OT? proxy-server and ssl - Mozilla/Konqueror/Links

[silly]

hello

apologies for this being largely off topic but there is a goal in sight: I want to install gentoo from stage one using a Windows 2000 network with a firewall and proxy server. I dont want to use knoppix for the install (this time) as I would like to do it more or less by the handbook.

I am having trouble with proxy servers and I think its related to ssl.

Ive gone through the gentoo handbook and exported my proxy server settings as suggested. I have also started the links browser and set the proxy from the settings tab... when Ï try and go to google or yahoo or even gentoo, it keeps coming up with host not found.

To try and resolve it I tried knoppix and started Konqueror - no joy. However when I tried Mozilla, I got in! It asked for an id and password and accepted them, whereas it wouldnt accept them with Konqueror.

After succeeding with Mozilla, Konqueror then worked. I'm guessing that Mozilla's setup, where it has an entry for ssl-proxy, is where Mozilla is making the difference (you make an entry for http and click a button to make ftp, ssl, etc use the same settings).

I saw links-ssl mentioned on google a couple of times but no real reference to my problem. Of course I would need the network to download it - if I could find a place to download it.

Anyway, anyone come across this before?

any ideas how :-
1) for starters, I can get Konqueror in Knoppix working without touching Mozilla at all? This is a sanity check!
2) going back to my gentoo install, how can I set up links to work.
3) Is links2 any different from links?

Thanks in advance
Hal.