This is a chronic problem with Limewire--with the Gnutella network in general. The problem could be one of several:

1) You are behind a firewall and the person you are attempting to d/l from is also behind firewall. If this is the case, the download will always fail--but Limewire doesn't tell you this directly. You just cycle continuously thru requeries. Look at the IP address of the person you are trying to d/l from. Add the Location column to your Search windows by (in Mac anway) Command clicking the column headers to get a list of optional column headers. Any location that is red means you can't get files from that IP address, so don't bother.

2) The person you are attempting to d/l from has all their upload slots filled. You can set how many people can d/l from you at once--if too many people want files froma specific user then other requesters are put on hold. If you are patient, eventually you will probably get the file. Be sure to click "Grouped" in your Search window--this will group users with identical files and Limewire will cycle thru them thus enhancing your chances of getting a file.