Whenever i use 4.14.8 it starts the first few transfers at about 30kb, and after the first few, it drops to between 1-4kb, is there a reason for this?

I use Xp, have no firewalls, and have a 2mb connection.

Have you used other LW versions before without the speed dropping off?

Download a file from here & see how the download goes.
+ MagnetMix.com +: The Source for Good Content

Who is your ISP?
Do you see the firewall icon (brick wall)?
Do you use a modem/router? If so what's the brand & model?