How to Install the mt7601u USB WiFi Driver

[rcrsn51]

I did a uname -r on the LxPupSc-17.01.1R.iso installation and it says that the kernel is a 4.9.x. So it should work without a kernel change. and should not need any pet - that 4.1.11 pet was an error and I removed it. iwconfig still says that there is no wireless connection

I just checked a pristine install of LxPupSc-17.01.1R. It has k4.9.0 and does NOT contain the mt7601u driver. It ABSOLUTELY requires a kernel change.

Or a newer version of LxPupSc whose kernel has the driver built-in.

[wimpy]

Thank you. That's what I found. I've PMed peebee, so I'm hoping he'll come up with something

[wimpy]

Peebee has replied very kindly to my problem. He will be producing 4.12 kernel files ie vmlinuz and zdrv (which will contain the mt7601u driver).
I guess you don't really need the change_kernels command. You can just copy over the existing vmlinuz and zdrv, when you extract the 2 files from the iso.

[rcrsn51]

Just out of curiosity: when you ran the change-kernels tool, did you try to drag-and-drop the two files into their input boxes?

That doesn't work in LxPup.

[wimpy]

Yes! I did do that. The next time I won't be using change_kernels.

[rcrsn51]

The next time I won't be using change_kernels.

Why? LxPup has other ways of selecting a file.

When you try to drag-and-drop in LxPup, change_kernels just aborts and throws an error message in the terminal window.

That's something that 01micko and peebee might want to address.

[wimpy]

peebee PM'd me the 4.12 files. I put them in and rebooted. I ran Dougal's wizard and loaded up the mt7601u. It loaded successfully but it still coudn't find the the wlan0 interface. I'm at a loss of what to do next.

[rcrsn51]

All I can do is reiterate my original test report.

1. I switched to the huge xenial kernel (using the correct procedure).
2. I rebooted.
3. I plugged in the adapter.
4. I ran the standard command line checks: uname -r, modinfo mt7601u, lsmod, iwconfig.
5. I ran PeasyWiFi.

I ran Dougal's wizard and loaded up the mt7601u. It loaded successfully but it still coudn't find the the wlan0 interface.

You insist on using Dougal, which keeps giving you misleading information.

[wimpy]

I did the same. My iwconfig says there is no wireless connection and Peasywifi confirms this. The mt7601u for an earlier kernel provided above works OK in that flaky LxPupXenial16.08. On this installation, Dougal loads the mt7601u, but then can't find the wlan0 interface. I thought the mt7601u in this k4.12 would load automatically when it detected the USB device and would find the wlan0 interface. Seems not. Should I upload peebee's 4.12 files or wait for him to do it.

[peebee]

On this installation, Dougal loads the mt7601u, but then can't find the wlan0 interface.

The mt7601u firmware must be available. My kernels do not include firmware - instead there is a separate fdrv in the iso which includes the mt7601 firmware.

[wimpy]

I do not have mt7601u in /lib/firmware although there is a lot of other stuff in that folder, which presumably came from the fdrv at bootup.
IPDATE The dilatory LxPupXenial16.08 installation, which has a 4.x kernel had acquired a mt7601u.bin in its /lib/firmware, presumably from the appropriate pet supplied. I copied that to the k4.12 (this one) and it is now running off the wireless usb. My thanks to everyone who helped.

[rcrsn51]

That's good news.

But it doesn't resolve the underlying problem - why Mick's change_kernels tool is so difficult to use in LxPup.

The solution cannot always be to churn out a newer kernel.