First of all I’m having a really hard time connecting to the internet. It keeps connecting at the wrong speed. It took me at least two dozen tries to connect. Then when I do connect it downloads websites really slowly, even the e-mails are slow. I’ve tried defragging, I’ve tried scanning the disk, I’ve tried scanning for viruses, I’ve tried cleaning up the disc. These things will work for a day or two then the problems come right back again. Anything else I can try? I’ve got Windows ME.
If you can get the problem to go away and come back I doubt you have a hardware issue. Try running ADAWARE and SPYBOT. Both are available for free and should be easy to find with a google search.
Well, your connection speed has a big effect on how fast you’re able to load web pages, so if that is your major problem, I’d concentrate on correcting that first. If the problem seem to happen during peak hours, then your ISP may be overloaded.
Check your phone lines for static. Sometimes a line will only get static in damp weather. That can severely affect your ability to connect and will sometimes prevent you from connecting at all.
Have you changed ISPs lately? Changed modems? Check here http://www.56k.com/trouble/connect.shtml for a troubleshooting guide for your modem. Give it a quick read - you might see something that rings a bell.