Browsing gets stuck half way thru loading

[msammut]

I am using both Firefox and IE6. I can browse to my homepage, but when I type the URL, the bottom right indicator goes halfway to indicate that it is loading. It sits at the halfway mark for days if I let it and the page never loads. On the bottom left corner of the screen it always says 'waiting for

http://www.website

name.com', regardless of which website I browse to . Sometimes I can browse to frequently visited sites, like this one, but when I click on a link, or the submit button I get a 'page not found' message, or, it just says 'Done' on the bottom left to indicate the page has finished loading but the screen is blank. Nothing loads. I have used Sympatico Security Services to check for virus's and spyware. I have removed all offline content, history, cache., defragmented...but this still occurs. Also, if I leave my PC for an hour or so, I get about 20 popups although I have a pop up blocker. It is now happening on my second PC also. Any ideas.