Linux problems - I'm new to Linux (and frustrated)

[modmidget]

I've installed SuSE 9.1 and a non-winmodem on my PC. So far the sound card and monitor work OK & I think the printer may be working OK too. I went thru the Yast setup for my modem and ISP. SuSE tells me the modem is a MicroCom DeskPorte 56k voice modem (it's actually a Jaton 56k voice modem but the brand name probably doesn't matter). I've figured out how to turn on the screensaver, I've figured out how to import a jpg file and make it my desktop background, and I've played a couple of card games (solitaire). Thats as far as I've gotten.

The internet browser that came with SuSE is called Konqueror. When I click on it (the icon) the main screen comes up but thats it. If I type in a URL I get an error message (UNKNOWN HOST). Of course I get that message because the browser didn't even attempt to dial out to my ISP. So............ how the hell am I suppose to get this damn thing to dial out????? I went into Konqueror help but it doesn't give me a clue. It just says "once the connection is made, blah, blah, blah." It also says something about using KPPP????????? Whatever that is.

Please don't suggest that I install another web browser because I haven't figured out how to install additional programs yet. Besides, I don't have another browser to install.

[smurfy]

Welcome to the Free World modmidget.

I not sure what sort of Application Launch menu you get in KDE in SuSe9.1 (I'd have to boot up my Live CD version and I'm feeling a little lazy tonight )
Anyways, Konqueror (it's actually a pretty good browser but you will want to update to a mozilla/mozilla clone or Opera later) and any other web application will not automatically launch a dial-up connection in Linux. It's not a Windows feature I miss because I always disabled it in Windows anyway. IMHO, it's a security risk.

What you need to do is (as suggested) launch a PPP dialler application (like in Windows Dial-Up-Networking).

If you can't find KPPP on your apps menu (it may be under networking> or Internet> or similar) you can launch it from a terminal (Konsole) by typing kppp at the prompt.
Once it launches you can set up your ISP account. It has a wizard with some countries ISPs - mine does not have any US ones though, don know what your's will look like but the step by step mode is still pretty simple - name the ISP, dial-up number etc etc.

Once you've set it up hit connect and away you go.
I actually put a button on my Panel (like Quick Launch in Winows) to start KPPP and I also have an HP Internet keyboard with a connect button which I have bound to KPPP. Makes connecting a breeze.

[bAdWaYz]

dialup ewwww!

[modmidget]

OK, Smurfy, here's what I did and the results.

I clicked on the 'start' button and then 'run'. I typed in 'Konsole' and clicked on run. The console window popped up with 4 lines of messages displayed. All 4 lines say bash: /dev/null: Permission denied, then there is a line that says kjessee@linux:">. I typed in kppp, pressed enter and got this message: bash: kppp: command not found.

Now what????????

Thanks for the help so far.

[modmidget]

OK, I did some more digging around in SuSE. I found the dialer, it's called KInternet. It shows an icon of an electric plug in the status bar. I click on it, I see a small lightening bolt for about 5 seconds, then........nothing. It won't connect I checked the log and here's what it says:

pppd(0): AT Q0V1 E1 50=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
pppd(0): OK
pppd(0): ->Sending ATM1
pppd(0): ATM1
pppd(0): OK
pppd(o): ->Modem initialized
Then it does the ATDT routine, but then it reports NO DIALTONE

I'm thinking maybe I should use the modem for a frizzby. I can't get the damn thing to work in Win98 either. Win98 reports a conflict with COM3 or some such BS (resource already in use by another program). I had this same trouble several years ago when I tried to install a USRobotics non-windows modem in a Win95 machine. I spent a month getting the stupid thing to work.

Well........ now that I've had another 3 hours of fun? with Linux I think it's time to turn the PC off and watch an auto race on TV.

[smurfy]

Is that modem ISA or PCI?
I have a 56K rockwell ISA PNP modem and when I finally got off my butt and booted up my SuSe9.1 live CD (it's really slow as I only have 256mb RAM) I had problems with it as well. Didn't seem to matter if I pointed to /dev/modem or /dev/ttys1 (I know that where my modem is - the Mandrake9, RedHat7.1, Lycoris and Debian distros I run on this box use it just fine). Looks like the Live CD doesn't load the ISAPNP modules I have built into all my other systems.

Searching Suse support gave me this result:
http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/1999/1...pci_modem.html

Try installing the ISAPNP packages then (as root) run /sbin/pnpdump then /sbin/isapnp to write the isapnp.config file.

[modmidget]

My modem is an ISA. The brand name is Jaton, but it has the Rockwell chip set.

My PC has just 256 meg of memory also, and like you said, SuSE is sloooowwwwww.

I've printed off the SuSE link you gave me and will give it a try some time today (have to take my mom to an old timers picnic this morning).

[modmidget]

Smurfy, I ran the following commands from the link you gave me:

pnpdump -c > /etc/isapnp.conf
isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf

Here is results after I keyed the second command:

Board 1 has identity a9 00 00 00 01 62 02 73 4a: RSS0262 Serial No. 1 [checksum a9]

/etc/isapnp.conf:83 - - Fatal - IO range check attempted while device activated
/etc/isapnp.conf:83 - - Fatal - Error occurred executing request '<IORESCHECK> '

Looks to my like it didn't work............

Are these errors trying to tell me Com3 and/or IRQ7 are in use by something else? If so, I sure don't know what it could be. I have 2 PCI boards installed (Video and sound cards) and I have the ISA board installed.

By the way, this is an old AT motherboard and it's running Award BIOS.