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Vector Linux (my next step on the linux ladder)

After fiddling with Puppy Linux and Damn Small Linux for a few months. I decided it was time to try a bigger system.I decided to try Vector Linux Light 5.9. Supposedly, it can run fine with as little as 64MB RAM. After a few trial and errors, I finally achieved an internet connection and my browsers actually worked. I am on dial up. I know...64 MB RAM...dial up...Someday I'll have few gigs of RAM and broadband. Until then, these are a few of the problems I ran in to and how I fixed them. I really like Vector Linux...the way it looks, performs, and offers opportunities to learn more about the Linux world.
Installation
Before running your CD ...Run defrag on your Windows system...
This is for a dual boot with WinXP installed first. I have a 30G HD so I gave half to Windows and the other half goes to linux. Using GParted...2nd half of HD:
dev /hda2 primary "Extended"
dev /hda5 logical "Swap" (1200MB)
dev /hda6 logical "/root" (4000MB)at least EXT2
dev /hda7 logical "/home" (whatever's left) EXT2

now run your CD and install VL

Connecting to the Internet

After installing or while installing, Vector recognized my external modem but couldn't configue it. I down loaded and installed WvDial and configured it myself.
note* I downloaded needed materials from internet using WinXP then transferred them to VL by using my Puppy Linux CD. That is such a great tool to have around. I later realized I could use the mount commands (posted below) to transfer files from Win to VL as long as I was logged as /root.
You need wvstreams, wvdialer, and qtwvdialer. Installed in that order. Check out this site
When you first run wvdial you might get this error: "mknod /dev/ppp c 108 0"
Copy that and put it in /etc/rc.d/rc.local ...at the bottom and reboot.
After this was finished, I ran in to problems getting my browser to "realize" that we were connected. Turned out I needed to know 2 DNS numbers/addresses and put them in /etc/resolv.conf
If you don't know your DNS numbers you can pop in your Damn Small Linux CD and connect to the internet. When you connect, your DNS numbers (primary and secondary)or is it (local and remote) are shown in your dialing messages terminal. Anyway my /etc/resolve.conf file looks like this:
search peoplepc.com
nameserver 209.244.0.3
nameserver 209.244.0.4
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