Thank you GregorK. When I used Limewire, it too disconnected me after a while. As you say, it could be a driver problem. I don't believe that I had that problem with WinMX.

I'll just mention that my computer is up-to-date and has lots of memory. I have DSL and am using Windowx XP, Service Pack 2, and the latest Internet Explorer. I've allowed for Gnutella and PHEX in my Security setup.

I wonder if cookies are involved because I fanatically clean my system of cookies several times a day, except for those of the periodicals I read and the basics like MSN, REAL, WINAMP, Microsoft and a few others that I recognize.

As far as I can tell, most cookies are usage trackers of one kind or another.

Thanks for the help.