Ok, I got Mandrake 10, fresh on the CDs, auto-updated the packages from the net during the initial install, it does that automatically. Other than that, I haven't done ANYTHING other than edit my smb.conf to get a shared directory. I have TWO issues with aMule. One. I followed the FAQ instructions about installing wxGTK and wxBase thingies and then installed aMule all from RPMs. I'm a new to Linux and don't know if I'm ready to start compiling from source. Anyway, aMule shuts itself down. Randomly, with no prompt or user intervention. No error messages, nothing. Just -poof- and it's gone. I can restart it no problem, but whether it's onscreen, minimized, or in the systray, it can just...go away. ALSO, when it IS up for a good stretch of time (20+ minutes) I can rarely connect to ANY servers. I've tried different server lists, my WinXP copy of eMule works beautifully, always gets a HighID, all my machines have a regular IP on the network through a Linksys router, and I have the TCP and UDP ports forwarded with it properly, both to WinXP and Linux. I still almost NEVER get a HighID on the Linux machine when I DO get connected. I suspect there's some other sort of internal software firewall in Linux or something that isn't letting SOMETHING through properly, but I have no clue how to disable it or remove it. But my biggest problem is the random crashes of aMule. Judging by all the (relatively) complicated instructions on installing aMule on Mandrake 10, there's SOME known issue, and I suspect it's the one I am having (I followed those MDK10 instructions to the LETTER from the aMule website) but I haven't been able to find any SOLUTION to it anywhere. I would be fine with running it just from the CLI (only need to bring it up to search and add downloads) and no GUI, but apparently aMule can't be separated from it's GUI yet. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give as much info as possible. Thanks and please help! Still a Linux n00b.

Well, I don't know amule, but use Xmule instead, and it works perfectly fine. look at http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...ease_id=253170
choose the tar.gz version and download it in your personnal home directory, then untar it (tar zxvf xmule-1.8.4.bin.tar.gz), step right into (cd xmule-1.8.4.bin) then copy the library (su/passwd and then cp libwx_gtk-2.4.so /usr/lib) and run "ldconfig" (ldconfig). That's all ! It can be launch with a simple "xmule" in a console. I never encountered any problem of anykind with this stuff.
About your problem, I sometimes experienced some tricky problems with some mandrake rpm's, especially with some unofficials ones, when it starts to be very, very strange (just the way you told it), I always de-install the RPM and then try to compil my own from sources (not so difficult, don't be afraid).

Already tried xMule and lMule, both had the same problem. I seem to have stabilized the crashing, just shut down the screensavers and it seems stable. I don't really care about the screensavers anyway. But I still have a connection problem. I can connect to some servers, only a few and get a HighID. Just a few little porn-named servers, that's it. I can connect to some others and get a LowID. And then I can't connect at all to the rest. I've changed IP addresses, made sure the right ports are set in aMule and forwarded on my LInksys wifi B router, but the XP box and Linux box are both on wired ports. I used the EXACT same settings, except different IP to match the Linux box in the router port-forwarding. Then I changed ports to make sure there wasn't some crazy conflict, no change. I don't know what else to try. I find this very odd, and I get the impression that not many people have this problem.

<Xfiles soundtrack> reaaally very odd </Xfiles soundtrack>, no seriously, with what you wrote yesterday, we now can be sure the problem is not about x,a or i mule, I mean, it's not about the app. You wrote you solved the crash problem with the screensaver, so -if I would be you- I would try to change the environnement (KDE to gnome or whatever, for exemple), and then I would try to use another P2P app, try Nicotine (http://nicotine.thegraveyard.org/), installation is even eseally than xmule (infact, there is no installation : just untar, and then launch ./nicotine from the top of the folder directory). In my own opinion, I guess you'll have the same problems (lags, slow transferts rates, deconections...), and those two last manips. will make it sure. Could you tell us a little more about your system and your network please ?

Oh, I don't necessairly have SLOW transfers. I was pulling stuff in at pretty good speeds compared to my XP Box, comparable. That really hasn't been a problem. The problem is getting booted off servers and getting reconnected. Razorback2, ProbinPrinz, the big boys I can't even connect to. Timed out. The ones with ### on the side of the name seem to work fine, quick connection, HighID. Most others get a LowID or even more don't connect at all. The connection routine just times out and moves on to the next server. The exact sequence in the logs is
Connecting to serverX.com (IP address hereort)
Connected to serverX.com (IP address hereort)
Connection attempt to serverX.com (IP address hereort) timed out
Connecting to serverY.com (IP addy2 hereort)

And then it starts over again until it hits one that it can connect to, LowID or HighID, whatever. WinXP STILL connects to all of them. My whole network has a total of 8 computers (max) on it. A cable modem comes into my Linksys 4-port wifi router, 2 laptops on Wifi, my old (soon to be gone and replaced by the MDK10 box) print and small file server, my Athlon XP desktop, Linux box and my roommates switch all wired directly to the router. All 4 ports used. Everything except the Linux box is running XP Pro. My roommate has about 3 or 4 computers, usually only one up, all running Win 2000 or XP Pro. My Xp box has port 1280 TCP and 1024 UDP forwarded, and works. I tried those same ports on the linux box, same problem, then changed them to 1776 and 2004 forwarded, same problem. I'm just plain STUMPED. And I think it was crashing because the screensaver STARTED and messed up the program itself, like a GUI issue, and aMule is integrated with its GUI, I think this is a setup or a networking problem. But I don't know what else to try.

Random crashes seem to be a feature of the axl-mules.Had that behaviour all the time but it's been a while since I checked the last time.Mldonkey never crashes but it got it's own share of trouble in other areas.Didn't have any trouble to connect to servers lately but that depends largely on lugdunum.Those guys change the server side without giving specs out to anybody but the emule guys.
Last time I tried I didn't have any difference in the d/l speeds between M$ and Linux - my downloads are always slow :-)

well, captainregular, I'm afraid I don't know any solutions. Sorry, but "it works on my box" (Mandrake 9.2 directly connected to a cable modem). Post the solutions if you find it, I'm curious.

Ok, I got an update. I urpmi'ed it with the proper dependencies, and it's a slightly older version that is much more STABLE, but I have a slightly...modified version of the connection issue. Same with more stable version of xMule, too. Basically, I can now connect to ANY server and get a HighID. That's good! Downside is, I lose that connection in under two seconds on pretty much EVERY server. It seems that the Korean ones and a few of the smaller ones with funny characters in the name can retain a connection. At first I thought it was my ISP (Charter cable in Virginia) blocking them. Damn, I thought. I had seen this on forums. But I tried eMule on my WinXP box and can STILL connect to ANYTHING and KEEP a connection. The same thing happens with aMule AND xMule on the same Linux box. MDK 10. Windows box works PERFECTLY with eMule. All going through the router, I have no idea.

The older versions get probably tossed out by the servers that run with the newest software.They got some new version on the servers that kicks you out if you got a client with the 'old' network behaviour.

this ius gona sound stupid, but.. i can't find amules shared folder. i'm new to linux and winblows spoiled me on it's too easy to use nature

Go to 'preferences' and set your shared files in directories

there /.amule folder is not veiwable or searchable to me and my downloads arn't going where i sent them under prefs