Don't have DSL or Cable in our area. Using dial up with Best Data 56k external serial
hardware modem (says Linux compatible on box) on COM 1 . Has been configured in Kppp. Was
originally instructed by tech support to open minicom which I did not even know was
not installed. Installed it, then found out Kppp is the KDE interface to minicom.
Modem answers query so I assume it is installed. Anyway...... I already have wmconnect
ISP account (AOL knockoff). It works fine and is cheap. Now trying it from
Mandrake 10.0 and I hear the modem dial then "handshake" then quiet like it is trying to
connect,then error..."pppd daemon has unexpectedly died error 16". This means the modem hung up.
Maybe it means the ISP modem hung up ?
Anyway, I have tried minicom commands and all configuration combinations in Kppp..no luck.
I have also been to linmodem and winmodem sites...no luck. The modem works in Windows.
I called my ISP. They claim their software is not Linux compatible
and therefore I cannot use their service. I explained that I dont need their browser, but
tech still thinks it is incompatible. Is this true? Do I have to use Linux compatible ISP?
Am very new to Linux and would like to get online before trying all kinds of hairy modem
commands. Please offer GUI solutions as well as CL.
Any ideas?

You may find some details why kppp failed in /var/log/messages.

You may also try an other dialer: wvdial instead of kppp.
Edit file /etc/wvdial.conf to setup your connection data (modem device, ISP's phone No, username, password, etc...; s3ee man wvdial and man wvdial.conf)
Once your wvdial.conf is setup, you can dial in from konsole like this:
wvdial<ENTER>

While dialing, wvdial will show you some messages on how it proceeds, so you can debug the problem.

As for Microsoft specific ISPs: I have been using four ISPs providing dial up services here, and none of them were Microsoft specific. I do not know if there are Microsoft specific ISPs at all. I rather suspect that your ISP employs lame support personnel.

I am also of the same opinion about your ISP people. Mine simply tell me they do not support Linux.
looks like you're using Mandrake 10 and I am not. I am using FC#. However, maybe I
can either help or confuse you further.
I still get that message about the kppd dying unexpectedly.
Can you see the messages in the box while kppp is trying to connect.
such as dialing, registering your computer on the network and etc...?
bring up kppp. do you have the account name, user name and password in the boxes?
select configure,accounts, edit and go to login script. I had to add,
expect ogin
send (put your user name here)
expect ssword
send (put your password here)
I would think that if you used your own browser rather than theirs, it would be better. although I have never used something like AOL.
after adding those login scripts my connect reliability has become like 99 percent. Once in a while it bombs like you described.
mostly, the configuration wizard picks up everything automatically.
I seem to remember that in Mozilla I had to enable both java and javascript before it would load the websites.

AOL/wmconnect are linux incompatable.the solution i used was to change to a local isp.
there are programs that allow linux connections to AOL,but i never had any luck with them(probably due to being a linux n00b). http://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/LinuxTutorialAOL.html .......here's a tutorial on using peng to connect.

here is another guide that may help even more

Let me try that again. here is another guide that may help
http://www.linuxhelp.net/guides/

One more thing on this,

I use Netscape internet which is also an AOL knockoff. The key is using the correct username. They issue you a user name in the form "nsFirstnameLastname ". The windows netscape dialer software appends "@netscape.aol.com" to the user name and sends that for authentication. So, all I do is enter the full username on my linux box: ie. "nsJohnDoe@netscape.aol.com".

Hope this helps.

Tj