Most MS Server OS come out of the box with that shitty "MS Enhanced Internet Security" turned on. In 2008 R2, I think you turn it off by going into Server Manager Console, that annoying page that pops up on each administrator login (that you probably disabled after startup by now). It's a good idea to turn off enhanced security, cause then you can install things from network locations, which make life easier, especially in the sandbox.
Also, until you run dcpromo and start using R2 for DHCP\DNS, you need to point it to your Netgear for DNS, in the same spot where you set up the static IP for it. Let us know if that helps.
True test of connectivity - ping something outside of your router. Like
www.google.com.