Almost there...

I managed to download and install my missing dll files, and restored the computer so I could back up all my stuff.  Yay!  Everything is fine except for the wireless internet.  I had fun today wiping out repositories and doing line commands, something I know very little about, trying to get it to work.  What a feeling of power!  I figure that at the worst I'll have the Tech at work re-image the computer.  Who knows, I might fix it yet.

In the meanwhile, this desktop feels like using a horse-and -buggy.