Upgrade to latest version
 

I have version 4.10.9 Pro. What do I gain by upgrading to the latest version?

See http://www.limewire.com/english/cont..._history.shtml

If we knew exactly which Operating system and computer you had, there might be other things the forum members could tell you, but if you upgrade, it is always agood idea to keep your old installer archived, then you can revert to it if you wish.

Personally I use 4.10.0 for the reason that my aged computer doesn't like the later versions, hense little positive help I'm afraid :)

Windows XP Home Edition. I dont want to lose any of my current settings if I upgrade.

You won't lose any settings. They are stored in your preferences folder which is stored here:
C:/Documents And Settings/your_username/.limewire
OR here C:\Documents and Settings\*yourusername*\Application Data\Limewire
(Application Data is a "hidden" folder.) The location depends upon which version of LW you started with.

Your downld preferences are stored inside your incomplete folder (download.dat & .bak)