Have you tried checking the manufacturer's website for updates? A lot of these issues get fixed in patches that most people don't know about. Also check your firewall settings — sometimes they block things they shouldn't.

I learned the hard way to always back up before messing with this kind of thing. Burn a CD-R of anything important first. It takes 10 minutes and could save you from losing everything if something goes sideways.

First thing I'd do is reboot and try again. Sounds dumb but you'd be amazed how many 'tech problems' fix themselves with a restart. If that doesn't work, write down the EXACT error message and search for it — somebody on Experts-Exchange or a Geocities help page has hit the same thing.

Whatever you do, don't pay some 'computer guy' $80/hour to do this. It's a 20-minute job you can handle yourself. There are step-by-step guides all over the web with screenshots. Save your money for a faster modem or more RAM.