RE: Remote Desktop and VPN issues

1. Uninstall any and everything Symantec.  After uninstalling, spend 45+
minutes in REGEDIT deleting the stuff that should uninstall but doesn't
(thank you Symantec).  Really, their consumer-level stuff is total crap
and causes so many problems I'd wear out my keyboard if I tried to
document them all.
2. Install decent apps to replace the above. I suggest Zone Alarm for a
firewall (or find the old freeware Tiny Personal Firewall version 2),
CounterSpy for anti-spyware, and AVG or NOD-32 for anti-virus.
3. Upgrade the firmware on the router if this hasn't been done.  Once
done, review the router's config to make sure it is still set up
correctly.
4. Try hard-coding a DNS for testing.  Since I don't always trust
Comcast I use Verizon's: 4.2.2.2 and 4.2.2.4.
5. Ensure you're RDP is via IP address. Once the VPN is established, can
you ping it by IP address?