I have a MacBook Pro and have used Limewire on it for a while now and it has worked just fine, downloading music efficiently and sending it straight to my Itunes Music Library. Recently, though, I was trying to download a song and accidentally clicked on a '.zip' file instead. So, this file began downloading. I hit cancel and closed Limewire.
NOW... Everytime I open Limewire the file is STILL downloading. It will not delete from my Incomplete folder in Limewire because it says the file is still being downloaded, even though I canceled the download.
I have completely removed Limewire from my computer and reinstalled it, only to have the .zip file STILL downloading when I open Limewire. Every time I put my Itunes 'Incomplete' folder (which has the .zip file in it) in the trash and permanently delete it, it just comes right back.
So basically this file is haunting my computer and I've searched everywhere to figure out how to fix this but can't find anything.
PLEASE HELP if you can, I would be so thankful.

I had a problem like that a year or two ago. Can't remember fully how I did it. Try this: Cancel the file from the download window. Go to Library window, select incomplete folder & press Explore button. Now Close LW. Find that file & send to Trash & empty using Secure Empty Trash. If still not working, reboot into Safe boot mode & do the same thing. Mac OS X 10.2-5: How to start in Safe Mode

3rd option: Find your installation Disk, boot up from it. Find the file & trash it.

Another thought is whilst in safe mode, create a document of same name & put the zip extension on it or zip it. Drag & drop this file into the folder where the bad file is & choose to replace it. This may or may not allow you to do this.

BTW what is the file size? I cannot remember what it was, though I may have posted on the forums about it in past.

I've gone to library, selected the incomplete folder, pressed explore, closed Limewire, trashed the file with Secure Empty Trash, and did the same thing in safe mode. The file keeps coming back. Why would it still be there after I've completely removed Limewire from my hard drive and re-installed it? (When I do that the file is still downloading) Another bit of information is that when I click cancel the download, and then go to my Limewire incomplete files and try to delete it there, it says "The following file could not be deleted. It may be in use by another application or is currently being downloaded to." The file size says "Zero KB on disk (Zero bytes) on my computer. I'm guessing this is because it never has even fully downloaded. But on Limewire, under the Downloads area, where it is trying to download, it says the file size is 197.7 KB.

I also tried your option of creating a document of the same name and replacing the bad file with it. It replaced it fine, but now when I open Limewire THAT file is downloading. (I used a word document to replace it, and the picture next to the download in Limewire is a Word icon type thing)

I feel like it has something to do with Limewire itself... and how it is remembering things. maybe?



I just used Secure Empty Trash to delete Limewire, the annoying file, and my Itunes Incomplete folder. They are all off my computer now, but I would love to keep using Limewire. I just know when I go to download it again that file will reappear in the Downloads box. :-/ Also, I forgot to mention that since all of this started, Limewire will not find songs when I search...

SORRY, I know this is a lot.

yes .. unfortunately that would have been my next suggestion, to remove the contents of the incomplete folder completely.

I know in your case it was accidental, & likewise people including myself 'accidentally' choose the wrong file. But in general, try to learn to recognise what sizes & how spam names-itself after your search terms; see Virus thread: Typical virus spam file sizes - Make a note of them (click on blue link to see) for some hints on such sizes.

When search results come in, the first thing I usually do is arrange them by file size by clicking or double-clicking the size column heading (so largest files show at the top). You need to re-click that heading if you re-designate any files as not junk or as junk to reorganise them in the list. I always have junk show at bottom of search results just in case the junk filter gets it wrong, which is frequent of course.

Well, thanks for your help...hopefully I'll figure something out.

Do you think it would be a good idea to take my laptop into the Apple store nearby and see if they know anything to do?

OH .. it didn't work? Did you try restarting via your installation disk? Choose from menu instead of using the installer ... to get to desktop.

Another alternative. Set up an alternate account, quite easy: Setting up a Test Account in OSX (click on link) & delete it from there.

I can't find any reference to me posting about my experience before. Pity I cannot remember what I did.

And no you won't be able to delete that file whilst LW is open. The issue is to make that file inactive from the system. It is somehow stopping the present operating system from deleting it, so if the computer is running under a different user account with different permissions or a different startup owner, etc. it might make it lose its power.

I didn't try the installation disk suggestion because I'm away at college right now and have the disk at home unfortunately. I did create another user account and tried that.

I wasn't sure how to find the file when under that name, so I put it in my shared folder when I was under my main account name, brought it up under the Test account, and deleted it.
I then started Limewire and I noticed that it did something different than what it does on my main account when I open it for the first time since reinstalling it. I've uninstalled and reinstalled Limewire numerous times, yet never (except the VERY first time I ever put it on here) did I get the screen that pops up where you click next, next, etc and choose your LW preferences and what you want shared, etc.
I did get this screen when I opened Limewire on the Test account, and the file was not downloading! I got excited, thinking it was gone, and switched over to my Main account, opened Limewire only to find the pest still in the downloads box trying to download....

(PS- thanks so much for your help... i really appreciate it)

So I randomly found this post searching on Google and I'm pretty sure this is my problem.

"if you uninstall limewire then reinstall it 6 months later The application has remembered your settings from 6 months ago its not a fresh install. When you uninstall limewire it leaves something hidden somewhere that remembers all the options you set even your proxy details. How do you find where this is being remembered. If you go into reg edit type limewire under registry lots of files are left behind its a good half hours work even delete these and the program still remembers your settings on new install how dose it do this please. Its got me so mad that i formatted my hard drive twice.
What we want to know how do you get limewire and frostwire completely out your system lock stock and barrel if you never used it you will never understand what us users mean."

Do you know how to fix this? :/

That is a windows report. Mac does not use registry because all the program files are within the program itself (unless it has installed a Receipt file which is easily deleted via the library -> Receipts folder called Install LimeWire.pkg (afaik it's only used for installation permissions).) LW does have a preferences folder however.

Yes, a new account is like a different user on the computer so all settings are different.

The idea was to 'delete' the problematic incomplete file via the 'other' account. Not open LW in there. But you'd need to Cancel the download & close LW before you try that. Then find the incomplete file & delete it. I had forgotten your LW download folder is probably in your user account (which other accounts will have no access to). I personally use a different hard disk drive to download files to. In your main account, open the system drive -> Users -> select your Username folder, hold down Command (apple) key & i key ⌘ i then in the information window, go to bottom, click the lock to unlock & make changes, enter password, then click the + sign, add your 'other' user account name to list (in example below I used Admin). Then select that users privilege & change to Read & Write. Then click the other drop down menu & choose Apply to enclosed items. Then go to your 'other' account & open the folders from there & find the incomplete folder, find that file & delete it.

Click attachment to see full view.

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Okay, I'm going to try that and let you know what happens. Do you know why Limewire remembers my settings and when I reinstall it I don't get to choose them again? Like, after reinstalling it still remembers what skin I had and the location I want my downloads sent to, what's shared and what's not, etc...