<SOLVED> Port forwarded, but no incoming connections

[Lavender]

I forwarded port 8333, but I still only have 8 connections. If I understand correctly, all 8 connections are outbound connections and inbound connections are only established once the connection count rises above 8. I would like to help the Bitcoin network by allowing incoming connections, but I cannot seem to get my connection count above 8. Any suggestions?

https://i.imgur.com/gcPcXuT.png

https://i.imgur.com/EySR9Gg.png

EDIT: Solved. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=195109.msg2151352#msg2151352

[Lavender]

After days of only 8 connections, it appears to be working now! I didn't consciously change anything, but oh well, success.

https://i.imgur.com/P2YhUxi.png

[BitshireHashaway]

You may want to try and understand what caused the problem so that it doesn't catch you unawares later.

[Lavender]

You may want to try and understand what caused the problem so that it doesn't catch you unawares later.

I think I've finally solved it. When I run the portable Bitcoin-Qt (the .zip download), I was not getting more than 8 connections except for the above one-time connection number of 13. I later ran the .exe version instead and I now get consistently 20 or so connections.

My estimation is that because the portable Bitcoin client was not running from the default location, the automatically created Windows firewall exception did not apply to it, because the firewall exception was probably pointed towards the "C/Program Files" install path for the client. When running the .exe (after it performed an installation procedure), the client was then running from the expected "C/Program Files" location and therefore the Windows firewall exception began working as intended. I could be wrong.

[jamesgarfield]

I forwarded port 8333, but I still only have 8 connections. If I understand correctly, all 8 connections are outbound connections and inbound connections are only established once the connection count rises above 8. I would like to help the Bitcoin network by allowing incoming connections, but I cannot seem to get my connection count above 8. Any suggestions?

https://i.imgur.com/gcPcXuT.png

https://i.imgur.com/EySR9Gg.png

Try disconecting your router to generate a new IP.

[Lavender]

I forwarded port 8333, but I still only have 8 connections. If I understand correctly, all 8 connections are outbound connections and inbound connections are only established once the connection count rises above 8. I would like to help the Bitcoin network by allowing incoming connections, but I cannot seem to get my connection count above 8. Any suggestions?

Try disconecting your router to generate a new IP.

Thanks, I'll try that if I have the problem again. I have updated the OP though, because I have found that running the Bitcoin-Qt.exe instead of the .zip made the program work so that I have several connections. That could be coincidental though, perhaps the real solution was that at some point I renewed a DHCP lease.