Slackware 10, kde 3.2

I saw that Slack came with gkrellm, but I can't get the battery to show up. I have "enable battery" checked.

I looked for kbatt but I don't seem to have it.

Edit: so I got kbatt at http://kbatt.sourceforge.net, and followed the instructions, but I can't add it as an applet.. it's not in the menu.

Well, upon restart I can add it as an applet to the taskbar, but it says I have no APM support. (Maybe that's why it doesn't work in gkrellm?)

I googled a bit for enabling APM support and from what it looks like I have to update the kernel or something. I have no idea where to start.

Which kernel are you running?
If it's the default it's probably 2.4.xx, and is probably set up for apm.
Open a term and type:

lsmod

Do you see apm anywhere?
If not go su and type:

modprobe apm

If you get no complaints, check your batt meter.

If this works then edit /etc/rc.d/rc.modules.
Look for this section:

#### APM support ###
# APM is a BIOS specification for saving power using several different
# techniques. This is mostly useful for battery powered laptops.
#/sbin/modprobe apm

Change (uncomment) it to this:

#### APM support ###
# APM is a BIOS specification for saving power using several different
# techniques. This is mostly useful for battery powered laptops.
/sbin/modprobe apm

Reboot and see what gives.

Sorry, I abandoned this thread for awhile.. but.. I did everything you said, and the battery still doesnt show up in gkrellm, and kbatt always says I'm on AC power when I'm not..

anyone?

You didn't say which kernel you're running.
With the 2.4.xx kernel I have better luck using the stock
"barei" with APM uncommented in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules.

With the 2.6.xx kernel I had to build my own with ACPI functions built in.
I also had to append lilo with "ACPI=force".

Right after you boot do a "dmesg" and look for any errors.

I am experiencing similar issues with my attempt to get the battery bar working. After editing the /etc/rc.d/rc.modules file by uncommenting "/sbin/modprobe apm" and restarting, I got the same problem when I tried to install college linux. Essentially, it scrolls hex when attempting to boot and seems interminable. Prior to editing /ec/rc.d/modules i tried running "modprobe apm" in konsole (in kde) and my computer froze entirely. I couldn't even get to tty2 and kill the pid that resulted in my computer freezing. I have no idea where to start with this problem. Perhaps I am just looking for the solution in the wrong places. Be it direction to the pathway to help me solve my problem, or the fix for my problem, any help would be greatly appreciated. I am running Slackware 10 with kernel v2.4.26 on a dell inspiron 1000.
Thank you,
Jason