Connect to Limewire fine but download @ 1k??
 

Hi I'm having problems with my Limewire, even Kazaa Lite Ressurection is doing the same thing. I connect just fine, search results come up fast (I'm on DSL) but when I go to download it hangs around 0k-1k sometimes touching 2k for a brief second. Any ideas what's wrong? It's really annoying! Any help would be great thanks! :)

i have the same problem but no one in this dam forum responds...

see http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...692#post138692

Re: Connect to Limewire fine but download @ 1k??
 

And I thought I was the only one having this problem. It is really annoying. Mine goes something like 0k-1k blink a few times and will get back to zero in no time. After going through the same motion for some hour or so, total amount of data build up is around 3-4%.

I did not encounter such problem before.Once the connection is successful, the download will just proceed accordingly. Nowadays it is different.Sometimes on successful connection, the word downloading is displayed without any further progress. The Ok bytes just stays idle. However at times, I do get a speed of 20k-25k like this morning for certain songs only.
In the afternoon, it is the same old problem 0k-1k.

Something is wrong somewhere. I have this question. Being a layman, I wonder whether there is any improvement if I download again the Basic from some other countries other than United States. Wonder whether it would help. The language may be foreign initially as I remember it is possible to change language in the menu . My question is whether it will speed things up.

Can anyone please advise.

First off let me thank the Admins for answering as many queries as you do, it is appreciated as I am sure it becomes quite repetitive.
I am having the same connectivity problems as mentioned above and after searching through the forums here and trying several of the mentioned fixes have not been able to remedy it. I have tried different computers, disabling firewalls, re installation, reset my router and modem, and everything else I could think of that was not mentioned already on the forums. I then called my ISP tech support to see if they recently started blocking / filtering any ports to which they replied no to. Before I mentioned anything about a P2P network the techie advised me that he had personally had about 20 calls over the last few days regarding my same problem and the next thing he said was that Lime Wire seemed to be having some problems. (I had not said anything about Lime Wire).
I, as several others by the looks of it, would greatly appreciate any effort put into checking the network for a connection problem as soon as possible. Thanks in advance.

same problem here!! and i left the laptop running through the night, as i had a very good connection of 40kb/s and above just before i slept.

to my horror, 8 hours later, only 10% was downloaded!! and for the whole of today, it never ever hit double digit connection speeds.

pleeease fix the problem soon as i'm desperate for desperate housewives.

limewire rocks!!

First of all, let's thank Steif for putting a lot of effort with many people at the moment. Idon't know if any of this will help but here goes:
1) it would seem that if the host from which you are d/loading is busy, then that slows things down.
2) if the host is a modem connection, then that certainly slows things down regardless of your connection.
3) if the host goes offline and shuts down the PC, then you PC has to find another host to d/load from. That could take ages.
4) if your a modem user, save what you spend on your phone calls and buy a faster service. I never d/load from a modem and found a way to stop modems uploading from me. They slow down everyone else. Sorry, but that's fact.

Ok. After spending hours searching the forums here and on other p2p sites I have another question regarding this topic. I saw another thread on here somewhere (forgive me but I forgot exactly where) that was dealing with connection issues and I think it LOTR that advised to check the bug reports under the options menu to see if 'Received Incoming this session' had a response of 'true' or 'false'. I see that mine says 'false' and that it could be attributed to a firewall issue. I am wondering if this is the problem and if the other posters here have the same result in their bug report.
As stated before in this thread, I have no problems making the initial connection to LW, have an excellent to turbo charged Quality and my searches give fast results but when it comes to downloading I am at 0 to 1 KB/s. I am on a cable modem using Norton Internet Worm protection (which I have checked and ensured Lime wire / Gnutella is allowed, even disabled Norton in an attempt to find the problem) and I have Win XP Sp2 (Firewall disabled). I have had these same seetings for some time now and only recently began having these problems, I haven't made any changes that I recall to cause this negative change in LW's D/l behavior. My point is, is the 'false' reading I get under bug reports causing the problem, and are any of the other posters here getting the same reading (go to tools, options, bug reports-view example), and about half way down the page look for 'Received incoming this session'---------True or false next to it?

same

[for 'Received incoming this session'---------True or false next to it? [/B][/QUOTE]
Mine is true but I'm having exactly the same problem as you are facing.

:mad: Getting a bit FRUSTRATED here...

Use the link Stief gave you & try out the magnet link. If you get faster speeds via downlding the magnet link then the issue could be with the sources you choose. Try to choose those that have multiple sources under the # column & 3 or 4 stars from the search results.

If you have configured your firewall ( http://www.limewire.com/english/content/firewalls.shtml ) & still getting a False bug test report for incoming then please supply the following information:
1. OS version? (eg: Windows 98)
2. What firewalls you have?
3. How much ram?
4. Hard Disk space available?
5. Connection type? (eg: dialup, broadband, cable, etc.)
6. Modem & router brand name & model numbers?
7. Where are you trying to connect from (home, school, work, etc.)?
8. What version of Limewire (LW) & Java do you have? (Go to LW's menu Help>About LW...) Will show both LW & Java version.
9. Who is your isp provider?
10. Is this a your 1st try at LW or is this a new problem with an experienced user.

I've been using LW for months with no problems at all with good download speeds (2 mb/s connection). Then this week, all of sudden I now have the same problem, I get around 5 kb/s download speeds spread across everything that's trying to download.

I've read a lot on these forums, checked ports and anything else it might be. Virus software is up to date and it's not reporting anything. Only thing I can think of is the ISP, anyone know of any problems with Tiscali in the UK?

Help appreciated!!!

I am aware Tiscali in some European countries are applying filters to slow down p2p share programs. I don't know if this applies in UK. Once they detect someone using large amounts of bandwidth, they apply the filters. They would be unlikely to admit to it though.

If things have all of a sudden gone awry then you could try deleting your LW Preferences folder whilst LW is closed; instructions here: Fixes for Limewire If that doesn't fix it then ... it could be your isp provider if it continues to persist to be a problem.

Try the magnet links Stief was refering to in his link. If you get slow speeds with those files then you know there's definitely a problem!

(ISP's known to BLOCK or Filter p2p or specifically Limewire)

First, thank you for responding to this thread LOTR, I hope that you have the time to continue to help us here.
I have tried the link that Stief provided (thanks Stief btw) and attempted to Download one of 'The Scene' episodes. While connected to the network as 'Turbo charged' and receiving the D/L from 4 users my rate was still at 0-1 KB/s. My bug report still shows a 'False' reading from the Incoming / Received list item. I have already edited my preferences to disable the start up tips, deleted my .limewire folder (correctly)..re installed Java and L/Wire, disabled the XP firewall (had been disabled for a while now since I use Norton Worm protection) and disabled Norton. I edited my preferences to show only 3&4 star results from a Cable / DSL connection or higher. I have used Lime Wire for at least 6 months now and love the program, never had a bit of trouble until recently; always had no problem connecting, downloads were fast and had no complaints at all. I am still a fan and supporter of the program, I wouldn't be trying so hard (and getting frustrated) to fix it if I didn't. Again, anyones help with this is appreciated. Here are the specs you requested:

1)Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2
2)The Firewall that was included in SP 2 (Disabled)
Norton AV 2005 with Internet Worm Protection
3)512 MB of RAM
4)16.8 GB of free space on the HDD (out of 80)
5) Cable Modem
6) Surfboard Model SB4100 Cable Modem
Belkin Router- Model# F5D5230-4
7) I connect at Home
8) My Lime Wire is Version 4.8.1
Java2 1.5.0_02
9) My ISP is Waycross Cable Co.
10) I have been using LW for over 6 months, no problems until recently.

I will be awaiting any help anxiously!! Thanks!

Not sure why you should all of a sudden have speed problems. Sounds a bit suspicious.

Let's do some speed tests. Do a couple to be sure. 1. http://www.adslguide.org.uk/tools/speedtest.asp & 2. Choose your area: http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/speedtest/

See http://www.wayxcable.com/support.html#1

Good idea to disable your XP firewall. XP firewall & Norton FW have been known to interfere with each other. Configuration for Norton FW see: Configuring Norton Internet Security

I don't know whether your Belkin router uses UPnP or not. If you know you can tell us. But I am aware it may require a port to be forwarded (may be why you're getting a False incoming bug test report.)

If you do decide to forward a port on your belkin you will 1st need to set up a static ip in order for it to work correctly.

1. Set up a Static ip. 2. Forward port 6346; see: Guides for the Belkin F5D5230 which also explains how to set up a static ip. 3. Within LW: Manual port forward instructions & sample image & 2 posts after that.

By the way, did you try deleting your LW preferences folder. This can sometimes make a difference.

Also, is your modem set up for USB or ethernet. USB can have issues b/c it may draw power from the computer, utilise the comp's cpu, & struggle with heavy traffic depending on brand & model & usb type.

I didn't see a policy paper on your isp so I'm not sure about their attitude with p2p. If I remember, I'll see if I can find it tomorrow.

I performed the tests you advised me to; here are the results:

ADSL result: Down at 582 Kbps (72.8 KB/sec)
Up at 351 Kbps (43.9 KB/sec)

T1 shopper result:
Down at 1841 Kbps
Up at 352 Kbps

I have already contacted my ISP inquiring as to the p2p port to which they advised me that they did not have any blocks or filters in place.

Edit: Limewire is permitted access through Norton, I have also tried accessing LW with Norton disabled with no effect.

I will check on the router using Upnp and look into port forwarding and advise of the results.

Regarding the LW preferneces folder, I deleted the .limewire folder in my documents, is that the one you are referring to? I didn't see one that said 'preferences' specifically.

My modem is ethernet and set up accordingly. I am going to try editing the settings on my router to see if it helps, but I have already tried making the connection without the router (Modem directly to computer) and had no improvements but I'll give it a shot anyway. I'll let you know what happens asap.

That's right, the .limewire folder is your main LW preferences. Interesting that you got a totally different down result for the 2 speed tests.

(a) How old is your modem & (b) how old is your router?

I wonder if you tried a different port whether that would help. But that might require port forwarding.

From your isp FAQ: Most customers have a bandwidth limit of 2mbps. This doesn't mean you'll get any where close to that speed for actual downloads. You can only download something as fast as the slowest link between you and a server. The readings you get from speed testing sites will vary greatly which is normal. The download speed you obtain depends on network traffic (outside the cable network) at the time your actually downloading the test data. Since this congestion greatly varies, your line speed measured will be different every time. It is normal to receive reported speeds from <100kbps up to >1.5mbps, and an average of slower speeds during peak Internet usage hours.

Your isp Terms of Service

You use a router so I presume you connect more than one computer. How many?

Help with low download speed problem problem.
 

Hey everybody, I too am experiancing the low download rate problem and I think I *May* have found a solution.

According to this site,
http://p2p.weblogsinc.com/entry/0401842428674831/
, the problem lies within the router. You need to set your routers Port Range Forwarding to unblock LimeWire. For instructions just follow the site above.

However, I myself havent really tested this myself due to problems with my own router. Please attempt to fix this using the solution.
~Queeny

oh uh if anyone happens to have information regarding using a SMC7401BRA serial code router, please post it here. Thanks.

SMC7401BRA is a USB modem from what I can see: here & it is also UPnP capable which both suggest port forwarding should not be necessary (& possibly not even able to.) More here & also here. QueenIria do you use any other devices also?

Nothing much other than an ethernet connection system to connect the DSL connection between my com and another.

Shoot... I knew the UPnP might have been a problem. Do you think there might be another solution, possibly Port Triggering?

First let me again remind you LOTR that I appreciate your continuing help and research in this matter, and thanks Queen for the suggestion, I will check that out.

I was a bit shocked at the first test results also, I have never had such low d/l results. I was wondering if it showed so slowly due to the test sites location, I am under the impression that it is not a U.S. site...and then again, that may not have a thing to do with it. I am going to run that test again and see if there is a substantial difference, I'll let you know what I find out.

I have this computer and one other run through my router, both are home use and use the same OS.

As to the age of the modem and router...not really sure. The modem was provided by my ISP and the router was given to me by a friend but I think it is only a couple of years old.

Ok, made a little progress here. I took my router out of the equation (disconnected it) and went straight from the comp to the modem. I now see that I have a reading of 'true' in my bug report under 'incoming this session', so at least we know where that problem is coming from. The bad news is that I still didn't get a d/l speed over 1 Kbps. Oh I also noticed that someone was uploading from me, which is something else that has not happened since my trouble began so I suppose that the router was messing that up to.

I re ran the ADSL test but had similar results to the last test; actually a bit worse this time but I realize that the results are never the same.

I also did another virus / trojan scan, came out clean. I then deleted some older stuff on the comp, giving me another 15 gigs (yes gigs lol) of free HDD space. Defragged again, ran spy bot, Ad aware and cleaned my registry.

Hmm I just remembered, I don't think I have tried using the older version of JAVA....think I should give it a go?
I am going to leave the other computer off and keep the router out of the equation until we are able to find a solution to the problems I am having without it. Once these are worked out I will work on the router.

Yep it looks like port forwarding will be needed for your router. If you use LW on both then you'll need to forward a different port number. 2 computers can't use the same port for same program.

I am surprised about the issue still not being solved once the router was taken out. You're using cable which I believe can be affected by local users (ie: peak time use.) But that doesn't explain the very slow speeds. I would recommend you do your tests for LW using the magnet links Stief recommended. Those have very fast sources.

As for speed tests, yes they can be affected by many things including how many people are using the same test simultaneously, the location, etc. But the link I gave you does give option to try speed tests from different locations.

I tried the magnet link again, same result; wouldn't go above 1 kb. I also tried the older version of Java..no help there (installed them after saving to the comp as opposed to running from the download). The files I am trying to download (audio) are coming from at least 5 users with cable or higher connections. Is there a screenshot of anything in my prefs or bug reports that could help determine the problem? Let me know if there is and I will post whatever is needed.

Try another port within LW. Try a very high port or very low one. Try port 3500, port 20282 & port 80 to see if this makes any difference. Go to Tools>Options>Advanced>Firewalls & change the port no.

I think you can copy paste the bug report. But be careful to keep out personal info like your isp address.

Download Speed Hanging At 1 Kb/S
 

Well I have the same problem as you guys.. last week download speed cranking along reasonable dsl download speed and today... HORROR..a measley 1kbs.. i searched forum for an answers and tried to change proxy etc but no luck.. so I rang my ISP and there was the problem.. I have exceeded my download limit... I may be the only one here who has a limited download but it may also apply to some of you gus out there too

I too have removed my router and replaced it with my ADSL modem, apparently that does not work with me either.

QueenIria what types of speeds did you get with the magnet links that Stief refered to? Have a very close read thru this thread & try out all the ideas suggested. Also check your line speeds with speed tests. May I ask which ISP Provider you go thru. Some isp's are known to filter or block Limewire or p2p use after they detect you using large amounts of bandwidth. Some isp's filter but never admit to it. Why would they admit to secretly limiting your uses of your service that you pay for without having warned you. Let's 1st find out if there's other reasons for the slow downs.

Pleased to say I solved my slow download problem.

I thought back to what I was doing when the problem started to happen. I've seen it mentioned in another thread and I don't know how significant it is, but the night my problems started I had had to re-install I-Tunes.

So I used the Nortons firewall to block I-Tunes from accessing the net and then re-installed LW and now it's back to downloading at the speeds I was running at last week.

Maybe a coincidence, but worth sharing I thought.

Tried the different ports (low and high) with no difference in speeds. I am basically stumped on this. Other programs work fine; such as multi player games, file downloads (non p2p) and general web browsing. I suppose the next thing to try would be a different p2p network, any suggestions? Obvioulsy I am not interested in a pay site since I am only testing here so please limit the suggestions to the basic / free ones. Thanks.

You can try another Gnutella client out to see if it has the same problems.
There's an issue if you're still getting a False bug test report for incoming. I don't know what it is but if you correctly configured your firewall & forwarded a port on your modem/router then it shouldn't give that report of False. Are you sure your XP FW is disabled?

Quote: "A not properly configured router explains the bad search results though. With OOB enabled servents deliver replies directly to the query originator -- and they get stuck at the router. The few results he receives come from legacy clients that do not support OOB."

And from Stief: "I'm guessing the same might apply to downloads, where the packets are dying at the router if the router doesn't support Universal Plug-and-Play, and the users have that option selected in their advanced setup."

I have a suspicion you will definitely need to forward a port. I do not understand why this should be an issue now & wasn't before. I gave instructions earlier I think on port forwarding.

My bug report now gives a 'true' reading, since I took out my router (earlier post) so that issue has already been pinned down in my case. I am still not using the router and wont use it until the source of my D/L problem is found. I again tried a re installation of lime wire; this time I totally wiped everything to do with it by using the uninstall that comes with the program, used Norton after that to wipe all lime wire files from my HDD and then used registry mechanic to wipe it from the registry. Upon a restart after that I down loaded and re installed the program and with fingers crossed gave it another go. Unfortunately my results have not changed.

Despite what the isp people from the front desk told you (often they don't know), there's a chance you're being filtered by a p2p filter program that targets p2p apps or specifically LW. This might not be the case but it would certainly explain your sudden turn around in fortunes using LW.

(Sorry I missed you earlier mentioning you had a True report to incoming.)

I'm a bit short on ideas now about what to try. The problem is only affecting your use of LW. :confused:

Is there any way around that, short of changing my ISP?

Just a thought, Is anyone that has the L/W Pro version having this problem? It was suggested to me that due to RIAA and similar agencies investigations into P2P networks that LW may be capping the free versions in an effort to get more people to pay for the premium version. Hope I am wrong but thought it should be asked.

The answer to what is causing the file transfer slowdown is easy, the fix may not be. The Internet is being flooded with bogus or false “HOSTS”. These ”hosts” are doing several things to disrupt P2P sharing, 1st is to flood net with false or corrupt files, (I’ve seen this myself, & will explain how later) 2nd is to position there “hosts” on the net in such a way that the P2P data flows though their server. In this way they are able identify those “addresses” sharing files and to slow down, miss direct, delay and interrupt data to those addresses. These false hosts must be well financed as I’ve found many operating from T1 and T3 connections, but also cable and DSL. I know that they are frauds because I was able to browse their shared files. These “hosts” often shared in excess of three thousand files. With many copies of the same titled song by the same artist with only minor variation in listing or the file size.

I learned this because for many years I’ve have been using WinMX.
WinMX doesn’t show the address where you’re getting the file from, just a screen name. But I could always ”browse” that person’s files list, and then decided if that is where I wanted to get the file. This method worked well for avoiding corrupt files. And once I started transferring a file, I got it. Be it several days later. Files often started to transfer at 40+k/s and would end days later at .6k/s. Also with WinMX you could see your bandwidth being flooded with static. Making file searches a waste of my time. Changing my port setting helped for a day or so, but when a week passed with no transfers either way, I switch to LineWire.

This was great, but for only a week or so. And with no other changes to my system my file transfer crashed. My system configuration is no slouch. I’m running XP Pro with sp2, with Zone Alarm (free) though a Linksys router to Verizon DSL tested to over 600k/s. I have 1gig of RAM and two 200 gigabits hard drives. When I first switched to LimeWire I was able to download four files simultaneously each at speeds exceeding 45k/s, Today I’m luckily if I can get one file at speeds exceeding 4k/s.

Two more things, My ISP is “Verizon DSL”. They refused to be bullied by the file sharing Gestapo, so when ordered to hand over clients names. They went to court and won. So then I was told that Verizon doesn’t filter their service. I believe. Also I learned this from a source that I trust.

Lastly, I believe that the bogus “hosts” are masking their addresses. This is just an observation in an area I’m not well versed in. However when I checked the addresses of forty some files. I observed every address was different, BUT the extension was almost always the same. (Nine time out of ten) (204.95.128.6:6349 - 68.6.219.47:6349 - 24.210.88.77:6349 – xxx.xx.xxx.xx:6349 – 172.155.27.193:6349 – 292.14.455.66:6349 – est.) Just a coincident? I think not!

I have heard of bogus ultrapeers before. Ultrapeers are people you connect thru when connecting to the gnutella network. Not sure what the best way to by-pass them. Try deleting & adding new connections on the connection page perhaps or blocking those hosts that do this. Need to be sure though before you block them!!!

Also see this New Gnutella attack underway? 3-2005

Errr, now I am really confused. Just out of stubbornness I tried down loading from LW again today and there is a noticable improvement. I downloaded one file at 150 KBps, quite an improvement over 0-1 ps. While I am quite pleased that the 'problem' has been rectified....I didn't change anything today to cause the fix.... The only logical answer I can come up with is that there was a problem with the LW network that was found and fixed today..anyone else have similar results today?
I still want to thank LOTR, Steif and everyone else that posted helpful information on this thread. I have learned quite a bit from this thread alone regarding set up, tweaks and fixes and appreciate the time and research that was put in to help find problems.

Interesting: that reinforces LOTR's mention of bogus Ultrapeers.

Every time you connect (or leave LW running for long periods of time, you likely connect to different Ultapeers, so maybe yo are now connected free of the blockers. Still, I'm doubtful there are UP's that can channel AND restrict downloads from sources like magnetmix.

With a dynamic distributed network like gnutella that has no central controlling servers, it's very difficult to say.

Maybe your discussions with your ISP finally trickled through to the right person ;)

Anyways--cheers.

Well I am pleased to report that LW is still working great for me now, actually after doing the tweaks that I found on the forums here it is performing much better than it did before. People are uploading from me with no problems and I am downloading music to again feed my addiction:p
I have still yet to determine what the cause of my problem was, wether it was bogus UP's that flooded the network, my ISP or just a pissed off computer it seems fine now. Again thanks for all your help and research and happy sharing!

mines saying true
 

hey guyz

mine says true but im having the same prob.

it started today at around 5:30 pm, and it hasnt goten any better!
wtf?
help me!!!:eek:

Ultrapeers
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lord of the Rings
[B]I have heard of bogus ultrapeers before. Ultrapeers are people you connect thru when connecting to the gnutella network. Not sure what the best way to by-pass them. Try deleting & adding new connections on the connection page perhaps or blocking those hosts that do this. Need to be sure though before you block them!!!


Hello All. I live in the boonies at 10,000 ft altitude, and I wanted to speak up for any other T3's out there who aren't part of this "conspiracy". I have a high speed satellite connection, because that and dial-up over crappy phone lines, are our only options up here. I was having the same problems downloading that others have mentioned and just finished all the suggested fixes. My dl's are now flying! (Yeah!) As a side affect, all my Ultrapeer users (I have six using my system as I write this) are now having sucessful downloads, whereas before the fixes, most of those accessing my connection to speed up theirs were getting dropped or incomplete dl's and their connection speeds were crappy - 0K - 2K. Maybe not all T3's are bad, they just have the same issues w/ dl's you have. The uploads I show also show 100% for those uploading from me, for the first time. Maybe I made a few other users happier today - please don't dis all T3's! Some of us are o.k! I'm happy to share my speed to help those with slower connections.
(I like the suggestion to browse the host first. I got a trojan horse from one of those T3's w/ 1000's of files yesterday - who has time to dl and keep 1000's of files?)

shoot.i just typed a whole lot of stuff, and then it said my username was too long. so here i go again.

been having this slow download thing from last week. really getting to me, especially since it's gonna be forever until they show Desperate Housewives on telly here.

i've not had problems downloading before and I've used LW for nearly a year. this problem had better not be the evil plan to slooooow down downloads for BASIC users, in an attempt to force us to buy the PRO, out of sheer frustration and cold turkey.
I'm THIS close to doing a tribal dance to summon the download speed devils. heh.

used to get up to 60kb/s for downloads and about 20kb/s on a bad day, but now it's between 1 to 9kb/s. wtf?!

i'm on ADSL and NONE of the SETTINGS for my computer or LW have changed...just wondering what you lucky people out there who can download properly again did.

Any help please????

i'm horrible with computers so don't know anything about the bug reports or whatever stuff mentioned above.

thanks in advance.

*stomps totem pole*

wtf it might be just a bad day or could be a no. of things. Try closing LW & re-opening it. If that doesn't help, try deleting your LW Preferences folder whilst LW is closed; instructions here: Fixes for Limewire & see if that helps. If still problems then go thru this thread very carefully & try out all the ideas. Also try a file from here: http://www.magnetmix.com/video.shtml & see how fast it is.

sorryz
 

hiya, did the same thing as Fury...
my downloading speeds have improved as well probably because I spent a whole day tampering with my router and such.....
however my current problem is that my speed fluctuates from 0~15 kb/s which is a major improvement from 0~1 kb/s. Is there a way to increase this? possibly i didnt tamper with my router appropriately?

QueenIria it's not abnormal for speeds to fluctuate. If you look at your uploads, you'll notice one will for a period of time use much of the speed, but then for a period it swaps over to another upload which gets much of the speed, & so on. Major fluctuations I'm not sure, ... perhaps a collation of the same fluctuations from multiple sources. Just a guess.

Not sure if this will help but there's some tips here that do work: To continue files downlding (click on link) I constantly use these techniques such as browsing & dc, etc. or cancelling the downld & reselecting from the search results. And doing fresh searches if needed.

(Another point is to vary the material you have to share b/c that attracts different people who may help you find new sources & harder to get files.)

i guess those tips help a little however i still recieve the low download rate prob, some files are dloaded at 20-30 kb/s however some are still at 0kb/s

Which clients are they from. If they are RAZA (Shareaza) then don't be surprised about 0 to 1 KB/s downld speed. Raza users use much or most of their upld bandwidth for a different network where they can only downld as fast as they upld. Some people have refered to raza as leechers, but it does depend. You can get generous raza users.

Check the connection type of the slow downlds. Is it modem for any LW users you're sourcing from?

I can only suggest you keep attacking the issue with trying to find more sources for those slow downlds.

i suppose... but its weird cos i dont recieve any uploads as well