I have newly installed Debian but when I click on the dialout tool nothing happens...no error message or message saying you need to configure or anything.
The login screen won't let me log in as root and I can't find kuser. The Find files utility crashes if I try to search above my home folder (I was looking for Kuser).
Why has this happened? It can't be like this for all new users surely!
Perhaps someone can can give me some pointers, please?

Sandy

You change to root by typing su at the command line and entering the root password. I think almost every debian install includes the command pppconfig, which should help you configure your dialup connection. Then you can use pon to dialout and poff to end the dialup session.

If you did a base install, kuser and kppp might not be installed yet. No matter though, just go to a command line and change to root. Then type apt-get install kuser kppp and they both should be installed, as well as any dependencies. If you have problems, post your /etc/apt/sources.list here and we'll help you add the CD you used to install (I presume that's what you did since you have dialup and don't have access).

Also, one last note, what kind of modem is it? Is it internal to your machine? Is it a desktop or a laptop? Modems are one of the tricky things in linux because most of them that come with computers are internal "software" modems. Drivers are usually only written for windows (although some linux programmers have managed to write some that work for some models on linux). Usually, if you're on dialup, it's worth spending the $15 US on an external hardware modem (these will plug into your serial port on the back of your machine, stay away from USB). Hardware modems have chipsets onboard to do all the processing, so linux can just use standard serial calls to dialout.

By default root does not have person to run the xserver so you are unable to login to root from kdm or gdm.

Do as the previous poster said and use su or kdesu <application>

Kuser is part of the kdeadmin package set and kpp is part of kdenetwork.

apt-get install kdenetwork kdeadmin

Well thanks very much for all of that advice both posters. I'll print out your posts and get at it.
The modem is fine...an internal hardware (US Robotics). I am using it right now on SuSe.
One really newbie question...if I log in on a console as root (su password) does that mean if I minimize the console and do something in the graphical stuff I am still root? I thought it only applied to the command line.

That's right. That's why Michael_aust recommended installing kdeadmin package. That should give you the kdesu command that will let you run gui stuff as root.

Apt-get tells me that kppp is already installed. Clicking on it tells me that the executable can't be found.

pon dialled out instantly and I got Mozilla (no Firefox?) and Kmail set up and working with no problem.

That's fine but I'd rather have a little symbol in the system tray telling me that I am connected not poss without kppp I suppose?

You can see if something like KNemo would work. It's supposed to be a system tray icon for KDE that tells you about network interfaces.

Or maybe one of these:
http://rootprompt.org/article.php3?article=8294
http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=13972

Entering pon now says 'Only members of the group dip may use this command'. So I went to Kusers and made myself a member of the group dip but I get the same response.
The command works as root so it must be permissions again.
I have had it, thankyou for all your help but if absolute fundamentals are taking me hours of experimentation then I will just stick with SuSe. After all I can learn command line stuff there too.
Thanks again,
Sandy