I have had this problem for a couple of weeks. When downloading large files the progress bar fluctuates. It starts off ok and then can either stay at a certain percentage or even drop back even though the download speed is racing. I never know if a download is complete or not.

Maybe you're seeing some corrupted files. Does this happen with every large file that you try to download?

When the download % drops back, it can mean there's some corruption within the file...the thread below explains more.
http://www.gnutellaforums.com/155541-post17.html

Check files with Bitzi before download. People use Bitzi to rate files, so checking before download can give you some idea of the content & quality of the file.
How to use Bitzi

And this thread might help as well
How to find music(tips for movies, too)

No not every file, but quite a few. I use Bitzi for all downloads and only use those that are very highly rated. Could these still be corrupted? The link you gave me 'Downloads "Jump" Backwards' seem to be the answer.

Have a look at LOTR's post below.
http://www.gnutellaforums.com/245412-post2.html

Maybe your firewall or one of your security programs is causing problems?
Are you seeing the firewall icon (brick wall in front of the blue globe)?

Can you give us your system details please?
System details - help us to help you -> Provide these details when you post!!!(click on link)

i am having a similar problem to you and was searching for ideas to get better results when i came across a post that said....

a guy had a problem when his provider decided to ...."Bandwidth Shape" my connection, i.e. throttle my P2P connection while leaving my browsing untouched

i wonder if this is the actual issue with our "d/l speed" ...what do you think? Have you heard of this?

Any tips would be gr8-ly appreciated

cheers maramum

Because the network's constantly changing as users log on & off (so files available change also), make sure to search at different times of day/night.
Varying your search terms & using different categories (eg Audio, All Types) can make a difference to the results that you see

You can also click on LW's Connections tab (if you don't see a connections tab, go view > show/hide > tick 'connections'). Now right click on one of the hosts there > remove. Now a new host will take the place of the old one. Changing the hosts that you're connected to (you can change them all) can make a difference to the results that you see.

As for your download speeds...are speeds always slow? You can do a speed test here & tell us the results.
Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test

Who is your ISP?

Download a file from here & see what kind of download speed you get.
Magnetmix

Also check out this thread (the first few posts by murasame) for tips about configuring LW.
A few things to consider while configuring Limewire for optimal performance...