Missing firmware iwlwifi

Question

I need to install Linux, better Ubuntu, to my 4 GB flash-drive. As 4 GB is too small for normal desktop version of Ubuntu I have downloaded alternate version through here because of recomendation from here. But there are few problems with installation. Almost at the start of the process it shows up first error:

Some of your hardware needs non-free firmware files to operate.  The firmware can be loaded from
removable media, such as a USB stick or floppy.

The missing firmware files are: iwlwifi-7260-9.ucode iwlwifi-7260-8.ucode

If you have such media available now, insert it, and continue.
Load missing firmware from removable media?

After which was second error:

The missing firmware files are: rtl_nic/rtl8411-3.fw

I have found some useful information about this on the internet, but thats all I found. In that topic author uses debian and debian commands, so I can't use it personally. But I have downloaded firmware-iwlwifi_0.43_all.deb and can not unpack it.

---

Any ideas how to fix this?

Laptop: Dell Vosto 5470.

Solution 1

The iwlwifi firmware pertains to your wireless card. Go here:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005511.html

And download the correct 7260 driver. Unzip the .ucode files and put them on a usb. You can also skip the error and later put the .ucode files into /lib/firmware.

The second error pertains to your Ethernet port. You can also skip that error, download the drivers here:

https://packages.debian.org/jessie/firmware-realtek

and place the correct .fw files within the /lib/firmware folder.

Also, which version are you installing? 16.04 should have full support for the 2 previous devices.

--upvote if this helped :)--

Solution 2

The package linux-firmware contains the file: /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-7260-9.ucode

If you have ethernet setup, then do:

sudo apt-get install linux-firmware

If not download the deb file. Make sure that you choose the correct distribution version.

Then,

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

BTW Debian commands do work in Ubuntu.

Comments

[Telion]

I'll try right now. There is no alternate version 16.04, only 12.04.5. With 16 everything worked, except there was not enaugh space on flash-frive.

[negusp]

You don't need the alternate for a full install on a USB. You should be able to install on a USB just like any other storage medium. I did it on my 16GB Sandisk Ultra Fit. Just disable journaling and swap.

[Telion]

I have 4GB flash drive. When I was trying to install ubuntu-desktop 16.04 on it I got error "not enaugh space". Is there really any chance to make it work though?

[Telion]

And btw, how I should install second archive for Ethernet port? It is .deb, so I cant open it with standart commands. And the last thing. How to insert these drivers to Ubuntu? Any command or it will do that automatically?

[negusp]

Unpack it on a separate computer, or skip the error and install later. The Ethernet and Wifi errors aren't crucial to the installation. I would install something other than Ubuntu on a 4GB flash drive. Slax comes to mind. 4GB will be very tight, especially under Ubuntu.

[Telion]

Yeah. Looks like it will be many problems with ubuntu on such a small drive. Can you name few more OS? I need something similar to Ubuntu to make myself understand at least something :)

[negusp]

Slax, Puppy Linux, etc. If you really want Ubuntu/Debian, install it as a Live CD on a USB, and then enable persistence. Guide here: help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

[Telion]

The thing is I want to make a drive with fully working Linux on it. It should be comfortable for me to use it if there is no other system on PC. But I don't need just liveCD(liveUSB), I need it to save some data(like small text-files) on the same drive. Thats why Slax right now looks pretty promising.

[Telion]

I think I'll chose Slax, so the question is no more relevant and closed.

[negusp]

That's what persistence does. Persistence allows you to save files and data on the drive.