OK in Fedora 8 I could open the add remove software thingy and it did not need to access the internet. In F9 it refuses to work unless it can access the net, and even then its not working. Where has the old add remove software thing gone, I am very stuck.

Thanks in advance

The "add remove software thingy" is typically called the package manager. There is a command-line version and (usually) a GUI front end.

Regardless of which package manager you use, there is a configuration setting to tell it which sources to use for getting/updating your SW.

If the package manager "refuses to work" without a connection, then that might mean that the only source is an address on the net.

WITH a connection, you say "even then its not working". What exactly is not working?? The first thing to look at is the settings for SW sources--AKA repositories.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Its the package manager, something radical has changed, it insists on checking the net every time I click on a package group, and you cannot just pick which packages you want removed and let it do them all at once like th one in fed 8. It insists on doing each one at a time. I think fed 8 uses PUP and this looks like somehting new, absolute crap..

I am trying to install a leigthweight version of fedora 9 on an old 512mb 1.7 celeron with 20gb. Its running sooooooo slowly. This new package manager sucks, I cannot get it to just refer to the dvd it still always insists on referring to the net, bloody linux is a pain in the backside. I'll try Fed 8, but on this machine I was runnign windows xp, I wanted linux to make things a bit more leightweight so the kids would enjoy using it. So far its taken about 3 days to sort out and its driving me mad. I'm not that much of a newbie, I have Fed 8 runnign headless as a kind of NAS on another machine, thats has raid and is speedy and trouble free..

Maybe there is another distro that is less bloated?

use yum form the terminal or install yumex