need Help
I installed freespire v1.0 on a Compac laptop with no problems. I was able to connect to the internet with out making any changes. I installed Freespire on an e-machine. Every thing went fine except I can not connect to the internet I have a link system card installed and a wireless card installed and it will not recognize either card All link system software is installed. Also I have it setup to dual boot with XP. When I boot into xp I can connect to the internet. Thanks JP

Freespire is pretty old and I am not sure if it is still supported. Can you download software using the package manager?

Regardless, you probably need drivers for your internet devices. First, we need the exact descriptions (make and model number). You can find this using "lspci" and "dmesg". (These are both commands entered in the terminal).

OR: The easiest solution my be a more modern and more mainstream distro. Chances are good that the necessary drivers are already there.

With a quick look at distrowatch.com, I found that Freespire is listed as "dormant". So, upgrading to a new distro might be the best bet.

But, I'm assuming you mean that you have a linksys card installed? If so, and it's one of the more common wired versions of that card, it should have had drivers for a long time. There is a version 2.0.8 version of freespire on their website which has a better shot of working than 1.0 since the 2.0.8 version is from 2007.

You said that the drivers are installed, try doing a modprobe (if possible) on the driver. Then do a dmesg to see if it caught anything.

But, as pixellany said, it's probably easier to upgrade to a more modern distro. I would recommend checking out www.distrowatch.com to see what makes sense for your system.