Nicky:
anyone possible tell me where to put this C code in order to get the NIC work ing...
9 times out of 10, you shouldn't need to use the C code. It's just a case of enabling the right driver. If you tell us what sort of network card it is, someone on the list may be able to tell you what to do to make it work with Mandrake.
By the way, can you switch line wrap on in your email client, please? 72 chars or thereabouts. Thanks!