I have just entered a college dorm and was just recently connected to the internet via the ethernet on an LAN. The problem is that I am unable to connect to Limewire and when I attempted to remedy the problem with an update, it still did not work. I do not know what is wrong and how to fix the problem. What could be the problem? How do I fix it? Will I ever be able to connect to Limewire? What should I do?

Your college may be blocking the ports that Gnutella uses for file-sharing. Many other users such as yourself have experienced this.

If you know that this is NOT the case, you might try an alternate version that fixes connection problems related to software incompatabilities. This began when LimeWire switched to the 1.3.1 JRE.

To download, go here:

http://www9.limewire.com/download/LimeWire16d118.exe

For more info, go here:

http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...&threadid=2963

I have already tried to download the alternative program, and with no success. Is there any way to get around the blocking? Is there something I can do?

No, probably not. If there is a loophole in your college's internet "security", you could force your IP and be able to connect this way, but the chances of this are extremely remote.

If you want to try anyway, go to Tools > Options. On the Advanced tab, there is a section called "Force Local IP." Here, check the box and type in your IP address manually. If you don't know how to find your IP address, go to Start > Run. Type in either "netstart -r" or "winipcfg" and copy the address it gives you. This is for Windows variants only. I'm not sure how to find it with a Mac or Linux.

Usually, all the common ports for Gnutella are blocked. But you can experiment by changing the listening port under the Network tab. Common ports include 6346 (default), 6350, and 6347.

Good Luck! :-)

I have the same problem. I'm in dorm and I think there has been changes to the security. But is there a file I can download for Mac OS 9.1 instead?

As of the time of this posting, there is only a Windows version of the alternate LimeWire program. The LimeWire developers have stated that they plan to fix the connection bug in future releases, which would eliminate the need for an alternate version. Keep in mind, though, that this version does not affect or solve any problems you may be experiencing at a college dorm or other similarly "secured" internet connection. It is for people who are having connection problems that stem from Java incompatabilities. For a more specific explanation, go here:

http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...&threadid=2963