If you click on this link... If LW Will Not Connect
... you'll find instructions for finding the gnutella.net file. If deleting that file & then restarting LW doesn't help, that link has more links where you can download a new gnutella.net file. There are instructions for replacing the gnutella.net file.

Make sure that your XP firewall is allowing LW (click on link): PortForward.com - Free Help Setting up Your Windows XP Firewall.

After you deleted LW's preferences folder, did you have to go through LW's setup wizard all over again?

Did you try all of the other fixes in the help thread?

Did you remember to click Apply after changing port numbers? Also, try a few different numbers in the range shown in the 'if LW will not connect' thread. If the port 6346 test doesn't work, it can sometimes mean that an ISP is blocking some ports.

You can also try port forwarding, rather than using UPnP. The instructions are here: Port Forwarding for the Netgear WGT624v3
First, you'll need to set up a static IP address: PortForward.com - Free Help Setting up Your Router or Firewall
LW's listening port, port in the 'manual port forward' box & port forwarded within router config all have to be the same number

I went to the location listed to find the gnutella file and I don't have one.. just 3 empty folders are there under "Limewire" folder. So I went to the sites listed to download the file and the first one can't find the file and the second one says it downloaded it. but I can't find it. Can you tell me where it downloaded it to?

I just found out how to download the gntella.net file, but it is password protected on the site. Can you help with this? The zShare site link to download the file is either out of date or something. No actual page will load from that link.

The file doesn't show as password protected for me Anyway, try this new link (it's definitely not password protected): gnutella.net

The zshare link works fine for me. But - here's another of those as well: zSHARE - gnutella.net

A few other people have said that they didn't even have a gnutella.net file to start with! That's ok - just put one into the LimeWire folder (make sure that LW's properly closed first)

I have found the file: GNUTELLA.EXE and pasted it in the correct location. Limewire was completely closed when I did it. No change in connection.

Now it seems that port forwarding is the next step.
1. I open my program (Limewire) and go to the firewall page and de-select UP&P and select manual port.
2. I select a random number for a port and enter that number.

3. I open my router and click on “Port Forwarding.”
4. I click to ADD and enter my program name – choose TCP/UDP – Enter the same port numbers as above – type in the IP of my computer.
5. Click on APPLY

When I do this my router says that a conflict is present with no clues as to what or where that is. I have never don't this before so I don't know that i am doing everything right. Any help??

Where did you get a gnutella.exe??
None of the files that I uploaded are .exe files... they're just text files (you can open them with Notepad & read what's inside them)!!

Did you set up a static IP address before port forwarding?

Just backtracking a bit - after you originally deleted LW's preferences folder (you said "turned off" but I guess that you mean you deleted the folder), did you have to go through LW's setup wizard all over again?

First: let me say that I thoughyt I was just misunderstanding you when you referenced a "preference file." I can't find an actual file caslled "Preference." Maybe we should start there. Also, this morning I got my IP address for my computer (I'm thinking that is what I'm supposed to do) and I bought the Port Forwarding software and port-forwarded. Everything worked right.. I think. According to the software everything worked well. I then loaded LW and under firewall-chose "manual port forwarding- and entered these ports 1003 and in the listen port as well. then closed LW completely and loaded it again.. still no connection, not even a try to connect is noticable. I'm not very smart on this stuff so thanks for your patience. Tell me what and where to go and I will do it.

If I need to uninstall and start over.. that's easy.

The GNUTELLA that I downloaded and now is in the folder "limewire" is an exe file. When I click on it it loads Limewire. That's right isn't it?

I'm afraid that i have done too much so I uninstalled everything and re-installed from scratch. I undid the port-forwarding also. I now am back to UPnP both in my router and in LW. I went to the location: c:\program files\limewire to try to see a Gnutella file and there isn't one. I went in LW to tools\advanced to find a preference file and there isn't one. I'm going to wait for your reply to tell me exactly what to do first. Give me a path to the preference file you're talking about. Give me a path to the folder that the Gnuteela file is supposed to be in. Thanks

I've got the port-forwarding down now if you want me to do that, but I'm waiting for your advice to begin.