Recent content by NerdIT

If your "super firewalled home wifi" is a router - which I am assuming, then you can ditch the router. Although you can keep it and use the ports as a switch to hook up additional computers

Also make sure you BIOS is up to date.

Remove the battery and/or AC adapter, wait 30 seconds, and pop them back in. Then, turn sleep off - I never use sleep.

Hiren's Boot CD has almost everything you could need! I have been using it for years.

Right-Click file, go to Properties; on the General tab click Advanced at the bottom At the bottom of the pop-up window, there should be an option to "Encrypt contents to secure data" check that box, hit OK, then apply. You should the be prompted with a wizard/screen to set a password. If not...

Does Internet Explorer work properly?

or do you mean when you type in chrome's omni bar it takes you to bing? In that case some malware has hijacked you browser: run the tool Hijack this: http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/hijackthis.html and post results

Something has changed your homepage to bing. close browser then: 1. Open Control Panel 2. click on "Internet Options" 3. on the first tab at the top uner "Homepage" type; www.google.com 4.click apply.ok

Have you tried re-installing Windows...? You can verify jack and power-cable with a $8 multimeter