[thelist] Mod_rewrite

[live4bacon at optonline.net]

Can someone please help me out, I am trying to use the mod_rewrite module and I am having no luck.

How do I check if it is turned on?  If it is not can I turn it on with a command in htaccess?

Secondly how would I redirect all traffice going to:

http://mysite.com/olddirectory/

(And below)

to http://mysite.com/newindex.html

seems simple enough but I cannot seem to get it to work.

I have read countless pages about mod_rewrite but I cannot seem to find an explanation simple enough for me to grasp the basics much less bend it to my will.

thanks for your help,
JP