Thanks for the links I'll look into them.

I have not explored every nook and cranny in these forums but it seems most users are not getting more joy from LimeWire than I have. I am sure there are those more expert at LW but I gave it a fair try out on several machines and set-ups over the last few years. It seems to have the same symptoms and performance wherever and whenever I tried it.

If as you suggest it may be my ISP messing with the p2p connectivity. What can I do about it (let alone detect it) and why would it exclusively effect LW and not the large number of other peer to peer software that I use?

Come to think of it, I am into my 6th or 7th ISP. Is this a conspiracy?