Is it possible that there is something on my computer that could be causing this?

I just ditched MSN dial-up for this problem and have switched to a local ISP that a lot of my friends seem to be happy with. (They aren't experiencing the problem.) The problem is this: Once or twice a day I have trouble logging on. The problem will last for 30 minutes to two hours. Most of the time the computer will dial and after it starts verifying user ID and password, it disconnects and tells me that the server took too long to send a response. (Or something worded very close to that.) The other problem is that sometimes it tells me that my User ID and password could not be verified.

I know my user id and password are always right. I've got them saved and never change thier values. Normally, I'd say it's a problem with the ISP. Hence the reason I ditched MSN. However, my new provider is doing the same thing and all the people I talk to who use this one also have not noticed the same problem.

My question is this: Is there something I may have "dorked" up on my machine? Possibly something about logon settings or something. What makes this a little trickier is that I've used the "Automatic Configuration Utility" from my new ISP that sets everything up for you if you enter your User ID and Password during install.

If you really get into the answer for this, my ISP's page can be found at <a href="http://www.xmission.com" target="_blank">www.xmission.com</a> I'm currently surfing thier site looking for an answer, I just thought that the vast experience and knowledge of the folks here at WinDrivers may be able to shed some light on this problem. Thanks in advance and ANY help is appreciated.