about to set fire to my computers and my network hardware

Getting really frustrated...

Ok.. where to start...

Network
Linksys 2.4ghz 802.11b router

My desktop computer-
Cyberpower
2.26p4
512mb rambus
128mb geforce ti 4600

Problems -
Says network cable has been unplugged... for about 1 second, then reconnects (nothing is being touched) doesn't do it for a while then might do it over and over.. until i lose my connection.

Games do not work.. I get in to them and start playing and eventually the screen starts blinking...and blinks more... until the game and whole computer freezes, unless I exit the game.
I have update my drivers completely, and the video card is only slightly warm to the touch, plus my PC is in front of an AC vent so there is some pretty cool air going through it most of the time, so I have eliminated overheating. I've also tried a different monitor/different resolutions and it does the same thing.

Laptop
Asus s96j
2.16 core duo
ati mobility 1600
2gb ddr2 667

- Screen shuts off shortly after reboot or waking it from sleep. The computer itself is still running though, its purely a screen problem(I believe)

Internet works fine with a cable but on wireless its only a matter time before it without warning stops working, making me have to reset the cable modem and my router. This is also the case for my sisters dell laptop when she is using wireless.

I don't have money to pay a computer repair place $200 for "labor" right now. Anyone have any idea what these problems are? I'm about to lose it.

 

I'd say you have a router problem. Check with Linksys for a possible firmware update. As for the gaming problem; are these online games like WoW or just games in general? If they're online games, again, I'd say the router is at fault. If not, you may have something running in the background that's eating up your resources; it may or may not be malware, but a visit to the malware removal forums may be of help, as would reading the computer maintenance threads here at Major Geeks....

hd2k

 

after I download the firmware file, how to I update?

 

The info should be at the Linksys site.... it's usually just running a .exe file and then restarting the PC and the router (and probably the modem). I'm sure the 'how-to' is at the Linksys site.....

 

go to http://www.linksys.com and click Downloads. select your router. you will need the model number and version number (on the underside of the router.)

http://linksys.custhelp.com/rnt/rnw/img/enduser/3655-003.jpg

login to your router. the Firmware version is listed in the upper right corner. see if there is a newer version on the Linksys site. if so, download the file to your desktop. it will be a zip file. extract the zip file wherever you want to put it.

while logged into the router, go to the Administration tab, then the Firmware sub-tab. click Browse to find the .bin file that you extracted and click Open. then click Upgrade.

delete the zip file on the desktop.