Colin,
Download times vary according to the speed of your internet connection. Although you may have, say, a 56K modem, you will find that your actual connection speed varies. If it's anything like mine it could be anything from 28,000 to 44,000 kps, depending on the time of day/amount of traffic on your ISP etc.
Obviously, if you've got a broadband, ISDN or cable modem connection your connection speeds will be faster.
One good way to combat the annoying problem of interrupted downloads is to get hold of a utility like GoZilla. This enables you to resume interrupted downloads from where you left off.
Gozilla can be downloaded free from
www.downloadgozilla.com. It takes about 10-15 minutes to download on a normal 56K modem. Also have a look at
www.zdnet.com for other useful utilities.
Cheers
Lord Summerisle