new to ubuntu, network/internet not working (driver problem?)

[deathfalls]

hello,

i recently read a few reviews of ubuntu, many were praising it... so i
figured it was time i jump into linux a bit more. just for reference,
i don't have much linux experience... in the past i've messed around
with red hat 5.2, and more recently, knoppix.

anyway, this email is in regards to my network/internet not working
through ubuntu (and also an error i had trying to install drivers). my
NIC is onboard (ASUS P4P800 Deluxe motherboard, 3com gigabit
ethernet), and i also use a d-link router (DI-604, to which my cable
modem is connected).

i've fiddled around with the network-admin tool, and it had a device
'eth0", but when i click activate, it'd deactivate a second or so
later. i figured maybe the NIC wasn't detected, and that i'd have to
install a driver... so i found a linux driver from the asus website.

i followed the included readme that was with the driver and
uncompressed the file, then was instructed to type 'make load' to
install the driver and received this message/error:

gcc: /usr/src/linux-2.4/include/linux/version.h: No such file or directory
gcc: no input files
gcc: /usr/src/linux-2.4/include/linux/autoconf.h: No such file or directory
gcc: no input files
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O2 -DMODULE -I.
-DSK_USE_CSUM -I /usr/src/linux-2.4/include    -c -o skge.o skge.c
In file included from /usr/include/asm/smp.h:18,
                from /usr/include/linux/smp.h:17,
                from /usr/include/linux/sched.h:23,
                from /usr/include/linux/module.h:10,
                from skge.c:344:
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:6:25: mach_mpspec.h: No such file or directory
In file included from /usr/include/asm/smp.h:18,
                from /usr/include/linux/smp.h:17,
                from /usr/include/linux/sched.h:23,
                from /usr/include/linux/module.h:10,
                from skge.c:344:
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:8: error: `MAX_MP_BUSSES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:9: error: `MAX_MP_BUSSES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:10: error: `MAX_MP_BUSSES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:12: error: `MAX_MP_BUSSES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:19: error: `MAX_APICS' undeclared here (not
in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:20: error: `MAX_MP_BUSSES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:20: error: conflicting types for `mp_bus_id_to_type'
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:8: error: previous declaration of `mp_bus_id_to_type'
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:22: error: `MAX_IRQ_SOURCES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:24: error: `MAX_MP_BUSSES' undeclared here
(not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:24: error: conflicting types for
`mp_bus_id_to_pci_bus'
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:12: error: previous declaration of
`mp_bus_id_to_pci_bus'
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:54: error: `MAX_APICS' undeclared here (not
in a function)
In file included from /usr/include/asm/smp.h:20,
                from /usr/include/linux/smp.h:17,
                from /usr/include/linux/sched.h:23,
                from /usr/include/linux/module.h:10,
                from skge.c:344:
/usr/include/asm/io_apic.h:120: error: `MAX_IRQ_SOURCES' undeclared
here (not in a function)
/usr/include/asm/io_apic.h:120: error: conflicting types for `mp_irqs'
/usr/include/asm/mpspec.h:22: error: previous declaration of `mp_irqs'
In file included from /usr/include/linux/smp.h:17,
                from /usr/include/linux/sched.h:23,
                from /usr/include/linux/module.h:10,
                from skge.c:344:
/usr/include/asm/smp.h:73:26: mach_apicdef.h: No such file or directory
In file included from /usr/include/linux/irq.h:20,
                from /usr/include/asm/hardirq.h:6,
                from /usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:11,
                from h/skdrv1st.h:161,
                from skge.c:347:
/usr/include/asm/irq.h:16:25: irq_vectors.h: No such file or directory
In file included from /usr/include/asm/hardirq.h:6,
                from /usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:11,
                from h/skdrv1st.h:161,
                from skge.c:347:
/usr/include/linux/irq.h:70: error: `NR_IRQS' undeclared here (not in
a function)
In file included from /usr/include/linux/irq.h:72,
                from /usr/include/asm/hardirq.h:6,
                from /usr/include/linux/interrupt.h:11,
                from h/skdrv1st.h:161,
                from skge.c:347:
/usr/include/asm/hw_irq.h:28: error: `NR_IRQS' undeclared here (not in
a function)
/usr/include/asm/hw_irq.h:31: error: `NR_IRQS' undeclared here (not in
a function)
In file included from skge.c:347:
h/skdrv1st.h:172:26: net/checksum.h: No such file or directory
skge.c: In function `skge_probe':
skge.c:504: warning: implicit declaration of function `pci_present'
skge.c:525: warning: integer constant is too large for "long" type
skge.c: In function `SkGeBoardInit':
skge.c:1085: warning: passing arg 2 of `request_irq' from incompatible
pointer type
skge.c:1088: warning: passing arg 2 of `request_irq' from incompatible
pointer type
skge.c: In function `SkGeOpen':
skge.c:1793: warning: `MOD_INC_USE_COUNT' is deprecated (declared at
/usr/include/linux/module.h:482)
skge.c: In function `SkGeClose':
skge.c:1893: warning: `MOD_DEC_USE_COUNT' is deprecated (declared at
/usr/include/linux/module.h:494)
make: *** [skge.o] Error 1

sorry for the length of the email... if anyone can offer some
information on the error and possibly how to fix it, and/or another
way to get my NIC working, i'd appreciate it. thank you!