have you tried using both the aol and aim servers?
I sometimes find one stops working for no reason and have to switch to the other
also try options on which version of your e-mail address you use:
e.g.
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected] should all work, but sometimes one will stall while the others get through
note - any of the e-mail variants can be used with either server
and your comment re Windows 8 seems valid
The Register reported this morning that only 2% of world computers are using it, for Win7 after the similar period the figure was 5% - and if I remember correctly, Win7 was released mid-year, not for the Xmas rush as Win8 was