I have no problems finding a host but when I connect a lot, if not all of my downloads have speeds of 0 kb. I also have unusually slow downloads when I do get an actual speed.

A well set-up LW can start to continue its dwnlding after it's settled down perhaps 2 out of 3 times you open LW. Optimising LW & Maximising Uplds & Dwnlds A (1st post only) & also Part B which is even better & last & least are search & dwnld hints.

Do this test: Bug Report instructions & sample image And see whether your result is True or False. If it's false, something is blocking LW from having total access. And post back here if it is false.

yes it is false

Can you tell us about your set up.
1. Where are you connecting from (home, school, work, etc.)?
2. What firewalls do you have?
3. What modem (& router) brand name & model number do you use?
4. What Operating System (OS) version do you use?
5. Which version of Limwire (LW) & Java do you use?

1.home
2.sygate but even with it turned off I still have the problem
3.Rca cable modem DCM315 and a linksys router
4.windows xp home edition
5.limewire version 4.2.2

Excellent answers thank you very much. But one detail that could be very important is your linksys router model number. They tend to block many ports! I can give you guides to open a port if you give me a model number. Cheers!

BEFW11S4 version 4

Thanks!! Excellent! Port Forwarding instructions for the Linksys BEFW11S4 V4, BEFW11S4-CA V2 & V4 & read instructions very carefully. You must have a static ip to do port forwarding. Read how to do it. Use Port 6346.

You will also need to force ip within LW which is easy: Force IP instructions & sample image

I still cant get a stable download, But ive noticed something further. My downloads do connect but they count down as soon as they do, ill get a 8 kb download and then it will countdown 1 kb a second until it reaches 0 kb.

Do the Bug Report test again & what does it say? If it still says false then there's still something blocking LW from having total access.

Are you sure you configured all your firewall s for LW's total access including your XP firewall.? See instructions here: http://www.limewire.com/english/content/firewalls.shtml

How many incomplete files do you have?
Are you in the habbit of using the Resume function? This can be quite effective, however, as a general rule, it should not be applied to too many files at once, else you're going to have files queuing for much, much greater lengths of time & it can play havoc with your connection quality.

There's something else you can try. Make a note of all your settings in LW. Then close the program & delete the LW Preferences folder called .limewire It's found here: C:/Documents And Settings/your_username/.limewire You will need to reset all your options again after deleting this folder. Which version of Java are you using?