First eliminate the chance shift linkage is misaligned. Shift all the way to low, make sure dash display indicates it's in "D", or any other gear. If you're certain it's going into drive, then you either have low tranmission fluid, a bad torque converter, or a bad transmission. A bad transmission doesn't necessarily mean a rebuild, it could just be a clutch pack or solenoid. The best thing to do would be to take it to a shop that specializes in transmissions and have it computer diagnosed and serviced. I'm not entirely clear on your symptoms, if the engine is cutting off when you put it into gear, again that might be a bad TC with a worn lockup clutch. You wrote "all the [dash] lights will come on" which is just a symptom of the engine shutting off. Time to get this car into a shop.
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