AJB2K3 wrote:usefulf tip for xp/linux - DON'T USE USB DSL i have found that usb dsl modems ar to much trouble. your best bet is to get an ETHERNET modem as thell be much better and you wont need ICS for more then 1 computer/gamesconsol to go online.
Well, for part of that, I'm inclined to disagree. The USB modems seem to work well for XP. Mine did, and that was about 3 years ago - but it was a total PITA/SOB to configure for a linux install - even though the mandrake I installed then (8.2) was supposed to have support for it (apparently it had been fine under 8.1, but was broken under the 8.2).
But I'll tell you what did used to aggrovate the hell out of me, and that was the nonsense of it dropping the connection when booting between windows and linux, and the interminable wait for it to re-sync.
It was an alcaltel speedtouch USB (the one that looked like a turquoize cow turd). The only good thing was that when I used to read the posts about people finding/getting the microcode for it, to make it work, I was fully aware that you could go into the windows app that came with it, copy and rename it on a floppy and install it that way.
As I say, it was the wait, that caused me to pay a timely visit to
http://www.adslguide.org.uk/ and use their excellent site to find the best ethernet option and a quick visit to that bastion of quality hardware </sarcasm> also known as PC World
to pick up the tenners worth of network card.
The only annoyance, is that now the swines seem to be knocking out pc's as network ready!
Apart from that, yes yes yes. Ethernet does really seem the way to go if you want to have the choice of OS
Just my couple of pence worth!
Salaams.
John
"What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away". Tom Waits
