# [SOLVED] Can't get wireless(iwl3945ABG) working on Thinkpad

## Valvar

Greetings,

Sorry for this nooby issue, but after installing Gentoo for the first time I am unable to get the wireless working on my Thinkpad T60.

lspci output:

```
 $ sudo lspci | grep -i network

03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)
```

I have followed http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Wifi and http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Iwlwifi but to no avail.

lsmod gives an empty output (does not list any modules at all).

Trying to load the module: 

```

$ sudo modprobe -v iwl3945

insmod /lib/modules/3.7.9-gentoo/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/iwlegacy/iwlegacy.ko 

modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'iwl3945': Exec format error
```

Ifconfig gives: 

```
$ sudo ifconfig wlan0 up

wlan0: ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device
```

iwconfig:

```
sudo iwconfig

sit0      no wireless extensions.

lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.
```

I have udev and wicd installed, and my ethernet connection works fine.[/code] I apologize if I overlooked something simple; I don't have very much experience with issues like this one.Last edited by Valvar on Sun Mar 10, 2013 4:43 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## NeddySeagoon

Valvar,

Welcome to Gentoo.

You need to get to the bottom of

```
 modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'iwl3945': Exec format error
```

There may well be more information in the output of dmesg

Make friends with wgetpaste and use it to put your dmesg output onto a pastebin site.

Tell us the URL you get back.

----------

## Valvar

 *NeddySeagoon wrote:*   

> Valvar,
> 
> Welcome to Gentoo.
> 
> You need to get to the bottom of
> ...

 

http://bpaste.net/show/82413/

----------

## NeddySeagoon

Valvar,

Look at the end of your dmesg.  The 'version magic' strings for some loadable modules and your kernel do not match.

There are several causes for this. e.g. different parts we compiled with different gcc versions, a key configuration change was made to the kernel but it was only partly rebuilt, you system time went backwards ...

The fix is always the same.

Rebuild your kernel starting with the make clean step, so everything in the kernel must be rebuilt.

```
cd /usr/src/linux

make clean
```

then rebuild and reinstall your kernel as you did before. Finally reboot into your new kernel.

At this point the date/time in 

```
uname -a
```

should be very recent as it shows the kernel build date and time.

----------

## Valvar

 *NeddySeagoon wrote:*   

> Valvar,
> 
> Look at the end of your dmesg.  The 'version magic' strings for some loadable modules and your kernel do not match.
> 
> There are several causes for this. e.g. different parts we compiled with different gcc versions, a key configuration change was made to the kernel but it was only partly rebuilt, you system time went backwards ...
> ...

 

After following your instructions I realized I had been compiling the kernel improperly all this time. After several hours of head-scratching I managed to get everything working perfectly. Thank you very much!

----------

