Hey Alan,
I have been using GC for last three months, since I bought a new home PC, and have not had any of the problems you describe. I am on the OGR online forum quite a bit and have not had any problems with GC there or any other sites. You might want to check your settings for GC and make sure that everything is set-up to your liking. Click on the little wrench in the upper right hand corner and take a look at your settings.
Jim