thanks.

no - nothing has changed - i just happened to notice it wasn't there when i had noticed before, but it didn't make any difference at all in terms of downloading. At best I get 3 green bars but it makes no difference essentially. I am currently able to search okay but that's it (I've got 4 bars now as well!!).

i've followed the link you kindly provided, and i did my best to understand (not very well!) everything but just got really confused.

dangerously, i tinkered about a bit and at some point, at some advanced settings on internet connections (on the router methinks) there are two limewires. oh, i just thought - my pc's aren't networked but each have limewire on so i guess that answers that question.

the router is attached physically to the other pc (than the one i'm having problems on). That PC is using Limewire 4.12.6 and Java 1.5.0_06.

It seems logical to me then that the problem isn't with router but either with the connections on this PC or the version of Limewire on here. That said, I'm sure if it's a general issue it would be a known one bcos everyone using it would be having it. I just mean that perhaps for some reason it doesn't 'agree' with my settings or something.

Does any of that seem feasible?