installed windows update and ethernet driver, then go through ea

the number of unknown devices is dropped to "SM bus controller" only. that is a good thing. but, the original issues persist:
(1) sound/audio is greyed out on config screen (no sound now)
(2) can not log on to secured wifi - no popup prompt for password

if this can't be resolved, i might reformat the hard drive then do a fresh reinstall. do a windows update first, then others...