Networking :: It won't dial.

May I suggest that you take your machine to a service center and ask that a
hardware modem that will handle linux be installed. Have them get it running in
Windows XP. Then you can return home, and try out Damn Small Linux and see
if you can get connected. If the current version of DSL will not connect, then
you might want to add the Wvdial extension, and try that. Wvdial works very well
with all of my modems, that are not "winmodems", of course.
I have not had any luck with the ppp setup found in DSL versions 6x - 8x. An older version that can
be downloaded (by a friend with broadband) is 0.5.3.1. That version has wvdial
built in. Also, it might be possible to email John Andrews, and ask if he can make a CD for you with the Wvdial extension in the root of the CD. Perhaps a small fee would be added to the base cost of your DSL CD. I am not sure if he is
set up to handle custom requests like this, but he does have the regular versions
ready to ship.
You want to stick with Damn Small Linux, as they have the forum for support, and a wide range of mirrors to download the .iso file to make the CD.
It's possible to download that on a pen drive at a friend's where broadband is available, and then take that home and burn your own CD.
Unfortunately, Gateway and Dell computers come with winmodems, and they do not offer a "linux hardware modem" when they fill your online order for a Gateway or Dell. That's because of their connection with Microsoft, they get XP for less than $40.00 per machine, you would pay $300 in the store for XP Pro. So, you can really only have XP if it is preinstalled. Dell has very nice machines for under $600.00, but mine that I got (fully loaded) only runs DSL 0.6.2, not the newest 0.8.2. I have remastered 0.6.2, and am working with a
remaster of 0.8.2 now (running it right now), that has problems running on as many different machines as the DSL 0.6x versions. I have to use an external hardware modem with my Dell, but DSL 0.6x works very well. Right now, my Beta remaster of DSL 0.8.2 has Gimp, Opera, and Firefox, Wvdial.
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I run that on a dual-processor homemade machine in my computer room.
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To add those applications to your DSL, you need to follow the official DSL way of adding Extensions for each application you want to add to the base DSL. Search on the forums for help getting a custom DSL with extensions made.
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