Dial-up dilemmas - icon but no access

We're still on dial-up in northern Vermont (we went from 50 mbps to 28.8 when we got our new computers, presumably because of old telephone lines and new modems). Sometimes it's tolerable, but quite often, even though the icon in the tray shows a connection, the computer somehow goes offline and we have to "disconnect" and start again. Sometimes that works, sometimes we have to do it several times. I have a Dell laptop, my husband has an HP desktop, both running XP (mine Pro).

I can usually get my email and most internet pages eventually, if I don't try for video. But lately he can't even get email (he uses Thunderbird). That and sometimes Internet searches is all he uses the computer for, so there is plenty of space on the hd and he really doesn't agitate the system much, just checks his mail a couple of times a day. We both have Webroot Internet Security Essentials anti-virus, which I think is overkill for him at least (it takes so long to load!), but it doesn't show any viruses or malware.

What can he do?? Thanks for any ides!

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