I downloaded firefox from mozilla.org, ran the installer, and it seemed to be working fine. But whenever I change my preferences, I can't click ok to close the dialog box. I click ok, and nothing happens. So I can't change my homepage :/

My second problem happens in all browsers, Konquerer, Epiphany, and FireFox. My linux box is a laptop box connected by crossover cable to a windows box that is connected to my dsl modem. For some reason most websites are visitable on my linux box except slashdot.org and freshmeat.net. They either get stuck redirecting or waiting for reply (oddly if I go to slashdot.org it says redirecting to slashdot.org, wtf?). I have no idea why. They are accessable on the windows box, just not the linux one. I realize this might have to do with how the windows box is configured but I've tried a bunch of settings, turning on/off firewall, etc. with no luck. I'm wondering if this is because my computer isn't running some service or other (I got kicked from an IRC channel for not having oidentd for instance).

Any ideas?

*bump*

(holy #@$! stuff disappears on this forum fast)

I really wish I knew, but can I suggest saving up for and buying a router? I appreciate that you've set this up to save some cash, but really a router will do a much better job.

If you can't afford a router, maybe you could build one yourself, just find an old 486 and two ethernet cards and install IPCop on it.

It'll save you a lot of hassle and problems like this. If you do figure out how to fix this problem, please post back!

Good luck

Steve

I would bet it is a problem in the configs of the windows and linux networking. I have a very similiar set up, where my computer is used as a router for other computers.

Have the dsl in one network card, get your address through dhcp or static, whatever. Make sure internet connection sharing is enabled, it is the advanced tab after right-clicking on the connection and chosing properties. I would think that is enabled to have any internet connection.

Set static IPs on the windows box 2nd card, and a similiar address on the linux machine. (192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2 are both fine, or whatever you want that is private, 192.168, 172.16 or less, 169.254, 10. etc)

On the config of the windows 2nd card, give it just an IP, and a subnet. Do not give it any gateway, and do not give it dns IPs. Type ipconfig /all at the command prompt, and write down the IPs of the DNS servers. On the linux box, give it another private IP, the same subnet as the windows, give the windows private IP as the gateway, and put the DNS servers info in. Then a crossover cable between the boxes should be fine.

The redirect might be a DNS issue, and that is most likely where your problem is - the windows box isn't set to relay the DNS requests at present, or you configured the DNS on the linux box to be done by windows, but windows isn't configured to be a DNS box, so the linux asks "where is slashdot.org, and windows says "how the hell should I know".

Peace,
Jim

Hmm.. no idea why I never thought to build a router out of an older machine. That's actually a good idea, although it doesn't help me in the short term.

If it was a DNS problem though, wouldn't all websites not work? Going to google.com and linuxquestions.org works just fine. No DNS problems whatsoever. Also, trying to go to the ip for slashdot doesn't work either.

Update: Interestingly, although the windows box can access slashdot, when it tries to ping slashdot it says "Destination port unreachable."

Update2: ACK! Somehow I made it worse. Now during startup it can't bring up eth0 interface and I have no net access. No idea how the hell I did that.

This is a bug in Firefox apparently. not sure exactly what the deal is, but if you instead go to a webpage, then
open preferences and select use current page then select OK it works, or at least it did for me.

You could also edit the config file yourself /username/.mozilla/firefox/prefs.js I believe it is.

I can confirm I've had the same trouble with Firefox not allowing you to hit OK to save preferences if you have manually typed in a new homepage. You must browse to the home page and then open preferences and choose "use current.' This is one hell of a big bug for a product that's approaching a 1.0 release, and I know the bug has been there for quite awhile now.