Any free antivirus to recommend?

Windows does not come with the drivers necessary to configure and use all network / WiFi, Internet connection hardware. Download the drivers for your computer on another machine and move them by Thumb drive to the computer to be configured, install them and generally you will be back online in a jiffy.

If you are a Retainer or R-Care customer of mine, that is normal. The update process is managed, and you have not need to concern yourself with updates. For everyone else, the first place I would look is the virus or malware protection to ensure downloads are not restricted. In my opinion it is best to keep up with updates. :)