Bit Torrents For Dummies

[alef]

Just learned you can specify file types with google, so you can search for torrents by including +filetype:torrent

For example I'm just on the lookout for The Incredibles, the new Pixar film:
http://www.google.com/search?q=incredibles+filetype:torrent&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

---

Have to add that this is actually not a good way to collect torrents as you can't quickly tell if they're properly seeded or not. I currently have two stuck after downloading over 97%

 

[Waterfall]

Don't use exeem.

Why shouldn't we use eXeem?

* It contains spyware.
* Not only spyware, but Cydoor, arguably one of the worst spyware producers.

It's closed source.

* Peer-to-peer communities are, to a large extent, based around the concept of sharing. eXeem has taken a protocol that was shared with the world by its creator and locked it into a closed-source, spyware'd application.

It's windows only.

* Yes, this is important. Bittorrent was designed to be truly multi-platform, so that it could become universally available for any purpose. It is this that to a large extent helps the argument that peer-to-peer should remain legal – it's ability to adapt to thousands of useful situations is a great asset to the community, and can be used to save the distribution costs of non-profit organisations. eXeem is clearly a money-spinner, and so it will never gain respect.

It's not as safe as Bittorrent.

* Just because it's safer for the few, eXeem is actually more dangerous for the average user. Since Bittorrent doesn't use any encryption or cloaking methods, it's ridiculously easy for a BayTSP system to monitor eXeem and pick out the IP addresses of those who are sharing copyrighted content.
* Also, as you're downloading a large number of shared files at one time, there are many more opportunities for infringement capture. In Bittorrent you only share what you are currently downloading, but in eXeem you are sharing everything, and as such are more likely to be sued.

Exeem is dangerous and truly immoral (profitmaking) software.

 

[loud 1]

right...


ive been downloading a 1.4 gig,which is a whole series of progs....

its on 77% complete,but in the folder,it says that all the episodes are 0kb,but in the details it says that each episode is about 75% complete....

does this mean it hasnt downloaded anything....

or that it will only show its the kb when its completed?

 

[Waterfall]

Are you uploading the file to other people as well as downloading it? If so, it's definately there. Also, if you right-click on the folder and go to 'properties', does it still say 0kb? It's possible the files might be held in a temporary folder (probably buried in the depths of windows) until they're finished and then moved across. Hope this helps.

 

[MrBIG]

www.torrentspy.com is pretty comprehensive and if you click on the directories http://www.torrentspy.com/directory.asp you will find something that looks suprnova ish with all the files lovingly sorted into categories.

 

[werdna]

http://www.torrents.to lets u search different sites for torrents,

btw if ne one has soldier of fortune (linux) nd wud like 2 let me have a copy have got it on dload but just to slow download

 

[Loki]

Install BitTorrent client; my personal favourite for windows is YABC
Find a site with a .torrent on it
Open torrent in client
Bingo!

Finally got this bit torrent thing to work! I downloaded the above YABC and then went to this website: http://www.vip-torrents.com/ where everything's categorised (Adventure/Comedy/Horror etc). Click on the program you want and it somehow automatically installs itself on the Bittorrent queue.

It's actually a doddle to get working.

It's very different in style to eMule (what I normally use). I would say I like them both - depends on what you're looking for I suppose. The download rates are roughly the same.

 

[easy g]

what sort of rates do you get?

I'm on yr bog standard broadband 512Kps connection...

 

[Loki]

what sort of rates do you get?

I'm on yr bog standard broadband 512Kps connection...

I'm on 512K ADSL too.

It really does vary - presumably because other users are downloading from the same source sometimes.

Obviously you'll have several downloads going on at the same time which may affect things.

Typically it's around 4kbps but sometimes it can be as high as 18 kbps - depends who's online and downloading/uploading what and the figures keep changing.

Sometimes it can take over a week to download a movie, other times just a couple of days. Half-hour comedies sometimes download in mere hours.

(edit to add I share my connection with another urbanite but I don't think he does much downloading)

 

[stdPikachu]

Oddly enough I'm downloading the first series of Daria (a rather scathingly and cynically amusing teenage cartoon that has criminally never been released on DVD) right now. I usually only download stuff if I can't get in dead tree format. Current top picks are Count Duckula, Bananaman, Pinky and the Brain and Sealab 2021

Your download speed is more dependant on the torrent sites you frequent rather than your connection. Public torrent sites a la Suprnova are choc full o' leeches, so no upload bandwidth, so everyone elses download bandwidth sucks. The stuff I get comes from private minority interest sites which strictly enforce share ratios, so you get very little leeching, hence very fast downloads - fast enough to totally swamp your downstream bandwidth (which means you totally swamp your upstream bandwidth as well) if you don't know what you're doing. Same thing goes for linux ISO's over BT, as there's always about 30 people on T3's and uni networks sharing as fast as their pipes will let them.

And remember, the more popular a torrent is, the faster it is (leeches notwithstanding).

 

[easy g]

that's cool...cheers folks

I seem to be in the right ballpark then

 

[Loki]

On eMule I've currently got about 40 movies and comedies queued for download and they're all at various stages of completion, but mostly only three or four are actively downloading at any one time, and the ones being downloaded change quite often.

Sometimes I'll get a blinding rate on one and think to myself, "wahay, I'll have that in the next 20 minutes!" ... Only for the connection to suddenly disappear and not come back for a couple of days But you get there in the end!

 

[ernestolynch]

http://jjones.kicks-ass.net:6969/

Torrent tracker for Timeteam/Tony Robinson history programmes.

 

[Bajie]

Some Links...

Noam Chomsky:
http://www.chomskytorrents.org/
See also: http://www.chomskytorrents.org/related.htm

Sci-Fi:
http://niteshdw.dyndns.org/

 

[miniGMgoit]

Ive just been reading up on bittorrent and am a bit blown away to be honest.

Good Bye SoulSeek.

 

[MightyAphrodite]

http://www.btefnet.net/index.php?show=12


telly progs galore, fast too

 

[rubbershoes]

Ive just been reading up on bittorrent and am a bit blown away to be honest.

Good Bye SoulSeek.

soulseek is stil good though. you can see who's downloading from you and see what they have that you might fancy. you can't browse in the same way with any torrent sites that i'm aware of

 

[miniGMgoit]

soulseek is stil good though. you can see who's downloading from you and see what they have that you might fancy. you can't browse in the same way with any torrent sites that i'm aware of

Yeah I wont be getting rid of SS just yet as I like it. Also the bittorrent is pretty useless to me as my provider has a cap. A very low cap. And im stuck in a contract with them for another 10 months. Booo

 

[kenny g]

www.oink.me.uk allows you to do many of the things asked for..ie see who is downloading from you etc.

also.. www.torrentbytes.net is going to have a few more thousand accounts open today.

 

[mwgdrwg]

Just learned you can specify file types with google, so you can search for torrents by including +filetype:torrent

For example I'm just on the lookout for The Incredibles, the new Pixar film:
http://www.google.com/search?q=incredibles+filetype:torrent&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

---

Have to add that this is actually not a good way to collect torrents as you can't quickly tell if they're properly seeded or not. I currently have two stuck after downloading over 97%

Such a handy tip. Thanks.

 

[easy g]

not sure how many of you have come across Mininova yet

shows torrents added daily, ones that require registration, you can search for all torrents it has links to tho using the 'type' headings...

 

[treelover]

any one know any good pc games private torrent sites, oh and on e-mule i am averaging 3.5kbp. tell me how i can go faster?


btw, why do people leach, what is wrong with uploading , can they be kicked off

ta

 

[stdPikachu]

why do people leach? what is wrong with uploading?

Espcially in the US, alot of people have terrible upload speeds and/or capped upload limits (since a huge amount of yanks use cable rather than DSL). They don't like to see their bandwidth used for anything other than their own benefit.

can they be kicked off

The BitTorrent protocol rewards people with higher uploads by giving them higher download speeds (so leechers typically can't download as fast as seeders), but there's no way to kick them off, except on private trackers with enforced share ratios.

 

[Firky]

not sure how many of you have come across Mininova yet

shows torrents added daily, ones that require registration, you can search for all torrents it has links to tho using the 'type' headings...

it aint bad is it

 

[ziconess]

What a great thread!

Have had a right shitty day, sat down at 8:30pm & a spliff, a glass of wine & reading this thread & all is ok again + series 1 of black books is heading my way via the wonder of the torrent + other people's way to I suppose.

I Gave up on Kazaa yonks ago & have been meaning to check out BT. Will have to find someway of getting all my shit available (becoming a seed for files?), share & share alike anyway


Nice1 all.

 

[easy g]

so...d/l Cube Zero...turns out it is in rar files and a load of 'r' files...how do I sort this out then? I know what rar files are but not the others...furthermore how do I piece those files together to make one film?

g=numpty...

 

[KarmaBum]

All of my torrent downloads are really fragmented. I recently defraged my HD and it was a solid bar of red. Then I started checking it regularly and my torrent downloads are the cause. Is this normal?

I'm regularly defaging now cause I like my free movies.

 

[Sorry.]

anyone still passing out invites for OINK?

 

[LostNotFound]

All of my torrent downloads are really fragmented. I recently defraged my HD and it was a solid bar of red. Then I started checking it regularly and my torrent downloads are the cause. Is this normal?

I'm regularly defaging now cause I like my free movies.

i get that a bit. i think its due to the way bit torrent works.. files come in tiny fragments at a time in any order, and say you've got 10 downloading a time, the disk can fill up in a very fragmented manner.

once a week automatic defrag maybe?

 

[stdPikachu]

IIRC you can get around the fragmented files issue by allocating the space for the file before it starts downloading. That way as soon as you start the torrent for, say, a 700MB ISO, you get an (empty) 700MB file. As the pieces come down, they're automatically dropped into the right place.