1) - It may be a bad cable, however, on the second PC did you connect the cable and your unit before installing AS? if so disconnect, uninstall AS, reboot the PC, install AS and only connect when it tells you to do so.
2) A soft reset is like a reboot on your PC, a hard reset is like reformatting your hard disk (and having windows automatically reinstalled in a 'as new' condition). A soft reset is performed by depressing a small recessed button on your unit, a hard reset is peformed by doing a soft reset whilst holding down a number of buttons - your manual will tell you the exact ones for your model.
3) If you already have Outlook 2002/XP or later installed then there is no reason to reinstall it.
BTW - welcome to the site
