5.1.1 lock up on ifup eth1 (wireless)

ok, so I'm trying to squeeze some use out of a friend's laptop. I put the 5.1.1 cd in, and it consistntly hangs while configuring the network during boot. I thought it might be easier to get while the system is running, so I passed it
knoppix nodhcp
as a boot option. starts up fine, but its not configured, and I don't know that much about linux networking. anyway, I try ifup eth0, and it hangs. completely frozen. this is in the terminal, outside of x. I searched these forums, and I found that I should try
wlcardconfig
pump -i eth1

wlcardconfig confirmed that the wireless was eth1, but it asked for a bunch of things I didn't know. I just hit enter through all the screens, hoping the defaults were right, or could be autoconfigged.
pump -i eth1 hung it again though.

I searched he forums again, but I couldn't find anything about it hanging like that. What should eb my next source of information? If the forums are appropriate, please tell me anything relevant. I am eager to learn!