Rather than disable your firewall, it's much safer to configure it. Did you configure your firewall so it allows LW full access (advisable not to have 2 active firewalls b/c they can interfere with each other); Firewall configuration instructions (click on link)

If your firewall is already configured, then just let LW do the rest when you come to the firewall configure part when 1st opening LW. But yes, LW 4.9 is much more sensitive to firewalls than LW 4.8.1 was.

1. OS version? (eg: Windows 98)
2. What firewalls you have?
3. Connection type? (eg: dialup, broadband, cable, etc.)
4. Modem & router brand name & model numbers?
5. Where are you trying to connect from (home, school, work, etc.)?
6. What version of Limewire (LW) & Java do you have? (Go to LW's menu Help>About LW...) Will show both LW & Java version.
7. Who is your isp provider (Internet Service Provider)?
8. Are you sharing the connection with other computers or p2p sharing programs? If yes, please give details of set up.