I am on Limewire, connected, and trying to search. I tried searching for what I was looking fo but got no response. Now I see under Search a button labelled "Direct Connect" and it is printed above that that "Your computer is behind a firewall or router and cannot receive direct connections." I have ZoneAlarm and Limewire is permitted on all settings there, I have a router. I cannot seem to get Limewire to work. Any suggestions?

Did you configure your firewall so it allows LW full access (advisable not to have 2 active firewalls b/c they can interfere with each other); Firewall configuration instructions (click on link)

To disable win XP's firewall: go to the control panel, double click on Windoze Firewall, check the disable box

Do this test: Bug Report instructions & sample image Is the result True/False?
If true then you're fine. If false then either a firewall is not properly configured or your router uses NAT firewall but not UPnP abilities or your ISP provider is blocking port 6346.

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?

Can you give us a total desciption of your set up:
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?
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.
These details are vital if you want us to find out what your connection problem is.

Is file sharing using any p2p programs legal or illegal?

File sharing depends on several things: are the files copyright, patented, etc. Which country, or state since all have their own laws re: sharing copyright material.