I think John is somewhere between the mastermind and the custodian of both BricxCC and NQC. A few years ago, the original creators walked out the door and threw John the keys. They may have been laughing at the time. John turned it into a multi-use set of tools. He will be able to help solve your problem.
One other strange question: What kind of lights do you have in your room? If they are fluorescent, I would suggesting getting a small box, like a shoebox, and putting it over the Tower & RCX when downloading.
Steve