How Does Limewire Access Files
 

How does LW access file on the internet? Does it attempt to log on to the internet and search for files by name? Or does it attempt to access a LW server somewhere (without specific file names) and, once connected, reveal the files it is looking for? I have read about pinging- is it like sonar? Hello I'm here!! or is it "Hello I'm here and this is the file I'm looking for?"

Well, for a better answer, go to the technical resources at http://www.limewire.org/

The short answer is that when you (or anyone) runs LW while connected to the internet, the LW part of your machine will respond.

Lke sonar, I guess: we show brightly, but the "gnutella" requests pass over all the other machines.

thanks
 

thanks for your reply. Did you mean that LW makes a simple "ping" before every search to see who is on the network? Our server blocks LW, but I inadvertently left it running in my icon tray while I was at work. Noone has contacted me yet, but I don't want to get in trouble with the network admin guy- he scares me. If my computer is only pinging to see who is out there, OK. I simply make sure that the settings are changed and it will never happen again. Right?