After taking Mack 56's advise of 14th Feb. and finding it worked I now find that it only worked on two occasions and doesn't any more, alas.
Problem is that when I start a search a message appears reading "Limewire currently connecting to the internet. Your search may not return many results until you are fully connected to the network" The search carries but yields no results.
The connection quality shows "you are currently connected to the network" (not strongly connected) and the firewall status shows "Limewire has detected a firewall".
I have tried with windows firewall switched off and Nod32 anti-virus both on and off all with same result.
Seems as though I have another firewall I didn't know about?
System details:-
1.Windows XP
2. Windows (AOL switched off)
3. 512mg
4. 96gig
5. BB
6.BT105 modem
7.house
8.Limewire 4.16.6 Java 1.6.0_03
9.AOL
10.worked
11.no
12.new problem/experienced user(well,fairly often)
13 yes
14. UPnP
15 NOD32 (tried both on and off) 16. UK.

Any help would be appreciated before I cut my losses and head for Pirate Bay!