Hello there. Just thought I'd provide you all with an update. and a very exciting one it is too!
Newer versions of limewire have a folder off the main limewire folder called "lib" where all the jar and dll files are stored.
This should go someway to explaining why the older versions of limewire work, and the newer ones don't.
anyway, I had a hunch, and moved the java accessibility bridge files to the lib folder and hey presto limewire runs!
so There you have it. problem solved at last.
I hope my info has helped some people on here solve any issues they had when trying to get limewire running.
Thanks guys.