hm ... this sounds strange. think you need to provide some more info. have you tried to download just one specific file? if so, try to download something popular. you are using bearshare? make general searches (like for "mp3") and sort by "QoS". Scroll to the top and choose a file with a fully green bar. Try a few times and report if you have been successful (report to the bearshare forum though - this forum is supposed to be about the gnutella network in general).

if you can download other files well, then give more specific info on the file you are trying to download. maybe the problem lies there?!? and be a bit patient, it needs some time to find the right searching strategies etc. but believe me, gnutella works - and it will work for you also