New Rapidshare problem?

I've been unable to download from Rapidshare for over 24 hours (am non-member) and keep getting the same message:

"You want to download the following file:
dead link | 100431 KB

Your IP address xx.xxx.xx.xxx is already downloading a file. Please wait until the download is completed."

Except that I'm not "already downloading a file" and haven't for over a day. Is this a Rapidshare manipulation or have I been hijacked, phished?

Thanks in advance for any guidance and an apology if this has already been answered in another thread. But in reading through the postings, I didn't see this particular problem mentioned.

This can happen - Rapidshare uses your IP address to limit your D/L capacity, so that you will buy a membership. Sometimes however , it gets confused and seems to think an IP address is permanently busy. The only solution is to change the IP address, which is just a case of turning your modem off, count to ten, and turn it back on. When your ISP assigns you a new address, the problem should have gone.

(I am assuming you have dynamic IP addresing at your ISP, but it's a good bet as you would probably have a good reason if you had specifically asked - and paid - for a static IP).

Or you are using some sort of anonymization software, which is using a proxy.

Proxies especially fast ones are always busy.

Monkey D. Ruffy

With regard to the points raised by Alton Towers and Monkey D. Ruffy, my ISP does use dynamic addresses, so I had hoped that turning the computer off or restarting would resolve the issue. Not sure if these steps would be the same as turning the modem off for 10 secs, but the problem persisted.

Haven't been using a proxy or any anonymizer...

Was advised to look for any cookies placed by Rapidshare. Couldn't find any in Temp but figuring they might be there under a different name, deleted everything. This seemed to resolve things. I say "seemed" because after emptying Temp, I also cut and pasted an RS address (rather than clicking on a hotlink as had previously done). Have found cutting and pasting to be occasionally effective in the past, mainly when a hotlink doesn't work.

Went on a bit here in case this might be of help to others.

And my thanks to AltonTowers and Monkey D. Ruffy for their help.

cheval_dabri wrote:

Not normally, particularly if you are broadband or cable - which I assume you are. Check the modem for the orange "LINK" light - this means you are logged in. Green means connection ok, flashing anything means "hang on a bit, I'm working". If you turn the PC off, it doesn't reset the modem connection to the ISP.

Glad you fixed the problem!