1) you are running 98 on one of your computers in your office. Im assuming here these computers are on a network 2) You are using cable to connect to the internet. 3) You have AOL as your ISP which you use for office email, but once you are connected you 4) cannot browse the web with the IE Explorer (version 5 then 6) because it is slow (1 min) to open? Is this correct so far? And when you scandisk, 5) it's hanging/freezing about 1/2 way...is this correct? Is Outlook involved here at all?
If all the afore mentioned are correct, except for Outlook...then I would have to say that the downloaded version of IE Explorer was corrupt, which upon installation caused some additional problems. Completely uninstall the IE Explorer (if you had IE on your machine before, it will revert back to the original IE before any upgrades were done,) then I would use the cd for installation. You didn't mention that you had any other problems with your computer other than the slow (and though one minute may seem slow it has a lot of variables depending on the time of day you are using it, ie how many people are on the cable at that moment etc) starting of IE Explorer, and now the scandisk freeze. I am assuming you have defraged because that is what opens the pages faster, among other things. Yet using the AOL browser, it is instantaneous? (He he..that's the first time I have ever heard that about AOL) This would make me think the IE explorer is corrupted/damaged. As far as yourscandisk goes...I would start the computer and right before it shows windows on the screen hold down the control key and it should show you a DOS screen ..choose the save mode and then when it loads windows, it will load the diagnostic mode to help you troubleshoot the prob.,if it finds one. You may want to go to DOS and run scandisk from there.
