack trace and looks like gsmi is loaded, try blacklisting gsmi

I had neither ever heard of the term “blacklist” (in relation to Linux) nor “gsmi.” But I presumed that I needed to figure out how to “turn off” something called “gsmi.” That’s not rocket science.

Also, I’m so used to using my favorite file manager, SpaceFM (rocket, space… do you see a pattern emerging?) , that I had forgotten how to become root in a wretched, file manager I detest, named after a pagan deity (sudo thunar).

I normally use SpaceFM, which is an excellent file manager which makes it trivial to create keyboard shortcuts (bind keys to SpaceFM commands). I think of SpaceFM as sort of like the wimpier, GUI equivalent of Ranger. Once the hideous and confusing user interface is tamed (simply modified by changing a few settings) and the plugin “corbeille” (corbeille means trash in French) is installed, SpaceFM is really great. But I guess most people who see the user interface think something like, “Nope, nope, nope… I’m not using this confusing thing.”

In SpaceFM when I need to become a root user (which is not very often) I normally simply choose “File –> Root Window” and then type in my password.

By the way, this experience I had with you guys is normal for me. I have worked with myriad engineers over the decades (I’m 52 years old). You guys invariably know far more of the technical details than I do.

I am a businessman who uses technology. I’m not an engineer. I am not enamored with technology like you guys typically are. To me my country’s space shuttle, in honor of one of whose space shuttles EndeavorOS was named, was a huge waste of money. I hate space travel. I also hate NASA. I think NASA should be eliminated. I saw Star Wars in a movie theater for my 12th birthday party. I thought it was a mediocre movie. The bizarre wallpaper that EndeavourOS has (and, to be fair, most Linux distros seem to have) makes me nauseous. What? You guys love space travel and love NASA. Really? Gee, I had no idea. /sarcasm. The pagan cult of technology that engineers typically worship disgusts me.

I am definitely not an engineer.

You guys (engineers) seem to invariably get stuck inside of a little box (are typically close-minded). I prefer trying to solve difficult technical problems by talking with artists rather than engineers because artists tend to be open-minded and creative.

Being close-minded is typically very helpful when solving common engineering problems. (I’m very glad bridges, well, maybe not the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge, are generally built by engineers instead of artists). But the moment something unusual or irregular comes up, you guys (engineers) typically start grasping at straws (fail to have good solutions).

I am not exaggerating when I say I have solved problems similar to this hundreds of times when engineers I have asked were “all out of answers.” No. I’m not bragging. “I’m just sayin’” To me engineers are essentially like worker bees (who gather nectar from flowers) or talented baseball batters (who see the ball, hit the ball). But to actually solve even slightly unusual problems? Well, I’ll be blunt: dealing with engineers, who ironically tend to pride themselves on their problem-solving abilities, has generally been a huge waste of time for me.

19

That was probably a bad suggestion.

I will be even more blunt: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Instead of offering bad solutions, it’s better not to offer any solutions at all.

20

I don’t think it was a waste of time. I told you don’t give up so easily didn’t i! That solution was just posted yesterday. You never even gave anyone a chance. The term “blacklist” is used all the time in kernel parameters on boot to deal with all kinds of issues. Arch is a totally different beast to Ubuntu. As far as giving you advice i wasn’t. It was just a friendly gesture saying don’t give up too easily. You were a little harsh in your criticisms to me and about EndeavourOS and i said it doesn’t disappoint. I really meant that. It is a great distro. I don’t pretend to know everything and i’m here to help if and when i can and i do. I’m glad you were able to get it working again so quickly and i just want to say Welcome to EndeavourOS. I hope it serves you well.