Control Panel > Internet Options > Advanced tab > Multimedia section >
remove checkmarks from 'Play animations in web pages' and 'Play videos in
web pages' and 'Show pictures'. This should make the web noticeably faster
but also less useful since the web is inherently graphical in nature.
An alternative is to install software that blocks advertising from
downloading. I use Super Adblocker and recommend it.
For better or worse, dial-up connections are becoming increasingly
unworkable on the web.