Hi
gerry, I think
alunrw has answered part 1 of your question fine.
The answer to the second part depends on how you connect to your broadband router. There are 3 main ways, wireless, ethernet and USB. Wireless and USB are fairly self-explanatory. Ethernet uses wires that have connectors at the end known as
RJ45.
If you don't use ethernet, then it's ok to disable the ethernet port via the method you've already found. You can also prevent the icon from appearing by right-clicking it, choosing Status, then clicking Properties, then clear the check box at the bottom that talks about limited connectivity.
If you do use ethernet to connect to your router, post back here and let us know, we'll help you sort it out.