hello,
yes, you're correct. i have a cable modem. so, i can plug the computer to it directly. re: safe mode. following your instructions, i got the computer to get to a safe mode prompt. however, after selecting safe mode, it loadeded some files but then took me to startup repair again. i tried almost all options (ie; safe mode w/ command prompt, etc. it made no difference, it took me to startup repair each time.
thanks again,