I am still having trouble getting internet access on my Broadband USB Modem on Backtrack 4. Maybe i should switch distros? I have been working for 2 days trying to figure out how to get this USB modem to work i have already dont the switch mode but dosent seem to be working. I also have a Belkin Wireless G USB Network Adaptor and cant get it to work either.

Chris Hrobak

What have you done and in what way does it not work?

What kind - when it is plugged it, what does lsusb tell you about it? What comes up in dmesg?

Which one? Though it is usually better to troubleshoot one device at a time. Pick one.

Backtrack is a security/penetration distro - something of a crackers tool.
Changing to a more general distro would be recommended unless you are a security professional.

Your other post is also about your modem. In that post you reveal that your distro is not recognising anything plugged into USB ports - if so, then there is no reason to expect any usb device to work.

To be sure, check lsusb and dmesg output after the device you are testing is plugged in.

Backtrack 4 uses the 2.6.34 kernel, which aught to be hotplug-capable. That does not mean the devs have enabled that feature. Other backtrack installation type posts suggest that it should automount usb devices plugged in - try with a flash drive as well, booting with the device already plugged in.

Looking further - the cricket A600 I find comes with a built-in flash card reader. I expect linux to see it as a UMS device ani you have to tell it otherwise in a process called "flipping".
http://forums.opensuse.org/get-help-...m-install.html

Please don't start new threads on the same basic problem. Because this one has a reply, I'll close the other.

Use Jolicloud OS. Just plug in your Cricket BB modem and you're online! plug it in before you boot up Joilcloud, that works best. And Jolicloud can be run live if you use netbootin to load it to a flash drive.

It is quite possible that any distro would be better than the Backtrack OP has installed.

When suggesting an alternative, it is too tempting to advocate for your favorite - risking a distro-war. It is usually more useful to make sure that the distro suggested is specifically (and uniquely) relevant to the problem to hand.

Jolicloud is a variant of Ubuntu UNR - do you have information that OP is using a netbook? Does Jolicloud do anything special, with regard to this problem, the others do not?

We should probably try not to draw any conclusions from the observation that OP vanished right after being questioned about his use of a cracking tool. Without answers to the questions in post #2 it is unlikely that we can produce a useful answer.

I thought one of the functions of this forum was for people to help each other solve Linux problems. To offer suggestions and advice, and to tell others about something that worked for you. I must have had the wrong idea about this forum. Also, Larry Niven is a good sci-fi writer. I read some of his books about 30 years ago. Have a great day, Guru.

1 members found this post helpful.

You are correct, don't worry - it is also a place for asking questions and making observations about the advice given: which is what I did about yours and you are doing now about mine. It improves the usefulness of these forums (fora?) if the answers supplied apply to the situation described, otherwise we risk frustrating other people who google here in a few months all hopeful and keen only to find the answer does not relate to the question all that well. One of the ways to improve an answer is to discuss it.

You were not out of line though - OP did ask if another distro was better for him and you suggested one. Maybe a netbook distro would be better than backtrack even if he does not have a netbook? I was more interested to see if you knew how jolicloud manages OPs problem so well, then the answer becomes generally useful to everybody and you'd have taught me something

Glad to see you look at the links and sigs.

Have you seen this thread? It will help you understand what us gurus are trying to do.

Backtrack may be one of the worst choices unless you are somewhat talented in linux based on my use with it. I am pretty sure it can't be called a newbie distro.

The OP is welcome to choose the path they want. I feel positive that backtrack could be used and Simon can help but if all they want to do is use linux with that device maybe we ought to ask that question back.

What exactly would a common user do with backtrack?

ChrisHrobak, are you tied to backtrack for some reason or do you simply wish to use linux online?