The complete newbie guide on how to use a popular Bittorent client to download from Bittorent websites. Basically, Torrent works better than P2P, which requires a full file to share, with no incentive to do so. This results in super slow speeds. Bittorent on the other hand, works instantly. You download parts of the file, and share it with others, improving the network health, as you download files quicker than ever.
Steps
1. Search Google and Download a Popular Bittorent client. Here are some user favorites: BitComet, Azureus, BiTtornado, or uTorrent. But i would use Azureus as later on in this post i will show you how to set it up.
2. Here are some important terms to learn. [Leecher] The leecher is a person who only downloads and doesn't upload. [Seeder] This term are what results in completing a download, and "seeding" the file for other people (including leechers) to download. [Tracker] This is the overlord, and every torrent website has one. It keeps track of all the seeders and leechers, and all other activity. [Torrent file] Usually, this is a small file you download that gives instructions to your Bittorent Client that you downloaded in step one.
3. After installing your bittorent program, search for torrent sites, and download a .torrent file. Open it, and your bittorent program should automatically parse you where to save and initiate your download. Choose a path and start downloading your file!
Tips
* You should always share close to your total upload speed, which you could set in your bittorent programs options.
* When downloading a file, a Torrent with a high number of seeds and leechers will result in a faster download.
* A Torrent without any seeds but a high number of leechers COULD mean your download can finish, but without a seed, the whole file might not exist.
Warnings
* Lowering your upload speed might result in a banning from the torrent sites.
How to Install Bittorrent Using Azureus Client
BitTorrent is a protocol that facilitates the sharing of files over the Internet. Follow these instructions to configure your PC to access BitTorrent downloads using the Azureus BitTorrent client.
Steps
1. Download and install Java, version 1.5.x or greater, if you don't already have it on your PC. See external links below.
2. Download and install Azureus client. See external links below for download link.
3. Download and install the Azureus Safepeer plugin. See external links below for download link.
4. Change the default port for Azureus. Azureus only uses 1 port (unlike some other BitTorrent clients) and the default BitTorrent ports (6881-6889) may be blocked by your ISP. Open Azureus, click View > Config > Server and change the number before Incoming TCP listen port. Choose any number between 49152 and 65535. If you use a firewall you will have to add this port for forwarding to your computer's IP address.
5. While you are in the config area, click the transfer section to set your max upload and download speed. Try download 0 (i.e. maximum) and upload between 10-25. Adjust downward if you find it is slowing your web browsing.
6. Also in the config area, you can set things like the default download folder and where you want the .torrent files to be saved until you have finished the download.
7. To hitch in to the network, you need .torrent files. These tell your Azureus client where to find files on other BitTorrent PCs on the internet. See external links.
Tips
* Unlike Kazaa, Gnutella and other P2P filesharing networks where you have a program on the computer, open it up and enter the file you are looking for in the search box to get a list of files, BitTorrent uses trackers.
* Do not set upload speed to 0 (i.e. maximum). Due to the way TCP works, when A is downloading something from B it has to keep telling B that it received the data sent to him. (These are called acknowledgements - ACKs -, a sort of "got it!" messages). If A fails to do this then B will stop sending data and wait. If A is uploading at full speed there may be no bandwidth left for the ACKs and they will be delayed. So due to this effect, excessively high upload speeds lead to low download speeds.
* If you try to be a free rider and download without contributing uploads, you risk being banned by sites that require a reasonable ratio of uploads to downloads.
* If you are trying to download a new file with 1 seeder and 50 leechers it will be slow. Either wait a few hours for the seeders to increase or look on a different site. The number of seeders and leechers will usually be displayed, so a file with 130 seeders and 40 leechers will download fast, as a rough guide 700mb will download in around 4 hours if it has plenty of seeders.
If you are connected to the internet via a router, be sure to check portforward.com[portforward.com] for instructions on how to open the port that you set Azureus to use in the config.
Things You'll Need
* Azureus client
* Java installed on your PC
* A torrent site or forum
* Ports open on your firewall (if you use one)
* Fast broadband connection
I would recommend using a different client (such as uTorrent, found at: utorrent.com[utorrent.com] ) for PC's with less than 1GB RAM or those using a less powerful processor. Otherwise, good guide! =D
thanks for the good tutorial. i used utorrent, but i think Azureus is the best bet for noobs to get the hang of torrenting.
also, that list of torrents is out of date due to shutdown notices and such. the best stuff is on private trackers, anyway. speaking of which, who wants an invite to MY site? send me a msg and maybe i will hook you up.
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