My internet connection slowed down so much it was taking up to 2 mins for pages to load, and mostly they didn't load at all. Pinging domain names resulted in time outs. I tested my connection and had an internet download speed of 86 Kbps this morning which is just a joke.
I knew it was not my WIFI at fault as my iPad connection was just fine. I'd installed Spybot +AV Home edition 10 days ago which is why I didn't think that this program was at fault. However now I've completely uninstalled it and rebooted, everything is back to normal!
I'd been using the free edition of Spybot for years and was very pleased with it. It always ran quickly and always found things that my regular antivirus software never picked up. I'm sorely disappointed with the commercial edition including antivirus. I'm quite happy to forget my $9.99 and keep that horrible software off my laptop for good, but thought I'd tell you about this negative experience - thought you'd appreciate the feedback.