[Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 13:27:10

Well to start off, I hit the dreaded 'fn' button. Bare with me I'm using alt P.C. I've been combing the forums for a fix. I've done lots to try to release the dreaded rfkill.
First I ran

rfkill list all
-bash rfkill: command not found

So then I ran 'ifconfig' which only returned

lo:
something

Now I know my wireless drivers are not loaded.

modprobe brcmsmac
modprobe: ERROR: could not install brcmsmac: Operation not Permitted

Then I ran

iw dev
nl80211

*side note my arch.iso also get hardblocked. So even if I try to do a re-install wouldn't work. At ends wit. I'm trying anything and everything that I've seen.(which is done by googling) Maybe a new direction is needed. **side note2 I can get 'ifconfig' to see wifi interface on the arch.iso.

Last edited by jedijimi (2015-01-26 15:14:35)

nagaseiori · 2015-01-26 13:34:58

You have to install rfkill (pacman -S rfkill).

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 13:49:14

modprobe -c | more
 blacklist nouveau
 install rfkill /bin/false <--This i made (form the web)
 options rfkill master_switch_mode=2
 options rfkill default_state=1
 options uvesafb
 softdep crc32_generic pre: crc32c
 softdep ohci_pci pre: ehci_pci
 softdep uhci_hcd pre: ehci_pci
 softdep sctp_probe pre: sctp
 softdep ohci_hcd pre: ehci_hcd
 softdep uhci_hcd pre: ehci_hcd
# end config files dumping indexes

Hundreds of indexes I won't be able to list them since I'm writing all this down on paper, then coming to alt p.c.

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 13:51:28

nagaseiori wrote:

You have to install rfkill (pacman -S rfkill).

I can't get any internet connection. I did download rfkill onto usb. I extracted it in my ~/Downloads ran 'make' and still no use

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 14:26:13

A step closer I got rfkill installed. but now gives error

rfkill 
Cannot open such control device: No directories of files found

tomk · 2015-01-26 15:05:29

Can't relate to this 'dreaded' stuff - I have a wifi on/off switch which does exactly that - toggles wifi on and off. Can we assume you tried pressing your button again? you didn't actually say.

Also, 'Operation not permitted' in response to your modprobe command means you need to be root to do that.

Last edited by tomk (2015-01-26 15:06:15)

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 15:13:32

Solved. Printing a few steps to help out anyone else, who can't get internet and needs to get from usb.
1.Downloaded 'rfkill' from diff. p.c.
2. Copied it to usb
3. extracted from usb to ~Downloads
4. ran 'make install'
5. run rfkill unblock all
6. went to wiki and read the Note

Note: It is possible that the card will go from hard-blocked and soft-unblocked state into hard-unblocked and soft-blocked state by pressing the hardware button
 (i.e. the soft-blocked bit is just switched no matter what). This can be adjusted by tuning some options of the rfkill kernel module.

7. hit the god-damn hardware button

This was definitely a head scratcher. What fixed the issue I think, was once 'rfkill' was installed, I could use the hardware buttons (for the wifi) *Carefully read the wiki. That was the key.

Last edited by jedijimi (2015-01-26 15:41:52)

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 15:21:06

tomk wrote:

Can't relate to this 'dreaded' stuff - I have a wifi on/off switch which does exactly that - toggles wifi on and off.

Well I did quite a bit of google searches to see that it happens alot. So maybe labeling it 'dreaded' was a bit overboard, since the forums was my last resort.

Trilby · 2015-01-26 15:26:50

There are a handful of laptops on which the wifi toggle is a one-way kill switch. I own two of them. On one the only solution is to remove the cmos battery for a full reset. On the other, this doesn't even work: I can get wifi if I remove the cmos battery and keep it out, but then the time is always wrong and fsck always has to fix timestamps. As soon as I put the battery back in, wifi is gone again.

jedijimi, you're one of the lucky ones if this works. But yes there are some machines for which there is no solution. (the manufacturer knows, and doesn't care as it only affects linux.)

jedijimi · 2015-01-26 15:40:05

trilby wrote:

jedijimi, you're one of the lucky ones if this works. But yes there are some machines for which there is no solution. (the manufacturer knows, and doesn't care as it only affects linux.)

I thought I read somewhere, that said 'you might have to go into your windows install, and see if you can toggle it there." (something to that sort). I immediately thought, yet another reason why we need more push for the open source movement.

Now the question I have. Does 'rfkill' make the link to hardware buttons? Or is it on the bios level?

Last edited by jedijimi (2015-01-26 15:46:54)

Arch Linux

#1 2015-01-26 13:27:10

[Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#2 2015-01-26 13:34:58

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#3 2015-01-26 13:49:14

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#4 2015-01-26 13:51:28

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#5 2015-01-26 14:26:13

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#6 2015-01-26 15:05:29

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#7 2015-01-26 15:13:32

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#8 2015-01-26 15:21:06

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#9 2015-01-26 15:26:50

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

#10 2015-01-26 15:40:05

Re: [Solved]The dreaded fn button and rfkill

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