My Modem Project

So I yanked a Rockwell Riptide HCF 56k PCI Modem out of a 99 HP computer. And I installed it into my 2007 Lenovo computer running Ubuntu 11.10. After several hours of downloading and installing drivers I happen to discover that my modem will only support kernel 2.4 which would be Ubuntu 6.06 Drapper Drake. So do I severely downgrade my OS so I can get dial up Internet access? No, it wouldn't be worth losing security and everything else just for internet access. I will probably be buying a new modem in the near future.