Hi, Beth: Don't hesitate to post your troubles here. Some of us have been there and we should be able to help. No need to learn everything the hard way! <grin> What I didn't know until just this past week is that the DEC Talk Speakup driver is indeed broken. It may not have been your serial port, though the serial port being off in bios by default has been the case on many Thinkpads forever. Also, as you've discovered, you want to get your Win in place first before installing Linux. Win doesn't share with the other kids on your hd very well. Got flagged "needs improvement," but can't seem to pass out of sand box. May have to be held back a grade or two. Good luck. Janina
