I shut the computer down every night. I also unplug it during bad storms. We had a house fire that was caused by the toaster oven. The oven was plugged it, but not turned on. I won't leave any small appliances plugged in now and if I could unplug my microwave oven more easily, I'd keep that unplugged, too. I don't trust things to flip breakers or blow fuses. It took me a long time to get over the intense smell of smoke. We nearly lost a cat in that fire and the only reason we didn't was a fluke in timing. I got home just as the kitchen was going up in flames and I was able to put it out before the fire dept arrived. I had to try to put it out because we didn't have a telephone at the time. (Rental house, for short period, trying to save on expenses, stupid!) After I got it out, I had to run to the high school to get someone to call the FD to double check it was out. Then I had to pack all our smelly belongings so we could move out that day, no way could we stay there. That was a horrible, scary day and all because of a small appliance. My parents have a nifty system, Pops put an outlet/surge protector strip on the counter, behind the small appliances, and they are all plugged into it and it is plugged in. They turn it on as needed, but it's always off when nothing is being used.

I have stacks of old computers. All of them recycles, freebies, rescues. Somebody found one setting next to a dumpster and brought it to me. It was a throw-away. And it was PACKED with dust. No wonder it didn't work. After I cleaned all the dust out of it, it started right up. Still had all the previous owner's info on it. My mother uses that computer to play solitaire and do jigsaw puzzles. I looked at Raspberry Pi computers. They won't do everything I need. I want to be able to go to a network's web page and watch back episodes of my favorite shows. But they are in .swf and RPi doesn't do .swf. I have a set top dual tuner PVR provided to me by the cable company. But I have no way to move video from/to the PVR. I have been recording WAY more than I have been watching. I don't use premium channels. I just need to record an HDMI or RCA signal from the cable box. And then be able to play video on the TV, either HDMI or RCA. For now, I have a USB dongle that I can use to record. I looked at refurbished computers at Newegg.com I'm weighing options now. I really need to inventory what useable hardware that I have.

First, you should know that to unplug the machine to turn it off is only making things worse. If you continue, eventually it may not start at all. Second, your lack of knowledge and lack of available help severely limits your options. Therefore whether you like it or not, correcting this situation will involve spending some money. As I see it, here are your choices (assuming, of course that the machine has no hardware problems): OPTION #1: Pay someone to completely reinstall Windows 7 on this computer. This will wipe out everything that is currently on the machine and return it to the way it was when it was brand new. This would also involve doing multiple Windows Updates and when finished you would have a good-running machine with an operating system that is already outdated and soon to be unsupported (no more security updates). If you're lucky and the machine has a RECOVERY PARTITION, you wouldn't have to buy a new copy of Win 7. This is probably the cheapest way to fix Windows 7. OPTION #2: Pay someone to install Windows 10 on this machine....if it can be done. It would look different than what you're used to and would probably seem to run slower, but it would be much better than the way things are now. This might cost more than fixing Win 7 but hopefully not too much. OPTION #3: Buy a new computer with Windows 10. What you have posted so far leads me to think your only use of a computer is to access the Internet. You'd be much better off if you would use your efforts to become familiar with the current version of Windows. If you shop carefully, you could find a good basic desktop for under $500...maybe less. Keep in mind that if you run into any problems fixing the old machine, repairing it could easily exceed the cost of a new one. A local store would be your best bet, especially if they also provide service and maybe an extra warranty. One thing I WOULD NOT DO is use your Win 7 computer to buy something over the Internet because I'll bet it is already severely infected.

I also have a Dell (a desktop) so this might benefit you and any other Dell user who might read it. I learned (the hard way) that whenever this machine receives a Windows Update to not allow it to RESTART, despite having that restart button conveniently there ready for you. From now on, I will always use >>START>>POWER>>UPDATE AND SHUT DOWN. After that, you can turn the machine back on whenever you want to. In addition, I will occasionally do a manual check for updates instead of letting them happen automatically. Updates are usually available on or soon after the first Tuesday of the month and I prefer to get them done when it's convenient for me and not when I'm busy using the machine for some other important task. That's my $.02.