Hi there, I'm new here, so please be gentle...

I have been running Bearshare successfully for a couple of years now, not just on my pc but also on the other 2 pcs on my home network. Recently Bearshare on my PC refused to connect, although its ok on the other 2, so I reckon its not the isp or network connection. I decided to try limewire, see if it would work. It did, then after a few days it started doing the same. I uninstalled it, reinstalled Bearshare, but it wont connect at all....

Anyone got any ideas?

Who is your ISP?

Such a sudden loss of connection seems to point at the ISP having started to block the ports used by P2P clients.

You could try to configurate LW or BS to a higher port, like 47058, 35248, or 64049.

In LW go Tools>Options>Advanced>Firewall and change the listening port.
In BS go Setup>Connection scroll down where you see the listening port.

But don't forget to configurate your firewall accordingly....
That might help.......

__________________

"Never Argue With An Idiot. They Will Drag You Down To Their Level, Then Beat You With Experience"

I'm with AOL, but if they were blocking ports wouldnt it affect the other pcs on the network?

That's a valid point,....seems I missed the line where you said that the other computers are running fine with both programs........

1. OS version? (eg: Windows 98)
2. What firewalls you have?
3. How much ram?
4. Hard Disk space available?
5. Connection type? (eg: dialup, broadband, cable, etc.)
6. Modem & router brand name & model numbers?
7. Where are you trying to connect from (home, school, work, etc.)?
8. What version of Limewire (LW) & Java do you have? (Go to LW's menu Help>About LW...) Will show both LW & Java version.
9. Who is your isp provider (Internet Service Provider)?
10. Are you sharing the connection with other computers or p2p sharing programs? If yes, please give details of set up.
11. Is this a your 1st try at LW or is this a new problem with an experienced user.
12. Do this simple test for us. Using your browser go here: http://www3.limewire.com:6346/ The page should say 'Your test worked!'. What happens when you go there?

__________________

"Never Argue With An Idiot. They Will Drag You Down To Their Level, Then Beat You With Experience"

1. OS version? (eg: Windows 98)
Windows XP
2. What firewalls you have?
Windows firewall
3. How much ram?
1 gb
4. Hard Disk space available?
68 gb fee on a 80gb HD
5. Connection type? (eg: dialup, broadband, cable, etc.)
2mb broadband
6. Modem & router brand name & model numbers?
Thompson Speedtouch 510
7. Where are you trying to connect from (home, school, work, etc.)?
Home
8. What version of Limewire (LW) & Java do you have? (Go to LW's menu Help>About LW...) Will show both LW & Java version.
Limewire 4.10.9 Pro Java 1.5.0_06
9. Who is your isp provider (Internet Service Provider)?
AOL Platinum
10. Are you sharing the connection with other computers or p2p sharing programs? If yes, please give details of set up.
2 other pcs on a wired network
11. Is this a your 1st try at LW or is this a new problem with an experienced user.
First time with LW, been with Bearshare for a couple of years
12. Do this simple test for us. Using your browser go here: http://www3.limewire.com:6346/ The page should say 'Your test worked!'. What happens when you go there?
Your test worked

Thanks for your help so far, by the way

Do you see a brickwall in front of the small globe in the left bottom corner of the LW window??
If so, it means that you're firewalled.
Do you use the exact setup for LW and BS on the other 2 computers??

Okay, for LW I would reckon you try to delete your " .limewire " preference folder as discribed in this thread (with LW completely closed, i.e. also in the system tray):
Fixes for Limewire when LW isn't operating as it should

For Bearshare, hmm I've just started to use it by myself, what BS version do you use?
Did you try to "Force to become an ultrapeer"?
The function is located at Setup>Service at the bottom (at least it is there in my version).

__________________

"Never Argue With An Idiot. They Will Drag You Down To Their Level, Then Beat You With Experience"

OK, I have tried all the options on the thread you linked to, nothing worked, unfortunately. As for Bearshare, I use an older version, 4.6.0.55. I do have a brick wall in the left bottom corner, I presumed that was the windows firewall, but I havent changed the settings on that

Well, with the firewall in front of the globe, it explains that you can't connect.....
That you haven't changed anything, I believe you, however, since the last update of XP from MS, some things might have changed by itself.
Besides, the router you mentioned has a built-in firewall (according to the infro I googled).
http://www.speedtouch.co.uk/prod510s...menuCurrPos=2.
That means you've to configurate your XP firewall and the one in the router:
Read here on how to do that:
Connections Problems? Look here BEFORE posting!

A tip from me, after you've configurated the firewall, give LW some time to settle down. It can sometimes last between 5-45 minutes until the brickwall disappears (later on it goes faster, maybe 30 sec. - 1 min.)

__________________

"Never Argue With An Idiot. They Will Drag You Down To Their Level, Then Beat You With Experience"

The firewall in the router, would that not affect the other pcs tho? I'm going to read the link now, see what I can do...

Well, they might be configurated to let the two programs pass, but since you haven't answered that question of mine so far, it's hard to predict. However, the brickwall indicates a firewall. Whether the firewall is the one in the router or the built-in of XP, we have to figure out.....
Just read through the thread and try the suggestions there (maybe portforwarding might be necessary ). By the way do you have UPnP enabled (in LW and in the router?)

__________________

"Never Argue With An Idiot. They Will Drag You Down To Their Level, Then Beat You With Experience"