LinuxQuestions.org - Finally wifi= working =Toshiba laptop/ Mandriva 2008 (HATE VISTA)

! im am finally so happy.
i can finally KILL VISTA.

a bit about what vista did to me.
i have always used microsoft, and twas a pita, always, but VISTAS 300dollar new o.s. actually FORCED me to update it.

i didnt update it, or use its media center, and it stopped working.
now
it WAS registered, and i used it for about a year, but the 1st thing i noticed was.

3d graphics did NOT work, b/c my video card was too week (been working in Fedora for 4 months previousely, but it gets worse)

then, 9 months later,
vista decides to become "NOT GENUINE" !!!
that upset me
it fixed itself, with force shutdowns, and reboots (hours upon hours).
then it happened again..."not genuine"...!!!.so. i went and retried another version of LINUX

MANDRIVA 2008.1 free was good, but after i updated it to the "one" version, it worked w/my ATHEROS 5007 wifi adapter.

got a router, i had to fully encrypt for it to work..(didnt work on "open" ???
and would automatically connect to a neighbors open accesspoint...
but whatever.

now i have another 3-D desktop, with my fully operational battle stations wifi card...

i have posted in many forums, and have received much help, and thank you all. but nothing worked till this.

thanks all.

tosiba satellite, a55 S-1063 laptop
only 512 ram

POINT IS,
in 1 afternoon, i was able to setup my new linux machine, and can now sell Vista and regain so much lost money and time.

i am very happy with the easier connection as it was my only reason for running vista at all. (gotta be wireless), prev. i was able to connect a pcmcia card w/redhat, even from 6.1, but that took a lot of work
now
its soo easy.