Use the Ubuntu Help, it's on the taskbar, I think. The option for connecting to internet should be there. I'd tell you the method, but I don't know the type of connection you have. If you've got a PPPOE Ethernet based ADSL, you open Terminal [Applications>Accessories>Terminal] and type sudo pppoeconf. Use all the default options, fill your password. It connects to net automatically for the first time, for subsequent times, use the commands sudo pon dsl-provider [For connecting] and sudo poff dsl-provider for disconnecting. And yeah, make sure you add sudo before every command.
It happens with me too. It's just unproperly shaped cable or port. Seeing that you're getting the same problem with different cables, it indicates a problem in your jack's shape. Try inserting modeling clay in the port and comparing the shape that comes out with the shape of the connector. Then maybe you could remove the excess part.
Umm...do you mean to say that the strands that are in the main wire are also insulated and are meant to be kept out of each other's contact ? And that you can't just twist the wires like the electrical copper wires ??
(1) Does the company repair warranty-void items for a charge ? If no, then don't. Sometimes your product develops a particular problem that can't be solved by anyone but it's makers. (2) Are the spares/parts that need to be replaced easily available in the open market ? For example, I had an APC UPS. It had three parts, the battery, the logic board and the transformer...whenever it underwent a severe voltage fluctuation, the PCB got burnt and had to be replaced. In such a case, I won't dare void the warranty. (3) Does the warranty do any real help ? If no, then it's useless. (4) If the product is of a good and solid brand, the warranty can be voided as there are lesser chances of the product being damaged. (5) Is the product something unique made by that particular company or a general product manufactured by all brands ? A product like a microwave can be easily maintained without warranty but a device like iPhone cannot.
If you're concerned about legalities, you should know that one legal key can power only one copy of a software. You can install it, and uninstall it unlimited number of times. You can use it in a different PC as long as that key is not powering the other PC any more. The crux is - one key, one PC.
A 60-watt CFL...dude...it'd be like a mini-sun [just a metaphor, the sun is too huge to be compared to a CFL].. But if you meant is an equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent lamp, you need to know that CFLs are quite power efficient, and probably a 15W-20W CFL will be enough to do the job of a 60-wall incandescent light bulb.