answer:In a situation such as yours, I would contact a person known as a computer “geek,” because that individual is an expert at solving computer problems, and many of them are right in your town, and can physically come over to your place to consult with you, “first-hand,” to attempt to solve your dilemma. The “beauty” of using these computer-obsessed individuals (who eat, drink, sleep and dream computers) is that many of them will charge you a reasonable fee, ONLY if they are able to solve your problem, and if they cannot, their consultation is free. I’ve had very good luck with them, on occasion, and there has been no problem of mine on which they could NOT render a solution. But, in all fairness, I don’t think any of my problems have ever been as complex as the one you describe. I can’t remember the name of the online service I used, but it was a card I purchased at the now-defunct COMP USA, where $20 got you “unlimited consultation” for 30 days. Being a newbie to computers at that time, I could communicate with computer experts via a toll-free phone conversation, or in a real-time chat, and in the case of the real-time chat, the “geek” could actually take control of my computer via his own, and attempt to fix whatever was wrong. It worked for me, and I was totally satisfied with this service, and felt that I had gotten the worth of the fee ($20) I had paid for the unlimited consultations (within a 30-day period). You might wish to consider a similar option, if such appeals to you. I hope your problem can be solved to your complete satisfaction, based on what you wish to accomplish, and with the equipment that you currently own. Hopefully, no new equipment purchases will be necessary to “fix” the issues you have. August 24, 2008, 8:53 AM EDT