I thank you for the reply. I was able to connect with a technician via email yesterday and today, after many hours, I was able to successfully install CS7 and the various Windows updates, as well as work through the other issues tht some users identified, with the patterns not showing up. Finally I was able successfully stitch some samples.
It was always a NO-NO to connect to the internet, and I look forward to keeping the system files more up to date, as well as using the Pattern Cloud and its features.
Now I have to re-learn the processes, and hope that I get back to my quilting comfort soon.