hi there.
I recently receieved the pc which is to be be my first linux pc, and downloaded a debian sarge netinst disk.

Having alook around inside the box with google, the manual, and a pencil handy, i think i've sussed that it has no ethernet card. It does however have a connected rj45 on the back - so q1: is that ethnet?

Anyway, i thought that this might preclude the netinst, but plugged in a usb modem and booted the pc with the sarge netinst I'd burned off.
It all seemed to go along lovely except that the modem wasn't detected, so - no netinst.

Q2: what should i do now? I got to the installation stage that asks for PPP.
I'm tempted to forgoe netinst and burn as many cd-roms as neccasery. However (q3) Will there be any conflict between the bits already installed from the single cd and 'the rest' is i tried that?

Debian didn't seem to have any problem with the sata drive, which is what i expected to be awkward, but i only have a usb modem.

Any advice on any of the above points would be greatly appreciated; so close now, yet so far away!

Howard

the winxp on the other box is quivering now...

Some suggestions"

• In my opinion the best solution is to download 2-3 CD iso's in order to get most of packages on Disks you may need for further setup.
  Then perform ordinary installation from CDs.
• Another solution,
  If you have Ethernet cards on both computers (2nd XP Box) and Cross X cable and your XP is connect to internet and you can setup on XP little home LAN (very simple wizard in XP) then you can go for NetInst.
• You can also download 1 CD iso that allready gives you ready to run system with Gnome. Then you can setup/download all you need.

Good luck

ok thanks, I'm DLing the second installation iso.
I'll probably be back, but i'm getting into this now.

Howard

How can you have an RJ45 connected in the back an no ethernet card? Is it still possible these days to buy a PC with no ethernet? I installed Debian Sarge recently with netinst and it automagically detected IP, DNS and all that is needed. It worked like a charm.

A silly question, just to get it out of the way: you do have broadband access, right?

Next question: Are we talking about a desktop or a laptop?

It does not detect ALL ethernet cards, unfortunately. It did not on two PCs of mine whereas the etehernet card on the
newest computer was.

To know which cards are detected , it is safer to check on the Libranet site (same list as on Debian installer)

If it's built into the motherboard.

hi there,
I It has an rj45 that connects to the motherboard. Forgive, me i was being stupid. Its an integrated one.

howard

Yes we have broadband. Its a desktop pc.
I seem to have cracked it though, with cds.

howard