I still haven't been able to follow most of the instructions from Fred or CyberMan, yet. Here's where I'm at. To make a long story short, turns out I didn't 'fix' the problem of the 2nd unsecure network (ie. I didn't get rid of it).
So, I unhooked the whole wireless network again and left just the desktop wired to the modem. I also deleted my secure network from my laptop. Then I checked the available networks, and my unsecure network was still there. I went to my router page, and in my wireless settings, was the unsecure network; but I wasn't unable to change anything and 'save settings' on the page since I wasn't connected to my router.
I hooked up the wireless network again, and then changed the settings as per Fred's latest instructions from post #67. Now I just have to create the network again on my laptop, and I'll see if the network debaucle is straightened out. I'm going to get to the other instructions (F's & CM's) when I get a chance.
Thought I'd mention that I had a chance to stop into the store where I got my laptop and router, and I spoke to someone knowledgeable (it seemed) in routers. I told him my model was a phased-out DLink (WBR-1310) and he told me that some routers do eventually wear out/become less powerful, and that getting a new router would be a good idea at some point. My thought, too, is that there isn't even a firmware upgrade for this one anymore (and I don't think I did any upgrades before it phased out, either), so I should probably get a new router. He recommended the Asus, or the DLink again. I'm leaning towards the Asus. That's all I have to report for now. Thanks very much for the settings instructions, Fred. I'm curious about the 'auto' for AES or TKIP, which one will used.