After using Wicd for a while, I can't but see it as a far superior to what's shipped with 14.2.
You are not the only one. "NetworkManager" is just another RedHat crap Why am I NOT surprised! Everything that emanates from that company is tainted and turdified.

What I do is to install Salix in ...

I don't think that's the solution here (wireless rather than ethernet).

But I'd repeat the suggestion: first thing to try if you have network problems in 14.2 is probably switching to Wicd. It may not solve the issue, but in many cases it does, and it is simple to try.

After using Wicd for a ...

EPILOGUE

I decided to download the .iso image of Salix 14.2 Xfce (x86), write to a USB stick, and just nuke my old installation.

I tried that by following the link in the Firefox settings, but that link lead nowhere. I am not saying there is no way to add this add-on, but there was no way for me to discover it. The changing of search engines via clicking on the magnifying glass is, of course, trivial and well known. Even to ...

I solved the problem by installing Wicd from the repositories
slapt-get --update
slapt-get -i wicd

and then I stopped the networkmanager and started wicd

service stop networkmanager
service start wicd

This solution was suggested to me by mimosa. Thank you very much!

I would kindly suggest to ...

I decided to install Salix 14.2 (Xfce 32 bit) from scratch. All WiFi networks have been detected, but every time I type in the password for my WiFi network, nothing happens. But in Salix 14.1, the WiFi worked flawlessly!

For the record, the security is WPA2-PSK I am not given the option of ...

I will do as you say, but will I have trouble running spkg -d udev without network? EDIT: apparently not - I'm running the command in the chroot as we "speak".

EDIT2: aaaaaand... it's stuck at the same place after reboot.

I'm guessing that you missed something in the HOWTO. Probably the obsolete packages section and now it tries to load the obsolete udev? You could try to fix it by accessing your installation through a chroot I guess.

You are right, I missed that.
How do I access my installation through chroot? It ...

In the headline you write Salix 14. 2 , but in the text Salix 14. 1 . Which version is it now? Version 14.2, I think.
Yes, I upgraded from 14.1 to 14.2. I went back to read my post, and I am pretty clear that I installed 14.1 and then tried to upgrade.

Are you using Salix(64) Xfce 14.2 DVD ISO ...

The only thing it seems to respond to, is Ctrl-Alt-Del. That's the only interaction I have with the machine - I can reboot it when it hangs at "Starting system message bus". This is very sad.