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Author Topic: Torrent for Dummies
Naci_Sey
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posted 07 May 2006 06:03 PM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
From time to time, someone adds a link in their post to a site that offers 'torrent' downloads.

I've looked up the term and learned that i) torrent is a technology that enables the downloading of large files and ii) there are a large number of torrent clients (that the right term?), among which are BitTorrent, BitComet, and uTorrent.

So I downloaded and installed BitTorrent and then proceeded to download a file from one of the major torrent sites - don't remember the name of the site, but the file featured Stephen Colbert's presentation at the recent White House correspondents dinner. The file extension was 'avi', which I understand is the usual extension for torret files. Once the the download was complete, I clicked to activate the file.

I got sound, but no video. What have I done wrong? And what is it that I'm not understanding about this tech? Also, is BitTorrent the best software/client/whatever for a newbie?

NB: I have a high-speed cable connection and have WinXP.


From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
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posted 07 May 2006 06:15 PM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Bit Torrent is probably about the best client.

.avi files may be video & audio or audio only. You may have downloaded an audio only file. Also, there are different audio and video codecs that are used in .avi files, and your player may be missing a video codec.

Are you using Windows Media Player to run the .avi file? It should have the necessary codecs. If not, perhaps a free upgrade from Microsoft would be in order.


From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Naci_Sey
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posted 07 May 2006 08:57 PM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by M. Spector:
Are you using Windows Media Player to run the .avi file? It should have the necessary codecs. If not, perhaps a free upgrade from Microsoft would be in order.

Yes, I'm using WMP 10 and it's up-to-date, at least according to Windows Update. However, when I click on the file and WMP activates, I see the message 'error downloading codec'. Then the file begins but audio only. It was definitely the video I downloaded, not just an audio file.

From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Diane Demorney
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posted 07 May 2006 09:15 PM      Profile for Diane Demorney   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Try downloading the ffdshow codecs here...
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=53761
they seem to work for me.

From: Calgary | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Naci_Sey
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posted 07 May 2006 09:35 PM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Diane Demorney:
Try downloading the ffdshow codecs here...
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=53761
they seem to work for me.


Diane, thank you!! It worked and I'm viewing the video now. This is great; now maybe I'll be able to watch some of my favourite SciFi programs too.

From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Stargazer
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posted 07 May 2006 10:01 PM      Profile for Stargazer     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks Diane! I have been looking for something to watch the Walmart movie and I was having the same problem. Much appreciated.
From: Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist. | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Diane Demorney
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posted 07 May 2006 10:47 PM      Profile for Diane Demorney   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
You're welcome.
From: Calgary | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Vansterdam Kid
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posted 07 May 2006 11:12 PM      Profile for Vansterdam Kid   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
In case anyone is intrested, as a dummy, I needed to ask a question about how to use Bittorent. This thread talks about how one sets up bittorrent.
From: bleh.... | Registered: Apr 2004  |  IP: Logged
RookieActivist
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posted 08 May 2006 11:08 AM      Profile for RookieActivist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I find the best tracker sites are newnova.org and mininova.org. I've found a way to keep up with all of my TV shows by subscribing to RSS feeds for the show. That way whenever a new episode is out, I can see it in my browser, and download the new torrent.

The trick to getting fast torrent speeds is to download from good trackers and download the most popular files.


From: me to you | Registered: May 2003  |  IP: Logged
vorlon
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posted 10 May 2006 10:39 PM      Profile for vorlon     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Naci_Sey:
From time to time, someone adds a link in their post to a site that offers 'torrent' downloads.

I've looked up the term and learned that i) torrent is a technology that enables the downloading of large files and ii) there are a large number of torrent clients (that the right term?), among which are BitTorrent, BitComet, and uTorrent.

So I downloaded and installed BitTorrent and then proceeded to download a file from one of the major torrent sites - don't remember the name of the site, but the file featured Stephen Colbert's presentation at the recent White House correspondents dinner. The file extension was 'avi', which I understand is the usual extension for torret files. Once the the download was complete, I clicked to activate the file.

I got sound, but no video. What have I done wrong? And what is it that I'm not understanding about this tech? Also, is BitTorrent the best software/client/whatever for a newbie?

NB: I have a high-speed cable connection and have WinXP.


Personally, I think the best torret software is Azureus. It has a nice interface, and because it is written in Java is cross-platform, meaning that you can run it on Linux, Windows, Mac or what-have-you.

For viewer software, I can't recommend VLC highly enough. It has its own codecs built-in, and can be downloaded from:

VLC (VideoLan) download page


From: Canada | Registered: Sep 2004  |  IP: Logged
Naci_Sey
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posted 15 May 2006 12:01 AM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
These questions are about seeding, leechers, upload rates and what is considered good seeding manners.

I have WindowsXP and use high-speed cable. My BitTorrent is set at an default upload rate of 20KB/s. The default seeding share is set at 80%.

- Is 80% the least acceptable seeding share, or might 60% be OK?
- Is 20KB/s the best setting for me?

I notice a heck of a lot of leechers.

- Are these people who download the torrent file but don't send anything upstream? Or,
- Are they people who discontinue the upload as soon as they have 100% of the file downloaded to their computer?

Is the percent share of seeding related at all to how quickly one will obtain the whole file?


From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Kinetix
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posted 15 May 2006 01:00 PM      Profile for Kinetix     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
If anyone wants a demonoid invite (by far the best tracker), please PM me. [Update: Don't bother messaging me if you've only joined rabble to ask for a demonoid invite. Join the community. Babble a bit.]

Naci-Sey, you should be uploading at at least 100% if you can. Anything less actually hurts the network because it removes your file and nobody else will be able to download.

[ 01 June 2006: Message edited by: Kinetix ]


From: Montréal, Québec | Registered: Mar 2004  |  IP: Logged
notStraussian
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posted 15 May 2006 02:39 PM      Profile for notStraussian     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I use this codec package

http://gordianknot.sourceforge.net/

it contains almost every video codec you could ever need to watch what you download


From: Coxheath | Registered: May 2006  |  IP: Logged
Roy_Whyte
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posted 16 May 2006 12:36 AM      Profile for Roy_Whyte   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Naci_Sey:
These questions are about seeding, leechers, upload rates and what is considered good seeding manners.

I have WindowsXP and use high-speed cable. My BitTorrent is set at an default upload rate of 20KB/s. The default seeding share is set at 80%.

- Is 80% the least acceptable seeding share, or might 60% be OK?
- Is 20KB/s the best setting for me?

I notice a heck of a lot of leechers.

- Are these people who download the torrent file but don't send anything upstream? Or,
- Are they people who discontinue the upload as soon as they have 100% of the file downloaded to their computer?

Is the percent share of seeding related at all to how quickly one will obtain the whole file?



Best etiquette is that you give back as much as you take - otherwise 100% or better. Some torrent sites track your downloads and uploads and will cut you off from further torrent files if you don't upload enough. That's called your share ratio.

How quickly you receive the file depends on a number of factors, but mainly how many 'peers' there are on the torrent you are downloading. Peers includes both those uploading (seeders) and those downloading (leechers). bit-torrent differs from other peer-to-peer software because you can download from multiple peers at once, upload while you are downloading, and even select individual files among sets of files if the torrent you are downloading offers it as such. Example - you want to download a season of a TV show but you have seen some episodes - only select those episodes you want - and those are the ones you will download and thus share yourself.

Azureus is my favourite but it can hog resources on your computer, if you have a fast computer there is little to notice, slower computer users don't much care for it. uTorrent is another client you may want to check out - but it's only for windows, and is based off of Azureus. It takes hardly any memory at all, and is very easy to use - especially for beginners. Azureus is the king of bittorrent as it has the most features IMHO.

As for leechers, I touched on them, but they too can send you parts of the file that they have already downloaded themselves, and in turn you too as a leecher can do the same.

As for the 20 kbs - depends on how fast you want to get your share ratio to one to one! As well some internet service providers or certain packages there of, limit your upload speed. Mine is capped at 40 for instance.


From: Abbotsford BC | Registered: May 2006  |  IP: Logged
Naci_Sey
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posted 02 June 2006 12:32 PM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks everyone for your earlier advice.

I obtained the BitTorrent client and have been using it for the past few weeks. It's great to watch shows that I've missed since getting rid of my TV cable connection.

Now that I've reached newbie status 0.2, I'm wondering if uTorrent wouldn't be better (faster) or BitComet. I'd appreciate your comments on these or other bitTorrent clients.

Also, on the uTorrent and BitComet download pages, they offer both a 'standalone' version and an 'intallation program'. What's the difference?


From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Roy_Whyte
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posted 02 June 2006 04:57 PM      Profile for Roy_Whyte   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Naci_Sey:
Thanks everyone for your earlier advice.

I obtained the BitTorrent client and have been using it for the past few weeks. It's great to watch shows that I've missed since getting rid of my TV cable connection.

Now that I've reached newbie status 0.2, I'm wondering if uTorrent wouldn't be better (faster) or BitComet. I'd appreciate your comments on these or other bitTorrent clients.

Also, on the uTorrent and BitComet download pages, they offer both a 'standalone' version and an 'intallation program'. What's the difference?


uTorrent would be your better choice. Bitcomet is banned on many torrent sites as it does not behave very well. Others like myself using Azureus block Bitcomet from connecting to us.

And from the uTorrent FAQ page:

Does µTorrent install itself?

No, it is a stand-alone application, unless you use the installer version. However, on first run, it will ask if you would like to make shortcuts on your start menu and desktop.

I use the standalone - just double click it like any shortcut and off it goes! That said, there is nothing wrong with the installation method if you so prefer.

[ 02 June 2006: Message edited by: Roy_Whyte ]


From: Abbotsford BC | Registered: May 2006  |  IP: Logged
Naci_Sey
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posted 02 June 2006 05:19 PM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Ack! I looked in the FAQs and couldn't find that one. Thanks Ron. uTorrent it shall be.
From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
JaneyCanuck
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posted 16 June 2006 07:25 AM      Profile for JaneyCanuck     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I dled uTorrent and tried searching and when the file I wanted appeared, I tried adding the url but I only found frustration. I know I shuold have read the "rules" but what am I doing wrong? (I was used to the very friendly and much missed WinMx).

Thx!!!


From: Halifax, NS | Registered: Jun 2006  |  IP: Logged
Naci_Sey
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posted 16 June 2006 04:50 PM      Profile for Naci_Sey   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Hello Janey. I was hoping someone with more experience would respond to your post. I've only recently been introduced to torrents and uTorrent in particular.

Haven't had any trouble downloading with it, with the exception that it doesn't activate automatically when I click a torrent link online as, for example, on mininova.org. So I save the link to the torrent to my desktop instead, activate uTorrent manually and load in the file. Haven't tried just clicking the icon for the saved torrent. That might work too.

I hope that makes sense!

ETA: I use Firefox for my browser, which may - or may not - make a difference.

[ 16 June 2006: Message edited by: Naci_Sey ]


From: BC | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Roy_Whyte
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posted 18 June 2006 01:29 AM      Profile for Roy_Whyte   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by JaneyCanuck:
I dled uTorrent and tried searching and when the file I wanted appeared, I tried adding the url but I only found frustration. I know I shuold have read the "rules" but what am I doing wrong? (I was used to the very friendly and much missed WinMx).

Thx!!!


If you are using windows - when you download the torrent file to whatever it is you want to download you can do one of three things:

save to your hard disk and then either start uTorrent then drag and drop the .torrent file into the open window
or
just double click the downloaded .torrent file and it should automatically load into your default bit torrent client - this case uTorrent.
or
when you select to download the file - just select "open with" uTorrent and off you go.

It is also possible from your question you may be trying to activate an 'azureus magnet link'. Far as I know that will not work in uTorrent. If so, just download the .torrent file and do as above.



From: Abbotsford BC | Registered: May 2006  |  IP: Logged
JaneyCanuck
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posted 23 June 2006 11:07 AM      Profile for JaneyCanuck     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thx for the replies!!

I had no trouble dled it - it was getting it to work. However, I should read the instructions, lol

I think I am used to fast and easy and as we all know, that does not always happen. I tried it in several browsers. But I will heed the advice and then read some more.


From: Halifax, NS | Registered: Jun 2006  |  IP: Logged
proofoflife
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posted 30 August 2008 12:36 PM      Profile for proofoflife   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Hey everyone,

I joined this forum because I stumbled on this thread which I found very helpful

I've been downloading torrents ever since they became more popular that limewire p2p sharing & friends... In the past I used BitLord and then switched to BitComet. I found that with bitcomet my downloads were faster but I heard that there were faster clients out then like azeurus.

The thing is that I'm still pretty much clueless on how even my own client works. I always look for torrents with the most seeds and that aren't fake but other than that i know no more.

I was wondering if there was anything remotely similar to a users manual because I would love to get familiar with bitcomet features and how to execute them. I would also like to know how to make my downloading more efficient.

For instance, is it normal that when I download the downloads are always at least 10 times inferior to the uploads? Is it better to limit the uploads?

I really want to learn and any help is appreciated : )

cheers!


From: Montreal | Registered: Aug 2008  |  IP: Logged
Stargazer
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posted 30 August 2008 01:56 PM      Profile for Stargazer     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The best advice is to seed back at least 1:1. That is, if you've downloaded a movie, seed back until at least two other people have completed downloading. You don't want to be leaving anyone leeching with no seeders.

I don't use BitCommet but here is a forum with some basic torrent sharing etiquette:

http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=2411

Here is a bunch of good information on Optimization of BitComet:

http://torrentfreak.com/search/optimize+BitComet


From: Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist. | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
al-Qa'bong
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posted 30 August 2008 02:16 PM      Profile for al-Qa'bong   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
That is, if you've downloaded a movie, seed back until at least two other people have completed downloading.

How do you know if you've done that?

I look at the "Share Ratio" number when I upload. It takes forever, it seems, for it to reach 100%, so I've only let it go that far a few times.


From: Saskatchistan | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged
Stargazer
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posted 30 August 2008 04:22 PM      Profile for Stargazer     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
You know it's seeded 1:1 by the ratio. I'm not sure how BitComet works, but uTorrent has a ratio status bar. If you've seeded 100 percent of the movie your ratio would be 1.0.

I don't use public trackers so I really never have any problems. I know most of the traffic on public trackers are hit and runners (they download as fast as possible and then stop seeding immediately).


From: Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist. | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
al-Qa'bong
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posted 04 September 2008 08:34 PM      Profile for al-Qa'bong   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
About 27 years ago I bought the EP, Triumph of the Ignoroids by DOA.


I haven't listened to it in about 20 years, and the record's sitting in a box in my basement somewhere. About 27 minutes ago I thought, "Why not see if it's on a torrent?"

It is!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[ 04 September 2008: Message edited by: al-Qa'bong ]


From: Saskatchistan | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged
-=+=-
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posted 08 September 2008 11:51 AM      Profile for -=+=-   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
That's Anita Bryant on the DOA cover (the beauty queen/anti-gay rights campaigner).

People really hated her in the 70's/80's. What was about her that was particularly loathsome?

(I hope this isn't too much thread drift).


From: Turtle Island | Registered: Oct 2004  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
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posted 08 September 2008 04:34 PM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by -=+=-:
...anti-gay rights campaigner)....What was about her that was particularly loathsome?
How much more do you need to know?

From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged

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