Linksys WRT54GL dropping connections

Hi all,

Here is a description of my setup:

I have a modem, some generic Cisco modem that is working just fine.

I have a Linksys WRT54GL wireless router.

Plugged directly into the router is a Windows 7 64-bit PC.

And a whole variety of devices connect to it wirelessly, including:

A laptop.
An iPhone.
An iPod touch.
Gaming consoles.
Etc.

For a year or so, the router worked just fine. A month ago, however, it started to randomly drop connections and would require a manual reset (unplugging and re-plugging in the router), after which, everything could connect once again. Even plugging the laptop directly into the router would not work, and a manual reset was still required. And, sometimes, when I turn on the Windows 7 PC in the morning, even though it is plugged directly into the router, it can't get online.

I have read maybe half a dozen threads on various tech forums complaining about this same issue with this same router and it seemed like even installing open-source firmware (DD-WRT or Tomato) onto it would not fix it. So I bought a new router and it's waiting in the wings if I get the word that this one isn't worth fixing.

But I noticed today that the router may only start to drop connections when I shut down my PC. I have also gotten messages on rare occasion about IP address conflicts.

Does anyone have any insight to share?

Is my router having problems assigning IP addresses to these devices?