BronxWench

The issue then might be with that specific site. What error message do you get when trying to connect?
Some websites simply can’t handle a lot of traffic, which could be the issue.
You can buy wifi extenders relatively cheaply, and those will extend the range of the equipment in the basement to the upper floors.

To test out the wifi idea, move the laptop to the basement.  Because more stuff in between the wifi router and you, the worse your signal will be.  Suppose another idea… change the wifi password in case neighbors are leeching off of your connection.  A super long ethernet wirte might also be a good way to test (assuming your laptop has the old plugin ethernet port and there’s a spare socket on your router/modem).   For me, I actually do the super long ethernet cable so it’s already there.
A glance to the website fubar (com), I’d suspect they might need tighter latency too, something a hard-line ethernet would be good for.  Something like AFF, latency’s less critical so long as it doesn’t time out.

What is the type?

I have one that’s been having similar problems. What I’ve had to do is get a USB Wifi upgrade. It’s basically a USB that you plug in and it gives you better access… usually.

Also, on Microsoft machines, they allow you to do a reset without deleting any files. However it’s still a good idea to back it up just in case.

Hi, @Deadman.
The new or new-to- @kagome26isawsome USB WiFi adapter might be just what the doctor ordered.
“Factory reset” could be a cold-boot, or wiping out the disk and applying the ‘factory image’ of the computer as of when it was manufactured.  She never said what kind of laptop she’s using. 
Though, mentioning a ‘factory reset’ does imply that her laptop is a consumer Windows or Google machine.  While some ‘gamer’ Windows machines also come with ‘factory-reset’ media, it’s usually assumed that a gamer or corporate IT department has its own ideas on how to load an operating system and such, so they don’t typically bother.  Linux and MacOS computers are their own unique animals, too.
Cheers!

@Desiderius Price and @BronxWench gave you the first steps.  After backing up your story, and anything else you don’t want to lose, then you can check on what’s actually going on.  First, how old is your laptop?  Is it a Microsoft based, Mac based, or Google based computer?  Can it even run the latest version of its operating system?  Is it a ‘gamer,’ ‘corporate,’ or ‘consumer’ laptop?  ‘Consumer’ computers tend to go pear-shaped first, followed by the ‘junk’ corporate, the ‘good’ corporate, and finally the gamer machines when they actually go bad.  This is more pronounced with non-Apple made hardware. 
What browser or browsers do you use?  The problem might be the browser after all.  If you haven’t yet done so, try upgrading your browser to the latest version your computer can actually run.
How do you connect it to the Internet?  Do you connect anything else to the Internet that way?  If so, how are the other devices working?  If you connect via a combo router-interface box like most people do today, you might actually be having problems with that.
If you’re using ‘wireless’ to connect to the router box, ‘something’ you or your neighbors just recently started doing might be causing the problem.  Or, your wireless Network Interface hardware might be starting to go bad.  If that’s the case, the USB replacement, or replacing your existing USB Network Interface with a new one might help.
If you’re actually hard-wired into your router-interface box, you might check the condition of your cable, or try a different socket on the router.  Or, you might try to connect via wireless.
I hope this helps.  Please let us know what you find.
Thanks.

Squirrels, I blame the squirrels, they’re trying to take over.  

If you don’t have any USB sticks available, save the story in Google Docs, which will allow you to retrieve it through your browser. But @Desiderius Price is absolutely right in urging you to back stuff up to an external device like  USB drive. Even desktops can have  failures, so backups are just smart.
The other thing to think about is how old your laptop is. I had an older laptop that worked fine, except for connecting to the internet which it just would not do. The solution for that laptop was to get a USB wireless adapter that let me access the internet, and it worked perfectly.

If you don’t have any USB sticks available, save the story in Google Docs, which will allow you to retrieve it through your browser. But @Desiderius Price is absolutely right in urging you to back stuff up to an external device like  USB drive. Even desktops can have  failures, so backups are just smart.
The other thing to think about is how old your laptop is. I had an older laptop that worked fine, except for connecting to the internet which it just would not do. The solution for that laptop was to get a USB wireless adapter that let me access the internet, and it worked perfectly.

Might not get a Halloween story in this season, but I can get in some funny adverts 

Human Treats is people!

Which is exactly why I follow the sage advice of my father: “Never shit where you eat.”   
 

Which is exactly why I follow the sage advice of my father: “Never shit where you eat.”   
 

Which is exactly why I follow the sage advice of my father: “Never shit where you eat.”   
 

Famous last words…

UPDATE: nephew has a virus so hes home til monday. my mothers Gout acted up. all is good!

@manta2g ok ill poke at you next. lol
@Desiderius Price NO MORE STORY IDEAS! i am still working on the last one!
 

For over $10 per bottle, it would have to be very good, even if those are two liter bottles.  We all have our own pleasures that others don’t appreciate, though.

Next up, a Kinder smuggling ring organized via AFF?   Sounds like a story idea…

Next time you want something uniquely Canadian , poke at me. We can work something out. Though don't ask for kinder eggs, they won't pass US customs. 

Well, if we’re ‘fessing up to silliness here, I do have a set of empty Star Fleet Reserve wine bottles, as well as one from Chateau Picard, and an empty flask of bloodwine.
(The wine was overpriced but the bottles are worth it!)

Well, if we’re ‘fessing up to silliness here, I do have a set of empty Star Fleet Reserve wine bottles, as well as one from Chateau Picard, and an empty flask of bloodwine.
(The wine was overpriced but the bottles are worth it!)

Well, if we’re ‘fessing up to silliness here, I do have a set of empty Star Fleet Reserve wine bottles, as well as one from Chateau Picard, and an empty flask of bloodwine.
(The wine was overpriced but the bottles are worth it!)

$43 is reasonable … if those were 10 gallon bottles.  But yeah, that’s serious money.  (Don’t look at my collection of diet coke two-liter bottles….)

@Deadman no not burning man. there are people out there who are willing to pay for the mountain dew out of the country! It was only two bottles of the honeydew mountain dew. the other two are purple thunder. the shipping is what did me in cuz the seller is from Indiana. 
@BronxWench it is not real sugar but its good