Computer issues

All right, I'm ready to bash my Internet connection flat, with something large. Asteroid, perhaps.

It's been like this for a week or so. Constant time-outs, repeated use of the Reload button, scores of Page Load Errors, Address not Found, random disconnects by the modem. It's made my online time about half as productive as a bad day, which is why I've got 900+ unread emails in my Yahoo inbox. I'm expecting that I'll have to try to post this at least three times, given the "Could not contact Blogger.com" that I see on the screen already.

I thought I had it fixed. I deleted a Firefox toolbar that I installed a week or so ago. I deleted the 12MB photo that someone emailed to a list I'm on, which was clogging up my email download. I also found out that my local dial-up modem number had changed (WHY don't they tell people when they change the dial-in number???????). Seemed to be fixed last night, but right now it's back to abnormal. Sigh.

Other theories - AT&T/Prodigy is having issues that they won't fess up to. Or they've oversold the capacity of the local modem pool. Possible spyware on the PC, in spite of an expensive subscription to McAfee, which I'd check if I could get to a website to check with. Issues with the modem itself, which is fairly new.

Either way, I'm ready to smack something. I don't get a lot of focused internet time (thanks to El Burrito and "real life"), and spending what time I do get hitting Reload endless times is trying the little patience I have left.

Gah.