Are uploads working+why slow downloads?

I get 'hits' from other users, but all the files in the 'uploads' column say 0/0. Before that, there used to be only one or two that said 1/1 but not since I made some changes to try and get round a different problem/"Could not move to library".

Also, my downloads are very slow. I have cable, but the average download speed in Limewire is less than 10k with the rare peak to 20k+.
Maybe there's a 'choke' on things, or is it just down to the amount of traffic?

Maybe I'm naive, but I was hoping to get big files in minutes not hours, plus I like the idea of making sure my shared folder is working well.

BTW. I now make a habit of downloading three or four similar copies of big files to better the chance of success. Seems to work, but what a way to go!

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any replies. Cheers.
(Limewire 2.8.5 on Mac OS9.2/G4500DP/1.5GB SDRAM/loads of disk space)