I think my firewall is the problem and I just need to know how to turn it off but just in case I answered all the suggested questions below for your expert review.

1. OS version? WINDOWS xp Professional Version 2002 Service Pak 2
2. What firewalls you have? I thought none were up but your below test proves me wrong.
3. How much ram? 256 K
4. Hard Disk space available? 40G on C Hard Drive and 150G on F Hard Drive
5. Connection type? CABLE
6. Modem & router brand name & model numbers? NO ROUTER
Terayon Modem …Mod #TJ715x
7. Where are you trying to connect from HOUSE
8. What version of LimeWire (LW) & Java do you have? LW 4.14.8 PRO ……. Java 1.6.0_02
9. Who is your ISP (Internet Service Provider)? COMCAST CABLE
10. Do this simple test for us. Using your browser go here: http://www3.limewire.com:6346/ TEST WORKS
11. Are you sharing the connection with other computers or p2p sharing programs? NO
12. Is this a your 1st try at LW or is this a new problem with an experienced user.
NEW PROBLEM WITH EXPERIENCED USER … ‘lost limewire when computer restored’ … when I
Re downloaded months later … (this weekend) …. It would not and has not DOWNLOADED anything …
13. Do you see a brick wall in front of the blue world icon at the bottom of LW's interface? YES dang I guess I do
have a firewall.
14. For those using a modem/router, how is your modem/router set up...are you port forwarding or is UPnP enabled? NOT USING A MODEM /ROUTER
15. What security programs are you using (antivirus etc)? Some people might not be aware that their security suite includes a firewall [IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ARTHUR%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] I’m using FREE AVG but about to buy a new one probably Trend Micro Suite
16. What country are you living in? USA

got a similar set-up and security program, (w/Basque)but will try in a few minutes. thanks

Basque, is your LW connected at all (green connection bars)?? You say that LW won't download anything...can you search & what happens when you try to download??

Win XP has a firewall. Click on the link below for more info, you'll find some instructions for the XP firewall.
User Cant Connect - LimeWire

If you're having connection problems, try using this older version of Java. Use the JRE offline installer & remove your current Java version before you install this one.
Archive: Download Java 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 Update 11

Also try deleting LW's preferences folder when LW's properly closed. See point 3 here & also point 2 if you've used older versions of LW in the past (there could be a folder in either location).
Fixes for LimeWire
This will kill all of your settings within options, you'll have to go back through afterwards & reset things. If you're not sure of your settings, go through LW's tools > options & write them all down, so that you can reset things later.