According to the broadcom website (http://www.broadcom.com/support/ethe...rivers.php#tg3) the broadcom ethernet drivers are included in the linux kernel, but do not support older broadcom chipsets.
Can you please look at the physical Ethernet card or the computer manufacturer's specifications to figure out exactly what network card, including model number you have installed?

Boot a live CD. Knoppix is fine. I don't know if the Ubuntu CD is live or just an install kit.

When the live Linux CD is running you can run Linux commands without installing Linux on the hard drive.

I'm not sure which one I have I think it's about 3 years old though.

In that case I recommend listening to stress_junkie and downloading knoppix to run from the CD. After running the lscpi command you will be able to see if the drivers are supported, if they are supported but mis configured then you will have the hardware information for further troubleshooting.

Xandros worked perfectly for me. As a new user to linux I tried a dozen distros and the only one that worked on both my desk tops and laptop (dual boot) was Xandros. Did not require a single command line to install and it had a Firewall and Antivirus to boot. Very important was the ability to see all of my Windows drives and to use many of my old Windows programs.


Having a Linus OS up and running allowed me the time to study the OS.

Frank

All your problems will be the same for the most part. If you have greater success you will simply get lucky. I've been playing with many distros and I have found that so many of them are catching up to the accomplishments of Ubuntu. What I find that I dislike is the RPM based distros. It's not that I hate them, I just dislike them. I used Fedora for a long time and spent a great deal of time using SuSE. I've tried many others including the overly costly Mandriva (costly in the regards that if you pay the yearly fee in a matter of a couple of years you'll have paid more for it than if you were buying Windows outright).

Since Linux is essentially the same for every distro there are factors that make you decide which one to get. One of those is support. If you had problems with Ubuntu you might consider the fact that they use the same wireless pieces that most other distros have. If you are having problems with your wired network connection then you might consider that something is more awry than the distro and you shouldn't expect any one of them to work.

Ubuntu has nice user support. You might try the #ubuntu in IRC or even the ubuntuforums.org for questions and comments. There are plenty of people to help you.

So, don't randomly go asking for which starter distros are nice. Most are PROGRESSING to the point that they understand it is important to gain marketshare that they address the new user. Mandrive's spring one is a nice distro to look at but has issues. Ubuntu is good but it has its share of issues. Fedora 7 is nice but it also is having difficulties with hardware, upgrades, etc.

I'd say just choose one and stick to it instead of jumping around because you are under the false impression that doing so will yield better results for you overall. What you are willing to accept today as issues with one distro the issues that follow may end up being intolerable--or you'll look back and see you put up with more issues than the distro you were intolerant of at an earlier date.

Controlpanel;

I don't see where you told us:
1. What exactly was the issue in connecting?
2. What is your network setup?00eg do you have a router?, DSL? cable? dialup?
Do you have a static IP or DHCP?...etc.

As stress_junkie says, booting from a live CD will allow you to use Linux to discover and post information.
From Windows, something like the Belarc Advisor can give you good system information.

I booted into my Ubuntu 7.04 live/install CD and can see system information at System -> Preferences -> Hardware Information.

From the command line the "lshw" command gives the same information. (Again from the Ubuntu live/install CD)

The "ifconfig" command will tell you if your network is configured properly. With Ubuntu you want to run "sudo su -" in the terminal before using administrative commands.

Between the hardware information screens and the ifconfig information you should be able to see if your card is detected and your network configured properly.

If you have not seen it already, check out the Linux is not Windows website.

Good Luck.

I've been trying out numerous different linux-distros, since I migrated from Windows about three years ago. I'm no expert or anything like that - but I do have learned to know what to look for in a distro - as a typical "user".

Different distros all have their own strong and weak points/functionalities....... but, as a new linux-user - with the needs you specified - I would recommend these (in this order):

1) PCLinuxOS
- The only distro that impressed me right away (as I said - I've tried numerous of them). It has good hardware-detection - and a nice Control-Panel (almost identical as Mandriva) to administer hardware and System-settings . In addition to the "usual" common software that "all" distros installs - it also gives you multimedia-codecs, and a "Software installation"-system ('Synaptic') that gives you: easy way of installing drivers and "tons" of other software...
2) Freespire
3) Fedora 7 (ver. 7 is maybe the best Fedora-version so far - IMHO)
4) Mandriva 2007

I would like to use PCLinuxOS but I'm pretty sure that it has a lot of drivers that are patented and that means trouble if you live in the USA

"Trouble" LOL

Could you define "trouble" in this context?

A tubby Guy from Realtek leaving a burning bag of dog doo on your floormat?

PCLinuxOS, Freespire/Linspire, Xandros, Mandriva, heck even Debian is easy to install and use if you take the time to read the docs.

The Linux Newbie: How to Pick a Linux Distro (Distribution)
http://thelinuxnewbie.blogspot.com/2...tribution.html

My personal suggestions would be either PCLinuxOS or if you really want to learn Linux , sidux or pure Debian.

Don't worry about that..... almost all of the drivers for your computer hardware is NOT - I repeat - * NOT * patented at all... they are mostly made by the people involved in developing the linux-kernel and other parts of the linux-system ..... the drivers with some restrictions are mostly graphics-drivers from NVidia and ATI (they are not free as in Open Source - but free to use).
Some of the multimedia-codecs are patented though - but they are "freely" available as a user to download and install.

As you can see, the answer is often "all of them." Anyway, I have tried the four distributions you mentioned (openSUSE, PCLinuxOS, Linux Mint, and Fedora) on at least two computers each. Only one (openSUSE) has worked out of the box for me on everything (four separate computers). By the way, that does not mean that "every feature you could ever want" was installed, but it does mean that it installed correctly and everything that was installed worked properly. I should add that Novell removed some functionality from SUSE within the last year, removing any proprietary packages (such as certain manufacturer's video and wireless drivers) from the main distribution. Still, all of the things that are no longer installed as part of a "regular" install can be quickly implemented using this guide:
http://www.softwareinreview.com/cms/content/view/60/

One thing to remember (as you may have already picked up) is that each distribution has its idiosyncrasies. However, if you stick to a distribution for a while, you will learn how to deal with all of them. The key is to find a system where most everything works from the start.

Well if you want to really *learn* linux from the core, then Slackware is the way
my friend.

KISS=keep it simple stupid is Slackware's motto