how to install programs, no internet connection, please :)

hi folks,

i am on my fourth attempt at getting linux up and running. usually i relapse and go back onto windoze after failing to win a battle over hardware compatability. however, i am really determined to make it work this time, i could use a little basic help.

essentially, i am having trouble getting knoppix to recognise my netgear wg111v2 usb wireless device.

on route, i am realising that i need to get other pieces of software installed. one example is 'unshield' because i need to extract the ndis driver from a windows .cab file, which i then hope to run with ndiswrapper and get online via madwifi !! ?? !! (does that make sense?)

but i don't even know how to install a program :(

i have downloaded a tarball of unshield and extracted it to a new folder. i haven't a clue what to do next. would anybody be kind enough to run me through how to install from an extracted .tar archive ?

many thanks in advance, great resource you are creating here btw,

dan :)

okay, solved this one myself with the amazing kpackage utility after much fustration with dselect or dpkg... phew !

still no wifi connection though, i'll start a new thread...