every file i download only downloads at 1kb/s ive accepted lw on my firewall and even tried turning it completely off, please help!!!

Can you please answer these questions?
System details - help us to help you -> Provide these details when you post!!!

I'm having the same problem. I can find files with 35+ people available with a file, but it never gets above 3kbps at any give time. I've erased all my old files, looked for a preferences folder, took down my firewall completely, selected the advanced features that take down the extra P2P stuff, shut down every other program on my computer, limited the upload speeds, limited the number of downloads....and I can't think of what else. Is there anything else I should do? If not-then how do I get my old version back?? At least it was working

1. OS version? Windows XP
2. What firewalls you have? Trend Micro
3. How much ram? 512MB
4. Hard Disk space available? 62GB
5. Connection type? Cable- 1839Mbps
6. Modem & router brand name & model numbers? Belkin Wireless G USB Network adapter & a Netgear router.
7. Where are you trying to connect from -house
8. What version of LimeWire (LW) & Java do you have?
Version 5.1.3 & the java that came with it-Just switched from 4.something and this problem started
9. Who is your ISP (Internet Service Provider)? Brighthouse
10. Do this simple test for us. Using your browser go here: http://www3.limewire.com:6346/ The page should say 'Your test worked!'. What happens when you go there? IT WORKED...
11. Are you sharing the connection with other computers or p2p sharing programs? Yes, but none of the systems are on-I've got a laptop, x360, etc
12. Is this a your 1st try at LW or is this a new problem with an experienced user. New problem-using limewire for a long time no probs.
13. Do you see a brick wall in front of the blue world icon at the bottom of LW's interface? NO
14. For those using a modem/router, how is your modem/router set up...are you port forwarding or is UPnP enabled? no idea-but nothing changed except updated the new version of limewire
15. What security programs are you using (antivirus etc)? Some people might not be aware that their security suite includes a firewall . Trend Micro has a firewall, but I made a hole for limewire
16. What country are you living in? Sometimes there are ISPs with the same name in more than one country (eg Clearwire in the USA & also in Ireland). USA
17. Has anything in your setup changed recently? Have you updated your version of LW or Java? Have you added any new software or new hardware? Have you updated any software? Have you moved house, changed internet plan or ISP etc etc? Updated limewire only.

Is Brighthouse an affiliate of Road Runner?
You may need to remove your old LW 4 firewall exception & re-add LW 5 to Trend Micro as an exception for both UDP & TCP. Make sure Win XP's firewall is not turned on.
I use a Belkin myself but not the wireless version. Mine works generally ok in UPnP mode but after it's been on for a long session starts having issues with apparent communication issues between LW & the router & UPnP starting to struggle. Running in wireless mode is less reliable.

If you wish to downgrade to LW 4, you should see this: http://www.gnutellaforums.com/window...lw-4-18-a.html (if downgrading from LW 5, we'd recommend LW 4.16 instead of 4.18)

Thanks!! That did it-I just needed to make an exception for LW5 in my firewall. It's interesting that I could acknowledge all the other users but couldn't download from them quickly even though it was "firewalled". Now that it's downloading better-any more advice on how to cut back on the resources it drains? If I have nothing but LW open & my Trend Micro-my computer can't run anything else-much less quickly. Is there a way I can set it to use only 1/2 my resources so I can work while it downloads??

See whether reinstalling Java helps. You can download the latest Java here: Java SE Downloads
Download the JRE offline installer & remove any other Java versions via Add/Remove Programs, before installing another one. Reboot your computer after installing the new Java version.

Also try disabling performance options. In LW tools > options > advanced > super really advanced > performance. Disable ultrapeer capabilities, connecting to DHT & also TLS > ok.

Reduce your simultaneous downloads again. Different versions of LW behave differently for everyone - maybe you'll need to have fewer simultaneous downloads with LW 5?

You could get rid of any pending downloads that are stuck at 0% (or stuck at a tiny download %). Or if you have downloads that have been stuck for ages & you think you could sacrifice them - cancel those as well.
In LW 5, cancelling a download deletes it completely, so you shouldn't need to delete those files from the Incomplete folder

Are you sharing heaps of files? Try reducing the number of files that you share.

Did you originally delete LW's preferences folder? You said you went looking for it, but not whether you deleted it. If you didn't, try that as well. See the thread below for info & don't forget to back up your Downloads/.dat file if you want to resume your incomplete downloads later. Post #5 of the thread below has info about that.
Fixes for Limewire when LW isn't operating as it should