something basic but solid

-business environment
-8 lan ports + wireless
-usb printer sharing without bloatware
-vpn a bonus but not required
-DDWRT capability a bonus but not required

reliability is #1 criteria. we have a fgew shared network drives and its a PITA to have all users close all documents across the network when the router needs rebooted.

right now we have a linksys that loses the ability to get on the internet when someone uses youtube (no im not kidding)

The 8 LAN ports requirement makes this tricky, but if you can use a separate switch Buffalo make several decent routers that come with ddwrt out of the box. Otherwise have a look at Mikrotik routerboards.

Get a good 8+ ports switch.

Those things are dime a dozen and already generally very reliable. This should fix your restart issues even if you keep your current router.

Edit: oh right, forgot about the youtube issue. That's really peculiar. If it can't be fixed with a firmware upgrade, then grab a new router too along with your switch purchase. As for model recommendation, I checked with dd-wrt when I purchased mine. They maintain a good database of compatible routers.

I have a wrt54g which has worked continuously since its release (5+ yrs?) And also have had good luck with asus and dlink routers.

What model router do you have at the moment?

I have known Linksys power supplies to get weak and cause problems on a heavy load. Check the voltage on the power supply before you throw it out. A different PSU solved my slow connection problems.

Also I argee, you will be better with a good quality switch first before looking at routers.

Since when did a Black & Decker come with 8 ports, VPN and DDWRT!