Uninstall Lime Wire

The best solution to this problem is to completely uninstall Lime Wire from your system and then reinstall it offline if you want to continue to run it. You must do more than simply deleting it from the Programs list - there are a lot of registry keys associated with Lime Wire. You may not even see it in the Program List, so at that point you will need to adjust the registry.

Start by going to:

• Start then Control Panel.
• Go to Add/Remove Programs.
• Delete all Lime Wire related items.
• Empty the recycle bin.

Then, you need to show hidden folders. Go to:

• Tools and then Folder Options.
• Choose Advanced and then choose Show Hidden Files.
• Then go to Start and select Explore. You will see a folder tree. You will need to delete the following:
  • C:\Documents and Settings\(your name)\Application Data\Lime Wire
  • C:\Documents and Settings\ (your name)\.limewire
  • C:\Program Files\LimeWire

If, while you are doing this, you get an error message that you can't delete the program because it is being used, get into the Windows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Click on Processes. Look for something that says limewire or frostwire. Select that and choose End Process. Quickly go to the C drive and delete the items before the program has a chance to start up again.

Delete the Registry Keys

If you are still getting the error message at start up, you need to work a little harder. You will need to delete the registry keys associated with the program, but deleting the registry is something that should only be done by experienced computer users as one wrong move can really affect your computer. Make sure that you have done a backup in case you need to system restore if there is a problem. The registry key list is long, and you can find it here: here.

Download New Version

If, after going through the process to delete all traces of Lime Wire you still want to use it, you can download LimeWire by clicking on the link. Many people find that if they choose the download offline option and then go back and install it on their computer the install will go more smoothly.

Because this is peer to peer, you are leaving yourself open to viruses and other problems. Make sure you are running good antimalware programs. You can find our list of good programs here.

In short, yes, you are going to need a software program in order to download media files.

When you use a bittorrent protocol to download media files, there are two distinct steps involved. First, you download the torrent, which I think you have done successfully. The torrent file is a small file, it usually downloads in seconds, and it contains the data that your computer will need in order to download the media file that you selected. When you first select a song or a movie and download the torrent, all you have downloaded are the instructions that will help get you the file or files that you are actually after.

So, in order to use the torrent control file that you have downloaded to access the media file that you want, you need a software program, a torrent software client.

There are a number of good torrent software programs.

uTorrent, which is also called MicroTorrent, is popular for requiring only 1MB of space on your hard drive, as well as for being good, fast and user-friendly. Azureus, a close second behind uTorrent, has a user-friendly graphic interface, is fast, and has a built in search engine to help you find media files for download without leaving the program fast. A few others include BitComet, ABC, TurboBT and BitLord.

Since you are just getting started, you can choose any software program now and then revisit the decision after you have been downloading torrents for a while and have a better idea about what you want. So, choose a program, go to its website, and download the appropriate version for your computer. Follow all the steps until the end of the download.

Now that the program is installed on your computer, when you visit a torrent search engine, like isohunt, and choose a torrent file, the torrent software that you downloaded will open automatically and add the torrent media file to your download list. The torrent should take a while to download, depending on its size, and you can watch its progress on your software program. Take some time to get familiar with your program, they can seem alien at first, but once you get comfortable, there is nothing to it.

Before you start, make sure that your computer has the most recent Java runtime. There are versions for all operating systems easily available from http://www.java.com/. You will also need media players, Windows Media Player works well for most types of file, but make sure that you check their website for updates. VLC is also a good and versatile media player.

In addition to the advantage of free music, music sites online also appeal to users who want to shop from home, those who want to purchase single songs rather than entire albums and those who want the freedom to browse and sample large catalogues of music. For these reasons there are now music sites online that offer these services. A good example of this is Napster, which started as an illegal P2P file sharing program until it was forced to shut down in 2001 after the US Supreme Court ruled that the service had violated copyright laws. The developer of the program, a college student from Boston, was bankrupt and forced to liquidate to pay legal fees and fines. The Napster name and logo were acquired by a European company and then finally bought by the American electronics stores, Best Buy. Taking advantage of the Napster name and notoriety as a music site, the company now runs the website legally, selling access to unlimited music files for less than $10.00 per month.

Another legal music site that allows you to listen to unlimited music MP3s for 12.99 without paying for each track separately is Rhapsody. Rhapsody offers other features to seduce users including millions of songs on their database, personalized song recommendations generated from your searches and downloads, customized playlists and mobile access. Taking some of the market back from iTunes, Rhapsody is compatible with iPods. For a slightly higher fee these sites let you increase your membership to include downloads and mobile downloads.

iTunes might be the best known source for legal downloads and offers similar services to the other music sites and then some. Compatible with iPods that have high-resolution screens for viewing, iTunes also sells episodes of television programs and movies.

The legalities of file sharing are different in different countries and in different states, as different jurisdictions have tried varied approaches to deal with the problems associated with the illegal distribution of copyright material.

For example, in Canada it is not currently illegal to download music files, but it is illegal to "distribute" copyrighted material. A recent Supreme Court decision ruled that a file in a shared folder available on P2P networks did not qualify as distribution.

This approach is shared in the United States where the idea is meant to discourage people from making music files available rather than trying to discourage people from wanting to access it. Legally this approach intends to avoid a defense strategy claiming not to know the files are not legal downloads. Putting the responsibility on the supplier intends to make people responsible for the files and folders on their personal computers.

In recent American cases, the argument has been based around the theory that folders marked "shared" and accessible by network members online are illegal offers of copyright material.

Attempts to Discourage P2P

A few other approaches try to raise the costs of downloading illegal music files. In Canada the government imposes additional taxes and levies on blank CDs and other recording devices and then uses the funds to reimburse and support musicians and others in the industry for lost revenues. In order to share files, users first have to download an application to their computer that gives them access to the network of users. The program includes a search function that is then used to scan the shared files of the network that are stored on all the other user's computers and the ability to choose and download these files to their own computers. There are several types of media files shared on P2P sites and the most common are songs, albums, movies and video games.

An Alternative View

At times, in Australia, the download of P2P file sharing programs themselves has been illegal. In the United States the RIAA - the Recording Industry Association of America - has launched cease and desist orders against some file sharing site, notably WinMX, a popular Windows-based P2P site, and pressured them with legal action until the site closed.

File sharing sites work by creating a network in which all the members offer the contents of their media files to the group and, in exchange, are able to access the files of the other members. Files are usually music, movies, and games. In order to make files available, users first have to upload them to their own computers by copying the material from either an original purchased CD or DVD or from a burned copy from another source. Once the file is saved on the computer, and the user is connected to the Internet and the network, the file is available for other members of the network to access and download.

File sharing allows people to build extensive media libraries, while most often not paying for the files they are acquiring. File sharing is usually a violation of copyright laws and different states and countries are trying to respond in appropriate ways. Some are trying to hold the network creators responsible for making the files available, others are aiming at people who make files available, and still others want to crack down on people who are downloading illegal files.

The most popular file sharing sites are those for media files like music, movies and computer games. Users first download a software program that gives them access to a network of users and the contents of their combined shared media files. Some of the most popular of these sites are LimeWire, Kazaa and WinMX - designed specifically for Windows users.

In order to use P2P sites and to download or upload media files, users have to install the software program on their computers. Often times, free P2P downloads are bundled with adware and spyware programs. These programs then run adware and spyware instructions in the background while you are using the site. Malware programs like these pose risks to you and your system ranging from annoying pop-up ads to system infiltration and the theft of your personal information and data. Even if the symptoms of a malware program are slight and not too interfering, in time they can increase and impair the processing speed and functionality of your computer. Running a good anti-virus program on your computer, complete with up to date definitions from the manufacturer help protect you against these risks.

Another risk involved in using P2P sites is that you might accidentally download a computer virus. For reasons known only to themselves some people enjoy writing and publishing damaging computer programs. Like vandals, virus writers seem to like wreaking havoc in the lives of strangers, stealing and damaging data and hardware and revealing the insecurities of their computer use.

Having a good security suite is the first defense, but users can also protect themselves by looking at files carefully before downloading them. You can look at the number of people who are uploading the file, known as seeds, and at the number of people downloading it, leaches. You don't want to download anything that no one else seems interested in. Also, there are usually comments on the download posted below the link, reading these will let you know what people who have already downloaded the file have to say about it. If there are comments about it not working well or being something other than it is posted as, don't download it.

The general community of people uploading and downloading a particular file is called the ‘swarm'. In the swarm, those uploading files for other users are called seeds, and those who are downloading are called leeches. The more seeds there are uploading a file, the faster the file can be downloaded.

There are numerous benefits of P2P networks. Users can access a wealth of information and data and are they are able to exchange files freely and without restriction.

The most popular P2P sites today include Rhapsody and iTunes, which both offer monthly memberships and a variety of options and are legal sites that charge a fee for downloads. Other popular sites like LimeWire and Kazaa allow users to share files without fees and are not legal. Another kind of P2P site that is very popular uses BitTorrent technology that works the same way as P2P networking, only it breaks large files like movies and albums into smaller chunks so that they can be uploaded and downloaded faster.

There are also drawbacks to P2P sites that offer illegal downloads. There are ethical and legal issues to consider when using these sites. Since the files are covered by copyright laws and since they are protected by property laws, unless the site is paying royalties to the artist or the recording studio, downloading them is not legal. It is difficult to enforce these laws, but the American government has arrested and charged several people for "distribution" of files without copyright permission.

WinMX problems are unique situations. Since the official WinMX website and file server were dismantled in 2005 the program has been kept alive by devoted users. While this has enabled the ongoing use of the service, it has been fundamentally altered.

There is no central organization or authority and different user groups offer different versions of programs and connections. This makes WinMX difficult to troubleshoot, since there is no way of determining the specific program or connection you have downloaded.

If you have never been able to download a WinMX file with the program you are currently running then yes, you should definitely uninstall and reinstall another version. If you have had success with this version in the past and are only recently experiencing problems then the issue could be one of connectivity or compatibility.

It sounds like the program is not communicating properly with your system. First things first, make sure that you have disabled your firewall to allow incoming and outgoing connections. If this doesn't help, try removing it using Windows Add/Remove utility first and see if a new installation solves the problem. There is a free version of WinMX MP3 4.5.6 available at http://www.download3k.com/Network-tools/File-sharing/Download-WinMX-MP3.html that runs on Windows operating systems 95, 98, ME, NT, 4.x, 2000, XP, 2003.

There is a Vista version available at http://www.isnic.co.cc/mx/?version=windows-vista. The WinMX program you download might need patches to make it work on your system, when you check for patches or updates make sure you find ones that are designed for the version of Windows that you use as an operating system.

To troubleshoot WinMX, try opening your settings tab and select Outgoing TCP Connections. Here you can raise the number of Connection Timeouts Attempts. You can also open the File Transfers tab and increase the number of Pending Downloads. If you have any other versions of WinMX installed, make sure that they are completely removed as old bits can interfere with the new program. To do this open the Start Menu, select Control Panel, then click twice to select Add or Remove Programs. If you plan to uninstall and reinstall the version you are running now, you might want to remove everything. Now you should check your program list that is the in the Start Menu to make sure everything has been removed.

If this method doesn't get rid of the program completely, you can remove it manually from the registry. Be careful not to change anything accidentally, and be sure to make a back up of the registry before making any changes. Click Start once then select Run. A command box will open and you should type regedit then Enter. Find the name of the WinMX program and remove all associated parts.

WinMX is a peer to peer (P2P) file-sharing program that was very popular among Windows users between 2001 and 2005 when the website and the company were officially shut down after threats from the Recording Industry Association of America. However the site was quickly restored by users who, instead of relying on the WinMX central server, created peer-based file caches. Since 2005 there has been no central organization for the program and as a result patches and updates are often required. Since there is no official WinMX authority, different user groups offer different programs, patches and updates; some are free and some request a fee to keep their site up and running. If you are not successful with one program installation, it is possible that uninstalling it and downloading another version could work.

If you suspect that your connection problem stems from your wireless router, the best place to start is in your WinMX folder, the one where the winmx.exe file is and from which WinMX is running. Here, if there is a file called ws2_32.dll, delete it. However, only remove this file from this location. It may be interfering here, but is necessary in other locations. For these changes to take effect you may need to shut down and restart the program.

Next, to deal with the TCP situation, you will have to change the port that WinMX uses to connect. First, at the top of the WinMX screen, select Settings, then Internet Connections, then Outgoing TCP Connections, then Don't use a proxy server (connect directly). Now, follow the same first steps to open Incoming TCP Connections. Here, select the first option and type in 16699. Then, select Internet Connection, then In/Out UDP Packets. Here, select the first option then send and receive UDP datagrams and type in 16257. Now close WinMX and restart.

If changing the TCP ports doesn't straighten out the problem and get you connected, the issue could be with your firewall. While firewalls are great protection against incoming intrusions, they can work too well and prevent P2P files from accessing your system. On recent Windows operating systems you can disable the firewall by opening the Start Menu, clicking on My Network Places, then Properties, Advanced and then find Windows Firewall and select Off.

WinMX is a peer to peer (P2P) file-sharing program that was originally written by a company called Frontcode Technologies in 2001. As a P2P site, WinMX hosted a large network of media files that were stored on large servers maintained by WinMX and uploaded and downloaded by users. The application was extremely popular and designed to be compatible with Windows operating systems.

WinMX was officially shut down in 2005 after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent a cease and desist letter to the company threatening them to institute filters on the website or face legal action. Earlier the same year the U.S. Supreme Court voted in favour of the RIAA in overturning two lower court decisions that decided P2P software applications are not a copyright infringement. The Supreme Court determined that if a website is found to "actively encourage" copyright infringement then the application is liable. While P2P sites themselves are not against the law, the active encouragement of breaking copyright laws is apparently akin to conspiracy and aiding and abetting the act. It is illegal to download copyrighted material without permission of the owner, though copyright infringement laws are not equally enforced in different countries.

On the 19^th of September, 2005 WinMX was issued a cease and desist order and on the 21^st both the WinMX homepage and the site's network were officially offline. However, only four days later, on September 25^th software patches were available to re-initiate WinMX from two different websites as part of a user-controlled resurgence. Rather than rely upon the WinMX cached files, the patches alter the search to direct users to new, peer-based caches instead.

Since there has been no central authority behind WinMX for several years there are different patches available online, each with different details for instruction and use. Some user groups that offer the patch ask for a cash donation, in the form of a payment, to cover costs and maintain upkeep and some are free of charge. There is a freeware version of WinMX MP3 4.5.6 available at http://www.download3k.com/Network-tools/File-sharing/Download-WinMX-MP3.html that runs on Windows operating systems 95, 98, ME, NT, 4.x, 2000, XP, 2003. There is a Vista version available at http://www.isnic.co.cc/mx/?version=windows-vista

After the official website shut down, the new WinMX network started having problems with dummy files and spyware and adware programs disguised as media files. Before you download any files, or the application itself, you should perform a virus check. If you are unable to run the application after downloading, it might be a dummy file, or a version of the patch incompatible with your operating system. It is best to search for a version of the patch designed specifically for the Windows version that you have installed.