wow, really got something going here

will try to get around to everybody:

gowater: I am far from a linux veteran. Running it for months makes me a dangerous newbie But been in IT for more years than I want to think about. All my linuxes are harddrive installs and debian style. Now, as for live CDs I generally have never run one for more than a weekend before going for the install. I settled on kanotix months ago after an lmsensors kernel-compiling debacle with knoppix-search for it here if you can't sleep some night LOL. But I am quite serious when I say how pleasantly surprised I was with windows (98 for goodness sake) over this cable install. It was quite wonderful. Oh, and BTW the live CDs generally give less trouble with networking and hardware issues, there is a reason but it escapes my ancient mind at the moment.

And a non-surprise, I am more locked down with stinkin windows 98SE (yeah, the security analyst at work couldn't believe, and she a fedora user) than I am in linux. I passed flying colors at shieldsup with zonealarm but flunked with linux and an open port 1024 (she doesn't think it a problem though) because I am hopeless with iptables, chains, manacles, whatever.

Oh, and my last resort would have been usb modem or using my usb ethernet adapter (which I am going to be using on the second computer...wish me luck folks ) I do think windows will also balk at that thing though, at least my 98 is gonna want the driver. I even need drivers for 98 with a usb thumbdrive.

Champagne: you are quite right about the wondefulness of the kanotix distro But I am disappointed in how the english forum is going now. I really wish I spoke german because I think that is probably still quite fine.

jd: right on about network card detection in linux in general !

eco: thanks and you know me too well. But I am spending more time in windows now than I have in months and my games are singing a siren call (no more latency problems )

and now for a question probably as unrelated as you can possibly get to this thread. But this is a lounge and I can get away with it here--- would appreciate input/experience. At the same I have installed said cable...I have developed an odd monitor "wave or twitch" It is intermittent, quite strong but then it is gone. Just a big ripple out from lower left corner. I find it hard to believe it is coincidence but I can't understand how the cable could have caused it. I have relocated the pc and monitor several days prior to this cable install and spent plenty of time on it. But I did not develop the problem until last night when I got the cable. (the cable modem is well away from monitor. Interference really doesn't seem likely. So the only other new thing is the turning on of the onboard ethernet adapter. It is like degaussing but SILENT- what could be the interference that wasn't there before cable? I am not spending quite enough time in windows to note if it is present there...this is something that occurs maybe once an hour? Ideas? It's a cheap monitor, maybe on the way out you never know but such a coincidence