Have you tried File_Girl71's connection data here: http://www.gnutellaforums.com/gnucle...-gnucleus.html ? I noticed it was quite old beginning of this month but still might be ok because a percentage of G2 nodes tend to use static addresses (if they are still using the network.)

I am working on updating my own Gnucleus nodes, I will post it now if necessary but I don't think it's as up-to-date as I would want it to be to offer it here. You should still connect with it though.

Gnucleus 2 uses a slightly different connection file compared to Gnucleus 1.8 and is in a different location. For a start, Gnucleus 1.8 did not connect to the G2 network. But this is irrelevant for you.

For Windows 7, I am not sure if this is necessary for Gnucleus, but for some gnutella clients, it is best to run the program in Administrator mode (ie: right-click the program or the shorcut and choose to open as Administrator.) This may assist with connecting.
I only have Gnucleus 1.8 running on Win 7. My Gnucleus 2 runs on Win XP.

I just opened up my Gnucleus 2 and it connected to the G1 gnutella network immediately to 2 peers, and to 5 within 30 seconds. G2 is always slower because the G2 connection data in the connection file is last on the list. Took a minute or just over to connect to 2 G2 hub nodes for me.

In preferences -> Connect, I have it set as such: When in Child Mode, Keep at Least 4 Connects. I suspect this only applies to the Gnutella (G1) network. But 3 is plenty for Gnutella and was the standard number for most gnutella clients when this Gnucleus version was released. Even 2 hosts for gnutella is fine. Gnucleus will go into idle mode if it is not being used, and drop down to just a single gnutella connection. But as soon as you do a search, Gnucleus will quickly pick up more connections.

For filtering search results, of course you need to have filter words. But the filter option on the search results window needs to be checked, and as search results are coming in, go to the advanced tab and press Refresh for the filters to do their action. Else, check option 'Don't display results from filtered nodes' under Search in preferences.

Keep in mind, I do not think Gnucleus has UPnP abilities to open a port in NAT modem-routers. In which case, port forwarding is better for best results. Ports 6346 or 6348 are the default gnutella network ports but most above this number are fine.

There is also the option to Force Ultrapeer mode. If BearShare 5.1 Beta users do it to help connect then why not. "lol"