Thanks - I will see what I can do with some of those suggestions. I don't know how to do 2, 4, or 5 so I will be googling them first.
I will try changing the channel, and maybe moving the router and resetting it. I agree about connecting with a wire - I have done that in the past but not for very long. I will try connecting it directly to the router for a long time today.
I really appreciate the help.
I should mention that this problem developed after having my laptop repaired - due to age, the hard drive just had "bad" spots and all my data had to be moved to "good" areas of the HD. Since then, it's been wonky with the wireless.
And nix the proximity bit - that fell apart last night when it didn't matter how close to the router I was. I am beginning to think it's my ISP...