after i download an mp3 file i try to play it in itunes and there is no sound.
also the track time shows up as being around 20 mins.
suggestions?

Sounds like you've downloaded a bad file. When you're choosing a file to download, stay away from any that show as MP3 or Mp3 (note the capitals!). The file extension should be mp3

that did help thank you.
i also just noticed that when i download a file that doesnt work, limewire doesnt verify the contents.
does that also have something to do with it?
and also what is limewire doing when it is verifying the contents of the file?

another thing i just noticed was that these bad files all have almost no information when you arrow over them and they all say they are track 1 regardless of what track they are on that particular album

That's a good thing to notice, it might help other people avoid these files
When LW's verifying contents, it's checking for missing/corrupted parts of the file. I've had a few files which didn't verify. It doesn't always mean that the file's crap but it's something to take note of... check the file to see how it plays. And of course, scan with your AV program before opening!