Limewire 5.5.14 Connection Issue
 

Hi,

I'm new to Limewire as of yesterday, but not to P2P software and setup itself. I also currently use uTorrent and eMule without trouble, but unfortunately I can't seem to get Limewire to cooperate.

Here are the details relating to my install, very similar to another recent post.

1. OS Version: Windows 7

2. Firewalls: SonicWall TZ-170, Windows Firewall DISABLED

3. How much RAM: 4GB

4. Hard Disk Space: ~50 GB free of 250 GB

5. Connection Type: Broadband

6. Modem & Router - Brands & Models: PC --> hub --> firewall --> Rogers Modem (Motorola SB5101 SURFboard Cable Modem)

7. Connecting from: House, private home network

8. Limewire & Java versions: Limewire 5.5.14, Java 1.6.0_21

9. Internet Service Provider: Rogers

10. Test Link:
Internet Explorer could not connect to conntest.limewire.com:6346
Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at conntest.limewire.com:6346.

11. Sharing with other computers, etc.?: I am the only computer running Limewire, on a 5 computer wired network

12. First Try/Experienced: First try with Limewire, but experienced with firewall config and P2P.

13. b) How many red/green/grey bars: Five grey bars next to "Connecting.." at the bottom left hand side of the screen.

Note: It says to check Tools>Advanced Tools to see if I'm behind a firewall or not, but on that screen there is no status displayed.

14. Router Set-up Port Forwarding or UPnP: Manual port forward to port 65000 (I've tried a few different port numbers in the suggested range)

15. Security Programs: McAfee antivirus & Windows Defender

16. Country: Canada

17. Any Recent Changes?: Nothing recently other than installing Limewire


NOTE:
I have tried deleting the preferences directory
I have tried uninstalling/reinstalling Limewire
I have disabled all performance options and OOB searching
I have tried deleting the gnutella.net file
I have uninstalled java then installed the latest version
I have tried changing the listening port
I have successfully telnet'ed into port 65000 to verify it's open
I have installed FrostWire, but haven't been able to connect with it either
I have NOT opened the "BitTorrent Ports (6881 to 6889)" on my firewall as I couldn't find any specific information on them being required in the forum
I successfully open/use a variety ports on my firewall for various software and games and am quite familiar with portforward dot com
I have scoured the forum for as many different troubleshooting ideas as I can find, but have not found the magic yet.

Any help/thoughts greatly appreciated!

Redoc

It seems that you have tried most things and are a very experienced person.

However, have you tried to connect LW (and FW) without your firewall, i.e. turned off, if only for a few minutes.

See how you get on.


UK Bob

Bob,

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm away for a couple days on an unplanned business trip, but will have a go at it when I get back and will let you know the outcome.

In the meantime I have a friend who is taking a look at the firewall to make sure I didn't miss anything and to double-check that everything is set up properly and not blocking anything required by LM.

Success!
 

It took a couple tries and a little troubleshooting, but I have it working.

I needed to do 2 things to make it work, over and above allowing traffic through port 65000 (the port I have selected in Limewire).

1. I opened port 6346 TCP & UPD for inbound & outbound traffic.

• This is the port required for the 'port test' from #10 on the "provide your system details" page on this site, but I didn't see that it was documented as being required to be open for use with Limewire

2. I ran Limewire with ALL ports open on my firewall (i.e. similar to Bob's suggestion of going through the DMZ) until Limewire connected for the very first time

• Once Limewire connected successfully the first time like this, I then restricted my connection back to only port 65000 and 6346, and Limewire still connects successfully.

I've repeated this same process now on 3 different PC's on the network, and each one of them did require both steps #1 & #2 for Limewire to work. If I skip step #2, Limewire doesn't seem to want to connect the first time, regardless of reboots, reinstalls, deleting folders, etc., almost as if it needs to initialize on some other port the first time. Coincidence? Requirement? Not sure...

One other thing I noticed...

While I had ALL ports on my firewall opened, Limewire connected with a "Full Connection", but as soon as I restricted it to ports 65000 and port 6346, I now only get a "Medium Connection". Does this mean there are other ports that I should have open to get a better connection? Is there a resource that will tell me *every* port that needs to be open for Limewire?

Each pc running LW should use a different port. In general, a router will reserve one port per computer & per application (& per account also if both run at same time or same boot session.)

Thanks for the info...I've updated the firewall and LW to use specific ports for each computer.

However, I still see the same symptoms I mentioned previously, where having ALL ports open for the PC gives me a 'Full Connection' in LW, but as soon as I restrict it to the PC-specific port along with 6436 I only get a 'Medium Connection', and I've noticed on occassion that I lose the connection all together for periods of time, whereas with all ports open the connection stays full, all the time.

I see BitTorrent ports (6881 to 6889) listed in the Tools | Options | Advanced --> Listening Ports options. Do these need to be open on the firewall as well and/or are there any other ports that need to be open to get a 'Full Connection'?