I wasn't saying you were being impatient & not giving LW enough time to connect...honest! I was surprised at how long my old version took to connect

Try going file > disconnect. Leave it for 5 mins, then file > connect.

Are you using any of the connections patches for SP2?
http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showpo...56&postcount=4

Try deleting LW's preferences folder when LW's properly closed. Check out point 2 in the thread below for the location.
Fixes for LimeWire

You could also try Java 6 if you like. Use the offline JRE installer here. Remove all of your old Java versions before you install the new one.
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

If you've saved the 4.8.1 installer...download the latest LW basic & see if that connects. Installing a new LW will automatically remove the old version, so if you don't have the 4.8.1 installer, you'd lose that version. I have the basic version but I don't have a Pro that I could send you.

If none of this works & you don't want to lose the version you have, try changing ports. Use a port like 64049, or any one in the range of 49152 - 65535. Remember, if you change ports you'll also have to change any specific ports allowed thru a software firewall & ports forwarded thru a router