I am new to Linux. I tried to install Slackware 14 on a fresh partition, with the rest of the HD as free space, except for the small "Dell" partition that seems to be necessary.
I got Slackware working more or less, but I couldn't figure out how to connect to the internet. I have a wireless network running from my OTHER computer, which is used as a virtual router.
Apparently there was no Network Manager available or installed on Slackware. I tried adding the Network Manager widget to the desktop, as was recommended, but it said there was no Network Manager program available for it to reference.
I followed some steps I found online to download Wicd, hoping that it could solve my internet woes. As root, I set some variables equal to "" (blank). I forget what they were, but some online forum member said that you had to set them blank to get Wicd to work. Then I tried to install Wicd from my Slackware DVD, but no matter what i tried, i couldn't get Wicd to install.
My internet still didn't work, so I just decided to set up Windows 7 as a dual-boot and get on the internet that way. But Windows couldn't find any networks either. It showed that no wireless networks were available (there are plenty in my area), and none of Microsoft's troubleshooters worked.
So then I decided to delete my Linux and Windows partitions, reinstall Windows, and try again. Using Slackware's partition manager, I deleted my Windows and Linux partitions, leaving only the Dell partition (a few MB i think) and free space. I booted like this just to make sure everything was wiped, and there was some looping text on the screen, but nothing further happened.
Then I reinstalled Windows 7 from DVD, but STILL no networks could be found.
What have I done??? Will I ever be able to access the internet again?
Thanks