give us the make and model number of your wireless router and we can likely help you do it pretty easily, most of them it is a very simple task, just enter the address for the router set up in your browser go to the correct tab in the router for security and select WPA2 as the security you want to enable then you will definitely have to choose a name for the SSID because you want to change that and this is what everyone will see as your network name so you do not want to use your name or something that will let them know oh I see that is lpinkmountains network, you want to name it something random, you will also have to set a password or key so that anyone wanting to get on your wireless network will have to enter that key into the blank before they are allowed on, This is the key that must be made up of random letters and numbers most of the time it will generate one for you and you can accept that one but what I advise to people is to WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY and tape it to the bottom of the router! You should also definitely change the standard password for gaining entrance into the router it self so that only you have that password to be able to get in and change settings, you can add that to the one on the bottom of the router. Most routers do have the internal firewall enabled by default that is something you will want to check since you will be in the router settings it needs to be on. This is not the same as your software firewall you will find the software firewall in your windows security center. you should not need the software or cd for the router to do this. just give us the info on your router and someone will help you.

To use the wireless service, you need a wireless b/g card; most of the new laptops have this built in. Rather than purchasing MS Office, why not download free Open Office and give it a try? Once you are on cable, the download should not be too much. OO documents are compatible with Office, from what others here say. Several others here use OO and can answer any questions you might have. By all means get 2GB of memory. The size of the hard drive is up to you, but it sounds as if you don't need a huge one, given the history of your desktop. You might also consider later purchasing an external hard drive just for storage of pictures, music, and such. These are not at all costly these days. Look for plenty of USB ports and built-in memory card reader to help in transferring your pictures to the hard drive from your camera. A combo CD/DVD burner is almost a given, as that is pretty standard now. The 15.4" wide screen is not at all bad, but the 17" is nice if you can find it in your price range. Check around and watch the sale circulars. There are some great buys to be found.

I would also say check your cable provider. We got a new box with much faster download speeds. Previously, we could not have the laptops running if someone was watching streaming Netflix, but now we have enough bandwidth to run everything. We have Amazon Prime now, but we dropped Netflix streaming awhile ago because a lot of the series we wanted to watch were not available. No HBO programming is available streaming. SInce we got Prime, we suspended the Netflix. DH has had the account forever and just deactivates and reactivates it when he wants to.

I'm biting the bullet and looking for a new receiver with at least six HDMI 'ports'. I don't think we will be 'streaming' anything unless the offerings improve for our 'demographic'. LOL Today AT&T emailed me, touting their "U-Verse" -- which sounds like it would replace the DirecTV HD-DVR they already provide us, bundled with landline and internet. The promo seems aimed at people who need 24/7 'connectivity' via hand helds...or music. I doubt they have any wider selection movies on offer than what I saw on Amazon and Netflix. Any DVD's we get from the library that are longer than a movie have two-week check-outs. We're in town a couple times a week anyway, so detouring a block to the library is easy. We still sometimes check out 'real' books, too. LOL