Network card problems.

[jose_joac]

Hello, I've been trying to install Gentoo for a long time now, I've probably done the install about 6 or 7 times... yes I'm that stupid. :p Also I wasn't sure to put this on the network forum because I think the blame is mostly on the install because it didn't configure it right...?

Anyhow the problem I seem to have is with my network card. I have a 3Com 9500B XL and the problem is not that Gentoo doesn't detect it, it's after the install. Gentoo installs fine and I've done step 21 in the installing manual here. But when I try to do emerge sync it doesn't connect, then I tried to run a broswer under KDE and it still doesn't work, says host is not found.

There's still a lot I have to learn about Linux since I'm new to it, but I really can't get the resources I need if I don't even had an internet connection running! That's why I just get frustrated and install Windows again... This is my last hope, I usually don't like asking people for help because I don't want to give the expression I want everything handed to me, but I'm really trying here.

Also, while I'm here, my motherboard is the K7S5A and I have the 7012 audio chipset. I know where I can find some drivers and everything but with other OSs' I've tried it won't play a Audio CD off my CD-ROM, well it plays them but I have to turn my speakers all the way up to max volume and even then I can barely hear it. Maybe because there not ALSA? The drivers Mandrake 9.1 used started with something like Intel 8xx something like that, sorry I can't remember much. Well any help is appreciated and thanks for your time.