Roger re the modem/router - I hadn't realised it was an all-in-one unit. That being the case, you won't be able to bypass the router.
You mentioned AOL somewhere - is AOL your internet service provider?
Having Googled your error messages, the one common thread that comes up is, it seems to be wholly AOL-based (though using IE usually fixes the problem, but not in your case). A call to AOL Customer Support may solve the problem?
Green Granit - indeed you did. Sorry, forgot about that one.