I went to http://support.linspire.com. There I found instructions telling me to go to Control Center > Network > Network Settings (which I'd already done numerous times) and click on Wireless > New Profile > name the profile > click Interface > and select the wireless card (only one card is listed and I don't know whether it's wireless).

The implication is that all this will "ungray" the Wireless Settings because it then says to enter the name of the wireless network in ESSID.

But it's all still grayed out!

By the way, I did learn from that site that what you refer to as a K Menu is known to me as the taskbar. (I only know Windows lingo.)

It also said that YaST means Yet another Setup Tool, or something like that. Unless somebody was just being cute. But I still can't find it, assuming that explanation is for real.

Do you think it's possible that I don't have a wireless card in my computer? It's an AMD Sempron 2400+.

In any case, I remain completely stumped.

Sorry, my bad. I was giving you the menu path for SUSE. I will correct my post so I do not confuse anyone else reading this thread. YaST does stand for Yet another Setup Tool. I forgot what Linspire named theirs. I will have to check, as I am not as familiar with their menus. (My son has it on his computer.) K-menu corresponds to the Windows start button. In Linspire, they call it the Launch button. (Linspire's desktop environment is based on KDE, and "K-menu" is what KDE calls the "Start" button.)

If you don't have a wireless card on your laptop, you cannot connect to a wireless network. It is like needing a radio to listen to a radio broadcast. I would suggest checking the literature that came with your laptop to see if it does have a wireless card. If it did not come with one, you would need to buy one and install it. The computer documentation should have the necessary information for this.

Go to the konsole (http://www.linspireguide.com/Console ) and type iwconfig and see what it tells you.

Sorry if I missed it, but you have a laptop? Was wireless supposed to preinstalled?

Here is another resource: "Anyone trying to install a wireless Card: http://forum.linspire.com/viewtopic.php?t=374053
-Cheers!

Thank you both, Cogar and chatan. Now that I know how to access the DOS-equivalent in Linspire I don't feel quite so helpless. The tutorials they have on there are nice, but apparently they are for REAL computer newbies because nothing is ever said about accessing anything but Control Center.

I went to Konsole and typed in iwconfig like you suggested, chatan, and it says I have NO wireless. So at least now I know why nothing was working!

Now I just need to know exactly WHICH wireless card to buy-- hopefully online, if anybody out there can tell me exactly what I need. (I'm on a budget, so no bells or whistles.)

If that doesn't work out for some reason, is there any way I can network my Linspire machine to my Windows machine in a WIRED configuration, or is that impossible when they don't have compatible OS's?

Thanks for all the help! I'm learning more every day!

I'm no wireless expert, but see this link: http://www.linspireguide.com/hardware and search around the forums (here and Linspire forums and Linspire FAQs). Linux compatibility with wireless seems difficult, but not impossible. The big thing seem to be pay attention to version numbers in addition to model numbers, and realize buying compatible card can be a moving target. Note: "It is always better to have buy from a store with a good return policy."

Networking hardwired between Windows and Linspire is pretty easy with some limitations (linux can't [reliably] write to NTFS file systems). Please look up some FAQ at linspire.com, they should be fairly detailed (they were for me, as I remember).
- Cheers and Good Luck!