I have to agree that the search results have suffered since upgrading to 2.9.8. previously with 2.8.x, if I upped my connection above 6, I would generally find what I'm looking for. Now I get almost nothing. Even on the simple searches. I seriously think you need to revisit the connections option.

Get this: I have 500+ files shared on my computer. It's up 24x7. My freind does a search and does not get a hit for anything on my PC. Is something wrong with this picture?