Debian Etch, 2511CD pc card(s), no PRI f/w?-doubtful, need help

[bk]

I've been searching/trying/failing to get my 2511CD pc cards working
with Hostap.  I have attached info/terminal output below.
I really would like to get the cards running with Hostap.

my Debian Linux laptop:
Debian etch on ancient 366mHz laptop
Debian stock kernel 2.6.18-6-686 (2.6.18.dfsg.1-18etch1)
I have removed pcmcia-cs.
Pcmciautils and discover(libdiscover2) are installed.

I think my pcmcia is working as I have a linksys (pcmlm56) 10/100
 ethernet card that works fine...but I am still suspicious.

I tried with two separate wireless cards
(both senao/intersil 2511CD pc cards, prism 2.5)

Card1:
----------------
was purchased new and had worked with Debian etch/Hostap
on a different laptop, but I remember
having to select an older kernel version in grub
for the card to work on said laptop.

In its previous OEM flashed state (1.1.0 PRI, 1.4.9 STA), 
produced the same (now non-working) result below.

I recently flashed using WinUpdate-0-5-1-0.exe, pk010101.hex and
 sf010802.hex

so card1 now has 1.1.1 primary firmware, 1.8.2 secondary
-----------------

card2 
-----------------
(has been flashed but not by me) has 1.1.1 primary firmware,
 1.7.4 secondary
-----------------


Both cards work (on same laptop) running:
---------------
windoze
DSL Linux 4.2.5 (live cd) / Orinoco
Linux (other live cd) / wlan-ng
---------------

Both cards fail running:
---------------
Debian Linux (described above / hd install) / Orinoco:
-eth0: Cannot read hardware identity: error -110
-eth0: Incompatable firmware, aborting
-orinoco_cs: register_netdev() failed

Debian Linux (described above / hd install) / Hostap:
-various output below
---------------

All outputs below are from Debian Linux box / Hostap.
(I get the same results for both cards)
---------------------------
---------------------------
pccardctl info

PRODID_1="INTERSIL"
PRODID_2="HFA384x/IEEE"
PRODID_3="Version 01.02"
PRODID_4=""
MANFID=0156,0002
FUNCID=6
PRODID_1=""
PRODID_2=""
PRODID_3=""
PRODID_4=""
MANFID=0000,0000
FUNCID=255

--------------------
pccardctl ident

Socket 0:
  product info: "INTERSIL", "HFA384x/IEEE", "Version 01.02", ""
  manfid: 0x0156, 0x0002
  function: 6 (network)
Socket 1:
  no product info available

--------------------
/proc/net/hostap/wlan0/debug

next_txfid=0 next_alloc=0
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FID: tx=0000 intransmit=0000
FW TX rate control: 0
beacon_int=100
dtim_period=1
wds_max_connections=16
dev_enabled=0
sw_tick_stuck=0
pri_only=0
pci=0
sram_type=16
no_pri=1

--------------------------------
clipped dmesg output follows:

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'
hostap_cs: 0.4.4-kernel (Jouni Malinen <jkmaline at cc.hut.fi>)
pccard: PCMCIA card inserted into slot 0
pcmcia: registering new device pcmcia0.0
hostap_cs: setting Vcc=33 (constant)
Checking CFTABLE_ENTRY 0x01 (default 0x01)
IO window settings: cfg->io.nwin=1 dflt.io.nwin=1
io->flags = 0x0046, io.base=0x0000, len=64
hostap_cs: Registered netdevice wifi0
hostap_cs: index 0x01: , irq 3, io 0x0100-0x013f
wifi0: init command completed too quickly - retrying
hostap_cs: assuming no Primary image in flash - card initialization not completed
wifi0: test Genesis mode with HCR 0x1f
prism2_pccard_cor_sreset: original COR 41
prism2_pccard_genesis_sreset: original COR 41
Readback test failed, HCR 0x1f write 00 e1 a1 ff read 00 01 a1 01
wifi0: test Genesis mode with HCR 0x0f
prism2_pccard_cor_sreset: original COR 41
prism2_pccard_genesis_sreset: original COR 41
Readback test succeeded, HCR 0x0f
prism2_pccard_genesis_sreset: original COR 41
wifi0: registered netdevice wlan0
wlan0: cannot get RID fdc6 (len=12) - no PRI f/w
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w
prism2: wlan0: operating mode changed 3 -> 2
wlan0: cannot set RID fc00 (len=2) - no PRI f/w
wlan0: cannot get RID fdc6 (len=12) - no PRI f/w
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w
wlan0: cannot set RID fc02 (len=34) - no PRI f/w
wifi0: cannot get RID fc28 (len=2) - no PRI f/w
Could not read current WEP flags.
wifi0: encryption setup failed
wlan0: set_encryption failed
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w
NET: Registered protocol family 10
lo: Disabled Privacy Extensions
IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling driver
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w
wlan0: could not set interface UP - no PRI f/w

-----------------------

any ideas?


Thank you