Hello:

Yes, I would say so.

I'm afraid that you are not giving us enough information.

That said, something does seem to be amiss.

To wit:
My latest (recently updated) Devuan Daedalus system has a /lib/modules/6.1.0-45 directory.

$ uname -a
Linux devuan 6.1.0-45-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.170-1 (2026-04-30) x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ 
$ ls /lib/modules
6.1.0-45-amd64
$ 

A VM I run on an updated Devuan Chimaera system has a /lib/modules/5.10.0-9 directory

$ uname -a
Linux chimaera 5.10.0-9-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 5.10.70-1 (2021-09-30) x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ 
$ ls /lib/modules
5.10.0-9-amd64
$

See the inconsistency?
ie:
Daedalus -> 6.1.0-45-amd64
Chimaera -> 5.10.0-9-amd64

What package are you attempting to install in your Devuan Daedalus system?
Is it from the Devuan repositories and installed through synaptic, apt or apt-get?

Best,

A.

Hello:

Note that it is available but (presently) not for excalibur.

In all probability, because it is not (presently) listed in the Debian Trixie repository:

Maybe they are looking for a way to make it dependent on systemd. 8^D

Best,

A.

Hello:

Could be.

Seems that it does not like me either.  8^°

At least using Firefox 128.3.1esr and Firefox 148.0-1 to visit.
But not with PaleMoon 33.2.1

I'll sleep on it.

A.

Hello:

@Elyon ...

This: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Best,

A.

Hello:

Update:
As a last resort, I joined and signed in to 'HP Support' to 'start a conversation' to see if I could get some information regarding this issue.

What followed was an exchange with a Jerry_57, apparently an HP employee but most probably not a human one.
I say apparently because it was like speaking to a wall.

Not too surprised though.
Some years ago I had a similar experience with Intel regarding the on-board 82566DM-2 Gigabit controller which (yes, same issue) could not be disabled in any way.

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard must be turning in their graves.

Best,

A.

Hello:

It matters because it is broadcasting and I do not want it to.

I do not have wifi enabled in my fibre router or in any of my boxes, netbook, RPi or cellphones.

Best,

A.

Hello:

You're welcome.
It was more a recommendation than anything else.

I cannot opine on all that.

All I can say is that every time I have come across the string btrfs it is usually associated with a problem.
Not all solvable, many fatal.

As an example, see this thread from a couple of years ago: https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=5631

I'll answer your questions by expressing my point of view* with respect to using filesystems other than the one Devuan uses by default.
* which does not imply or pretend any wisdom on my behalf. 8^°

To wit:

Choosing anything other than the default Devuan ext4 filesystem implies that you are absolutely sure that you have a use case that really justifies your doing so, a second implication being that you are sufficiently versed in the options being considered.
This (quite obviously) also applies to choosing any init package other than the default Devuan sysvinit, something of a trend in the last few years.

From where I see it, keeping the default options is a basic part of the KISS principle.
ie: if it works as advertised / needed, is adequately supported and has not given you any grief, use the default.

In my case as a 100% Linux user for the last 14 years (the last 8 or so with Devuan), I have never (ever) had any isssues with sysvinit or ext4.

As always, just my $0.02.
YMMV.

That said and assuming that you have all your data and configurations properly backed up, I'd say that you may want to consider getting rid of btrfs and proceed to format whatever disk arrangement you have to ext4.
ie: all the drives, no mixing filesystems.

Best,

A.

Hello:

Yes, but I did get the files.

This, as it usually happens, was a tipical pebkac.
The instructions were clear albeit not for me.

To wit:

But the 'folder structure' I ended up with was different:

~/Downloads/hp_m2020w_utils/cdroot/Linux/wirelesssetup/bin64$ ls -1
libnetsnmp.so.10.0.2
libqt-mt.so.3.0.5
libstdc++.so.5.0.7
wirelesssetup
~/Downloads/hp_m2020w_utils/cdroot/Linux/wirelesssetup/bin64$ 

I assumed that as the post was over three years old, the files in my forder structure were fine as the major versions were the same.

It did not occurr to me that I was to 'copy as' as in 'rename' to instead of doing a 'textual' copy.
Granted, the instructions could have been more explicit.

Once I had the files renamed, the application came up but unfortunately it does not have a wireless on/off switch for the printer.

The only thing it is good for is filling out the printer's wireless settings, something I cannot do unless I set up wireless in my box and actually establish a connection with the printer, so no USB connection for that.

I wonder how much it would have cost HP to add small SPST micro switch somewhere under the printer's chassis?
Maybe US$0.20?

The OP's title "change M2020 printer WiFi configuration using USB" ended up being rather misleading.
Or not: maybe 'configuration' does not include turning wireless on/off.  8^°

Thank you very much for your input.

Best,

A.

Hello:

HP?
Samsung?
Neither of them.
Long ago I trusted HP.
It was another life, another HP and I was only 23.

That I have done so for the longest time.

But a few years ago, needing a relatively decent B&W printer in very short order and without much money to spare, I went for a new M2020W with quite a hefty discount on the regular over the counter price due to it being the last one in a shop about to close.
ie: I needed a printer that same day and the shop needed the cash which, when all was said and done, was (iirc) less than US$40.

I did not expect it to last past the job I was undertaking but here it is.
But as I did not trust HP, I never used it wirelessly, connected it to the web or updated any code.
Just plain USB.

Makes sense?

Best,

A.

Hello:

Indeed ... 8^°

That was it.
lxpolkit was not present so I installed it and set it up as required in Applications -> Settings -> Session and startup.
Now everything works as it should, disks and gparted wise.

Thanks for your input (both you and all those who pitched in).
Much obliged.

Best,

A.

Hello:

$ pkexec --disable-internal-agent '/usr/sbin/gparted'
Error executing command as another user: No authentication agent found.
$ 

Best,

A.