If you have an opportunity, please talk about ConnectFix installers. I don't know anything about them, how they are installed, and how to set them up to work. Do they have an effect on your internet connection in general, to optimize and/or broaden that too, or do they just work with LW? Where do you find them, how do you evaluate if they'd help or not, and how do you choose which one (version) to install? Can/do you download more than one at once? Also, as long as whatever version of LW you're using is not having any connectivity problems, are ConnectFixes even needed, since you said the host that LW connects to will find sources from there, and OOB searching provides for the broadest searches? Thank you.

I see there is more than one version of LW 4.14 (.8 and .12), as well as 4.12.6 and 4.16.7. Any input as to the best to pick from, given the issues we've been discussing? I assume it's either 4.14.8 or 4.14.12 - which one for fastest, broadest, and most reliable to connect and finish incomplete downloads? Is there a need to install any of the ConnectFixes you listed first, or try LW first and, as long as it connects OK, no need for any ConnectFixes? Thanks again.

Just as a side note, 4shared kept coming up as Error 500 or 550 - unable to open. I had to keep trying before I got it to open so I could download the zip file. 2shared wanted you to download its download manager, other things - not interested. Tried installing & running LW 4.14.12 - would only connect if I also installed your connection fix file first. No help resuming my already-existing incompletes from LW 4.18.8. Also, clearing normal caches as part of PC maintenance cleared out all my custom settings under "options", putting everything back to the defaults. Installed LW 4.16.7, and really like that it's a PRO version with turbo. Saves all my custom settings, as LW 4.18.8, and LPE always did, but again, no help resuming past incompletes. I also installed your connection fix file for it too, and that really seems to make a big difference for 4.14.12 & 4.16.7. New searches/downloads proceed OK. Searches for former incompletes to get them to resume/redownload again has been unsuccessful so far.

As per instructions for first installing the 4.16 or earlier when downgrading from 4.18 or 5, cancelling all downloads then selecting all the incomplete files from the library window and choosing resume. This should work. If you are unable to continue particular downloads then chances are those hosts are not online at the time or are unreachable or the file is no longer being hosted. By unreachable, I mean they probably have dynamic host addresses that have changed and they are outside a standard search horizon to reach them on that particular occasion.
But this process you can repeat from time to time, perhaps once every session or two.

Dynamic hosts are often the issue with incomplete downloads. Their host addresses change and LW has no record of their newer addresses to attempt to connect to by itself. Some dynamic addresses will change with every new session by that user. Some may not change for a few days or weeks, etc.

This is why it's best to do fresh searches in the hope during that session you are within search horizon of finding such hosts for incomplete files. If not early on in the session, try again later on because the gnutella network's hosts is quite dynamic in itself. People come and go, people change U.P.'s they are connected to, etc. thus changing the structure of host connections and those within a standard search horizon.

Something you should check in settings is to keep incomplete files for a period of time. The default is quite low, in fact 7 days. I usually typed in a number like 9999 days. Tools > Options > Saving. LW 5 removed this option.

Something else which can help which I may have forgotten to mention, is share similar material as you are trying to download. This brings similar minded people to your doorstep so to speak. This works in reverse also, searching similar material to what you are sharing helps to get people to find your files.

In summary, I think you will just need to be patient for the incomplete downloads.

Something I had forgotten about, I think LW 5.0-5.10 only share files to 4.17 or above. But I might be wrong. LPE's minimum version I am not sure about but I have uploaded to 4.10 and a number of 4.12 users before. And LPE is a lot more common than all the other LW 5 versions combined.

The ConnectFix installer: should only need to use when you have connection problems. It simply replaces the gnutella.net file with a fresh one, giving a large list of hosts for LW to connect to. This could be done manually but the installer does it for you. After opening LW, it will check through the gnutella.net file for hosts to connect to and also check for any that are online but do not have slots available to connect to and may possibly record those back to the gnutella file when you close LW. More about the connectfix installers here http://www.gnutellaforums.com/connec...tml#post370643 Yes the LW ConnectFix installers are only for LW. But I have made equivalent ones (also with MacOSX equivalents) for FrostWire, Phex and BearShare.

I hosted what LW versions I could find. Up until about LW 4.13 I used to keep copies of every single version released for Windows, Mac and Linux (Basic & Pro.) But I started to get lazy doing that. And finding them in my storage devices is not always easy, because some were stored on CD or DVD -RW's. Hunting around the web might be able to find other versions.

Was a download manager compulsory for 2Shared or simply an option? 2Shared is a very recent addition. Feedback on them is good. As an uploader of the files, I find their file-management is extremely basic. But the most important thing is (on condition I log into the site occasionally) they will not delete the files if they have not been downloaded very frequently or at all after a few months, unlike some other similar sites. This is why I do not host LW versions at some of the other file-hosting sites.

4Shared sometimes seems to have problems. Even managing or updating files I find I sometimes have problems with their services. I am not sure if this is server related or their newer upgraded software that occasionally causes issues. Every file-hosting site occasionally has server hiccups. So does this forum's server lol.