I'm spending (wasting) a lot of time downloading mp3s and when I go to play them, they turn out to be Limewire documents, which I can't find any way to convert and play. What the heck are these things? Is there any way to know before downloading if it's a Limewire document? Is there a player that will play them? I've tried several things without success--is there any surefire way to use these files?

Without the benefit of knowing your system (PC/Mac), all mp3 files should have the suffix .mp3 at the end of the file name (i'm sure you already know this) and at the end of the download, computer should have automatically amended any file to reflect so (if not, add .mp3):

Example: **Edit** .mp3

Sorry if that's bleedingly obvious, I really don't know how much you know.

For the Mac, iTunes is their free player/convertor

Open iTunes, pull down menu 'Advanced,' click 'Convert to mp3.' Beyond that you just have to find the appropriate file you wish to convert in your folders.

Another issue you may have to deal with is the 'File Helper' command within the 'Preferences' section of your web browser (Explorer/Netscape). Can't help you with Netscape, however in Explorer, pull down 'Edit,' click 'Preferences,' scroll down to 'File Helpers.'

In the box, you will see all the applications you have within your computer designated to open/convert downloaded internet files.

For .mp3s, both iTunes and QuickTime are recognised convertors. Believe it or not, sometimes the browser will designate SimpleText to open mp3 files, which is maybe why you're getting text files.

Hope this helps.