my downloads arent that slow.. id say they are normal now that i think about it. as for the fake files idea, i dont think that is the reason.. i have over 100 files from 2 artists and pretty much all of them just say connecting.... or need more sources. (i no its not becuase i have so many waiting to download becuase it worked before)

my isp is PenTeleData and my download is 2.20 Mpbs and upload is 1.22 Mbps. ive tried frost wire but it acts the same as limewire and bearshare didnt work as i expected. i tried filepipe and that completely didnt work. and now that i think of it shareaza hasnt been working right either

o also... sometimes it wont always get to a turbo charged connection... or excellent for the matter

Do you see the firewall icon (brick wall)?

You've tried 5 p2p apps & none of them are working well... doesn't sound good. I can't find any evidence that your ISP's currently anti p2p, if that was the case then your download speeds would probably be woeful. One thing you could try is deleting the LW preferences folder (when LW is properly closed). I'm not sure that it's gonna help, given that you're having the same probs with other apps but... give it a go. See points 2 & 3 below for instructions
Fixes for LimeWire

What are your details (excuse the repeat questions!)

OS(Win XP etc)
LW & Java version (help > about LW & you'll see)
Firewall you're using
Modem/router brand & model
ISP
Connection type (DSL etc)
Where you connect from (home, school etc)
Are you sharing a connection with other computers
Is this your first try with LW