Thank you, thank you, thank you. Raven and Owbist, I am so grateful to you. It seems I am safe using the screws for the hard drive bay that I already used. Raven - they are the ones in the first link. Owbist - I pilfered the only screw from my old Dell desktop that looked like the right kind. I only found one screw that seemed to match - I'm not certain what it was holding in - perhaps the power source or fan. At any rate, I think I best replace that before I might ever try to start that old computer up. I don't believe it had a floppy drive - or I'd be happy to remove it (it had just a cd drive). The case is fairly secure for now - but I'd feel better securing it completely - if the cleaning woman bumps the vacuum against it - or my daughter roots around there for a lost ball or toy, it might accidentally open. There's no urgency there, but I'd rather get it taken care of. I suppose I could open the tower again - and take out one of the screws - and match it at a store that builds computer parts. But if I don't have to, I'd rather not power everything down and unhook it. If the hard drive seems securing screwed in (and no part of the screw is protuding), can I safely assume it's fine - and just worry about replacing the case screws. that would be easier. I wish I'd come here first - and saved myself some aggravation. not a single person at Dell was able to give me this information - even though they had all the information you guys did. I truly don't want to have to buy from them again. They were similarly inept when I wanted to add a firewire port last summer. They have a front slot for it - but nobody had the right part numbers. Luckily the Dell forum was filled with trials and tribulations of others who'd attempted this - with no consistent accurate answers from Dell. At least someone there provided the necessary parts - in fact, when I ordered what Dell insisted was all I needed, it was only 1/2 of what I needed. Soon my daughter will be ready for a new desktop. Is there a company to buy them from with good reliability and quality and good technical/customer support? Should I just have one built from a computer place that builds computers? that purchase is likely to be in 2010. Thank you again. Lynn.

I don't fully understand the question, still I offer the following. If you want to install and interconnect two computers via the Ethernet Port you'll need only a CAT5 cable with RJ45 male terminations. This will allow the two computers to directly share files and other resources. I've never done this, but I think it works. If you want to connect three or more Computer via an Ethernet network you need an Ethernet Hub. These are very inexpensive. If you also want to connect to the Internet, then you'll need a Router instead of the Hub. That said, you have to have an interface to the ISP, which will NOT be Ethernet unless you are inside their facility and can patch a CAT5 cable into their router...I say this in "jest", but I read you question to say you don't understand the basics of connecting to an ISP, which has Ethernet involved only if you want to operate an Ethernet network inside your home/business. Now backing off in ignorance, I admit if you have Fiber Optical cable to your home/business, that my have an Ethernet interface... don't know.

@DA To tell you the truth I am not sure why the 30 min, I only discovered those instructions from a Google Search, when I first saw it I said to myself. "It only takes 8 minutes for the Suns light to reach earth at 93Million miles away." Electrons move pretty quick!!!!!!!! Memory (Ram) is cleared out on a reboot so I don't think that's it. The only other device that could store a voltage would be a pretty big capacitor on the machine, if there was a big capacitor it would most likely be in the power supply circuit. Caps that big are unheard of in the desktops Laptops we use today. Could it have something to do with the BIOS Battery??????????????????

you can also get a powered usb hub which has it's own electric plug which you plug into the outlet, that way it is not using the power from the pc it has it's own power and then those items that usually must be plugged directly into the pc usb can be plugged into the powered usb hub. I have many usb hubs I use daily and never have installed any thing to make them work I hate adding un-needed junk. I just plug a usb cable into the pc run it to my desktop and plug my hub into that cable, works like a charm on all my computers. I do use a powered usb hub for some things. I have about 4 usb hubs I got at biglots for $6 each that are excellent they are not powered but they are 2.0, you want to make sure any you get are 2.0 hubs, often you can find really cheap ones but then find they are not 2.0 so are much slower. I have another that is from Radio shack and has been used for years now with no problems.