ipw2200 doesn't load firmware on battery-powered boot

["Alessandro Suardi" <alessandro.suardi@gmail.com>]

Dell Latitude D610, FC5, happens at least since 2.6.18-rc2 and
it's fully reproducable. Sorry for not reporting earlier but I've been
recently either on vacation or very busy...

Booting with AC always makes interface eth1 appear:

Aug  8 21:32:48 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless
2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.1.2kmpr
Aug  8 21:32:48 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel
Corporation
Aug  8 21:32:49 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless
2200BG Network Connection
Aug  8 21:32:49 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Detected geography ZZD (13
802.11bg channels, 0 802.11a channels)

Booting without AC always fails to load firmware:

Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless
2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.1.2kmpr
Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel
Corporation
Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless
2200BG Network Connection
Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: ipw2200-bss.fw
request_firmware failed: Reason -2
Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Unable to load firmware: -2
Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: failed to register network device
Aug  9 19:06:01 sandman kernel: ipw2200: probe of 0000:03:03.0 failed
with error -5

A post-boot modprobe -r ipw2200; modprobe ipw2200 makes eth1
appear even on battery power:

Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ieee80211: 802.11
data/management/control stack, git-1.1.13
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005
Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless
2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.1.2kmpr
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel
Corporation
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:03:03.0[A] ->
Link [LNKB] -> GSI 5 (level, low) -> IRQ 5
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless
2200BG Network Connection
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: ipw2200: Detected geography ZZD (13
802.11bg channels, 0 802.11a channels)
Aug  9 19:14:36 sandman kernel: eth1: NETDEV_TX_BUSY returned; driver
should report queue full via ieee_device->is_queue_full.

The above log snippets are from 2.6.18-rc4 kernels; full boot logs
from both cases attached.

Thanks,

--alessandro

"What's the name of the word for the precise moment when you
realize that you've actually forgotten how it felt to make love
to somebody you really liked a long time ago?"
"There isn't one."
"Oh. I thought maybe there was."
    (The Sandman, dialogue between Delirium and Dream)