1. Delete the LW Preferences folder called
.limewire (whilst LW is closed!) & found here: Windows NT 4.0 / 2000 / XP: C:/Documents And Settings/your_username/.limewire OR Windows 98 / ME: Your .limewire folder is in "C:\My Documents" (BUT make a note of all your LW settings 1st, b/c after you delete the LW prefs folder you'll need to reset them.)
2. Go to Tools>Options>Searching & maximize your options.
3. After opening LW let it settle before doing anything. Depending on how many shared & incomplete files you have this can take some time. You shouldn't jump straight in & search.
4. Don't use the Resume/Find Sources on many (if any) files. This will result in your files queuing for much much longer & also use up LW's resources.
5. After LW has been open for at least 30 mins do this test:
Bug Report instructions & sample image Is it True/False?
6. * A good idea to make sure you have the latest Java:
Java 1.5 (take the JRE)