[Porsche911NYC]

Lately, AOL has not been functioning properly. Log-on speeds are v-e-r-y s-l-o-w, and it boots itself off many times.

Here's my set-up: brand new state-of-the-art Dell 8200 series desktop w/ 1.8GHz Pentium 4 chip, AOL v.6.0, standard V90/56K modem (have had this for a few months with no problems).

Problem: Have always been able to log-on at a speed of 48,000-53,000 bps; now only 16,800-19,200 bps. Have tried new access numbers to no avail.

Dilemma: Have had AOL for many years with relatively no problems, and would hate to give up my AOL e-mail addresses that everyone already has. Plus, there are not many ISP's with a history of reliability.

DSL & Cable is out of the question as my company was hurt by the WTC attack; have to be extra frugal financially these days - will still be another 19-23 months before I'm back to where I was on Sept. 10th.

Any suggestions?