Please Help!! Totally New At This!!

[twindaddyray]

I just installed damn small linux on my laptop. I really have no idea what to do now. It works fine as I can tell but I have no idea what to do now. I try to use the browser, it says I am connected but I get "address not found".
How do I fix that? If anyone could give me step by step on this and anything else I should know will be greatly appreciated.

[hazel]

Don't panic! Take it step by step.
1) Check that you are really connected to the Internet.
2) Check that dns is working (this is the service that translates the domain names found on web pages into Internet addresses).
3) Check that dns is not being blocked by a firewall

The first place to check is the file /var/log/messages. Type tail /var/log/messages to get the last ten lines of this file. If you really are connected, you will see your local IP address and the remote IP address belonging to your ISP, also the addresses of two dns servers.

To test if dns is working, simply type ping nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn where nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn is the first dns address. The ping command will send echo requests to the dns server and you will be told if the echos have returned successfully.

If all this is working, check whether you have a firewall running that might be blocking dns. I don't know if dsl puts up a firewall by default; you can check by typing su -c "iptables -L" and giving the root password. It will list any firewall rules that are in force.

[kostasan]

Does it say that the ethernet is connected? This could just mean that you have plugged the cable... Have you configured the network(IP, DNS,gateway and proxy server if you are behind one)?

Unless your laptop is really, really old (Pentium 2 for example), damn small linux is not the first choice for someone new to Linux. A very lightweight Linux is Puppy Linux(about 88mb iso) that is better for new users, i believe. If you have a Pentium 4 or newer laptop, then you should definetaly give Ubuntu 8.04 a try, which is very easy for new users.

[twindaddyray]

I have no idea where to check for dns server. I am totally retarded when it comes to this. I am gonna try and install ubuntu... can it load from a live cd?

[yancek]

Yes, Ubuntu can load from a Live CD. I assume you are aware that you need to burn it as an iso image after the download (use a low speed) and I would suggest you do the md5check. Instructions for that should be on the download page. If you have other operating systems on the computer take care when it comes to partitioning.