[vpn-help] new user, fairly baffled

[Howard Spindel]

I'm trying to setup a VPN that will allow me to connect in to my home 
network (with a Netgear DG834Gv4 facing the internet) from a Windows 7 laptop.

Can anyone provide a cookbook for setting the Netgear VPN settings 
and ShrewSoft VPN client that would enable the two to connect?  I've 
been tearing my hair trying all sorts of combinations, but can't get 
anything to work.  The VPN trace on the Win 7 laptop shows three 
attempts to send phase1 packets before it hits "resend limit exceeded 
for phase1 exchange" and aborts.

I am a computer programmer with 30 years experience and lots of 
networking experience, but I can't figure this one out!

Thanks,
Howard

Netgear policy page looks like this right now:

Remote VPN Endpoint: Dynamic IP address
Local LAN: IP address is set to my local subnet
Remote LAN: IP address is set to "Single PC - no subnet"
IKE direction: responder only (only choice allowed)
Exchange mode: Main mode (only choice allowed)
DH group: auto
Local ID type: WAN IP address
Remote ID type: FQDN
Encryption algorithm: 3DES
Authentication algorithm: auto
Using a pre-shared key for authentication