Use a different browser. That should fix your getting to them consistently problem.
I use these settings and they work great
Pool 1 stratum+tcp://mint.bitminter.com:3333
Pool1 Worker Username_workername
Pool1 Password x
Pool 2 mint.bitminter.com
User and password are the same.
I also use google as my DNS server.
I'll give it a try with the Stratum pool address and the underscore between my user name and worker but I don't know if a different browser will help me with the login issue. I've tried it with Chrome and Internet Explorer and still no luck. Any other advice on that front?
And what do you mean by using Google as your DNS server?