strange problem downloading

About 10 days ago I downloaded the free version (as I have in the past) and easily downloaded about 20 songs.

Today I tried again, but once the screen was up all I ever got was a default message saying LW was in the process of connecting to the network.

I tried several times to re-start LW, but this same message was all I ever got; no further downloads were possible.

I decided to go ahead and buy the PRO version, which I installed immediately. Same problem.

I read the FAQ found at the top of the main LW page, and based on that I re-installed my Java.

Still no downloads. Nothing except the "connection in progress" message. Not even with the PRO version.

My pc configuration has not changed over the past 10 days, and I have scanned for virus and spyware today as well.

The connectivity bars show only one green. Also, the firewall is set to accept LW.

My operating system is Windows XP.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ah, that is a natural issue. Once you open Limewire, let it sit there for maybe 5-10 minutes and by then it will have connected to the network. I would search pre-connection and get nothing, but when i tried a little later, pages full of results came up. So it's simple: just have a little patience