Not sure if this will make a difference for you (it's been a fix for Vista users with ZA who have had probs) but you can try if you like...uninstall both LW & ZA. Reinstall LW first, then reinstall ZA.

You could also try port forwarding for your modem (it has an internal firewall). The instructions are here.
Port Forwarding for the Siemens 4100
Don't forget the step of setting up a static IP address first. LW's listening port, port in the 'manual port forward' box & port forwarded within the router should all be the same number.

You could also try the version of Java that I linked to in my other post (1.5.0_11).

thanks for the all the info and help Birdy but...
I reinstalled 4.12.15 but kept Java at 1.5.0_12

so far so good on the Java front

I went back to 4.12 because Zone Alarm firewall worked just fine but when I went to 4.14 that's when things went horribly wrong

that port forwarding thing with the modem looks a little tricky--could I do it--probably, and probably screw something else up
I didn't have to do it on 4.12 so I don't understand why this becomes a major issue on 4.14

Again thanks for time/help
T

If LW is running well with the versions of Java & LW that you have now then that's good

Every version of LW behaves a little differently & sometimes people have troubles with one particular version. People might have connection problems, firewall issues, trouble opening the program, compatibility issues with other software where there weren't any before (when running a different version).

If you think 4.14.8 is buggy, there's a 'Bugs & Beta Testing' section over at this other forum...some of the developers spend time there
Bugs and Beta Testing - LimeWire Forums

If you are seeing the firewall icon (brick wall) in LW then it's probably due to the firewall in your router. Keep in mind that if you're firewalled, other people will have a hard time downloading from you. If you want to get rid of that firewall, port forwarding's the way to go...just keep it in mind & you want to have a go at that in the future!