Back to your modem problem.
I would disable the modem in the bias as GlennsPref said. The last time I set up a modem for a Linux customer (Internal Modem bought from newegg) I had to do a urpmi setserial and then in Mandrake Control center under hardware detection select options and then auto detect modems then reboot. This is one of the thing I had to do to get it to recognize the modem I was setting up. As for kppp their is a manual configuration setting in order to set up other ISP's.

Oh and by the way my customer said the modem seamed to load pages faster in Mandrake Linux than in Windows.

Just ignore Caeda he's too biased to give any help and sound like it trying to start trouble.

This is really an unfair criticisim when it comes to hardware issues. Microsoft is so big and so powerful that OEMs have to pay attention to them, but they don't have to pay attention to us (Linux desktop users) very much. Luckily we have a few companies that stick up for us (IBM, Novel, etc.).

So, what is it that Microsoft does right? Is it that they use their power to keep companies, business, educational institutions, OEMs, and government agencies afraid of embracing Linux and the open source movement? Ever heard of FUD?

Open source is important, and so is open hardware--you should look into it.

http://opencollector.org/Whyfree/
http://www.open-hardware.org/

Ouch!


Educate not critisize, Be positively helpfull if you can, If you only have negative things to say, don't say it.

Lead by example, that's all I try to do.

Negativity confuses the issues, and people will begin to disregard everything you say.

None of us really want that. [edit] especially in the oss, and gpu, linux

Peace.

Well: I've readied the Mandrake disk set to go the way of all my previous distro's, which is into the bin (though I'll take a look at this "kppp" thing first, you never know).

Please try KPPP first.

I know it may seem hard, especially since this thread has degenerated into a slanging match.

Thankyou vey much Caeda. You have made it very hard to try and help this fellow. and now he may go away from linux forever, disillusioned with what is probably not a problem at all. When he goes and tries some other flavour only to find that the install and setup is harder than mandrakes!

Now back to the original question

1) you don't have to disable anything in the bios

2) Yor external modem doesn't need to be detected as such because it doesn't need a software driver. It just talks to the computer using standard language (external modems are hardware modems, not software modems like the internal PCI ones)

3) therefore there is no CONFIG or DETECTION problem because you set the modem up ( and by this i mean tell KPPP where the modem is!......it gives you a choice via a drop down box) when you set your internet account details up on your computer using KPPP

I am sure that if you just set your account up using KPPP everything will be fine.

You have to this in windows anyway. Don't tell me that windows knows your ISP details?

Setting up KPPP is just like setting up your internet in windows

For your modem, onder the DEVICE section where it says, Modem Device, choose: .... /dev/ttyS0........Unless your modem is connected to a USB port, in which case choose one of the USB options

Where it says, Flow Control, choose:......Hardware[CRTSCTS]

The rest of course are your own personal ISP details and you will know them so you should be OK.

If you get stuck just ask

Cheers

I had the same problem you (the creator of this thread) have. I was stumped for weeks and was about to give up when I installed my hardware modem under KPPP. If you go through the "internet" setup in Mandrake Control Center, it asks for one of the CDs, installs KPPP, and then what I did was place KPPP in the taskbar so I wouldn't have to go through the menu every time

(when the select your provider screen comes up, just don't select any provider at all and then plug in your internet connection)