New
#21
An update. I installed an Intel 7260 dual band wireless adapter in my ASUS without difficulty. To get the screw out of the adapter that the ASUS shipped with I had to take an utility knife and shave off some of the plastic frame that was partially covering it. Without doing that it appears I would have had to take the computer completely apart. After providing clearance for the screw head, everything was a snap.
Before replacing the adapter I used inSSIDer 4 to measure the 2.4 gHz signal strength. It read -56dBm. After replacing the adapter with the laptop at the same position the signal strength was -50 dBm. That is quiet a large signal increase. In addition, I now receive 5 gHz signals.
As recommended, while I had the computer back off I replaced by 750 GB HDD with a Crucial MX300 750 GB SSD. This has really made a tremendous difference in boot up and shutdown speeds. In addition, my big apps like LR and PhotoShop load so much quicker.
Again, thanks to all of you for your help. Have A Merry Christmas!