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Forum: User Submitted Guides
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Posted by: esuom
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Post: The Beginners Guide to Torrents. [Downloading]
Forum: User Submitted Guides
Assigned Moderators: R33l2r3al
Posted by: esuom
Original Content:
What is a "Torrent"?
Torrents are peer to peer (p2p) file sharing protocol. What this means, is that torrents are a way to share files with other people, this may mean between your two computers, with a friend across the nation, or with people around the world.
Why Use Torrents?
Torrents are a great way to share large files. You no longer need to split the files into pieces and upload them to hosts such as rapidshare.
[*]Torrents allow you to share the whole file in one download.
[*]While downloading files via torrents, you have the option to pause downloads and restart them later.
[*]Torrents don't have speed limitations like hosts such as megaupload or rapidshare. This means, if you have enough seeders(explained later), you can download at the fastest speed your connection can handle.
[*]Torrents are free to use. You have no need to buy premium subscriptions.
How Do I Download Files via Torrents?
1. First off, you will need a torrent client. These are generally very small and quick to download. In this guide, I will be explaining it using µTorrent 1.7.7.
To download Utorrent, visit www.utorrent.com.
2. Click the large "Get µTorrent" button. It is the same as the button below.
The download should be very quick, the program is 263 kB, even on dial-up this should take less then a minute.
3. Install µTorrent. I won't go into this as it is different for every OS. It should be very simple and it is just a few clicks of the mouse.
4. After it is installed, open the program. This is what you will be using for the rest of this guide.
5. Next, you will need to find a Torrent to download. If you have a specific file you need, skip this step. Otherwise, you should try browsing some of the common Torrent sites. These include...
Code:isohunt.com thepiratebay.org mininova.org
There is almost every program, movie, or game that you could imagine on these sites. Although they may be available, I would suggest that you don't download files that you usually need to pay for.
Look for a download that has a lot of seeders (s) and few peers (p). Example.
Explanation of the sections.
Category - What type of media it is. Example; movies, games, programs, etc.
Age - How long it has been since the file was uploaded.
Torrent Tags/Names - The name of the torrent and the words that will be looked at when searched.
Size - The size of all files included in the download.
S - The amount of seeders. Explained below.
P - The amount of peers. Explained below.
Seeders are users who have finished downloading the file and have it uploaded so that you may download it. Seeders increase the speed of your download.
Peersare users that are still downloading the file. Peers decrease the speed of your download. (Peers may also be known as leechers).
6. Once you have found a download, view the Download Information. This can be done by clicking on the link. You should find a page that looks somewhat like the following...
It is a good idea to view the comments of the download before downloading it, these often tell of the quality of the download. Also, the "Files:" tell you all of the files included in the download. Don't be afraid if you see something such as "hancock.nfo". NFO files are used to display information about the format of the download and will be found in almost every download.
Once you have verified that this was the download you have wanted, click the "Download .torrent" button. When your download appears, choose "Download this File" instead of "Run with ...". The reason for this is because you will want to scan your torrent.
Note : Don't be thrown off by a small file size. This isn't your actual program.
7. SCAN YOUR TORRENT. I cannot stress this enough. Use your antivirus and take the minute to scan it. This could save you hours of stress trying to get rid of a virus.
8. Open your torrent you have just downloaded. If your computer asks you what you want to download it with, browse to your "µTorrent.exe". Choose this option and wait.
9. The following should appear. If everyone on that page is what you want, click "Ok".
10. Congratulations, you have just begun downloading your first torrent. Once the download is finished, scan the downloaded files with your antivirus just to be safe.
Summary
1. Find uTorrent.
2. Download uTorrent.
3. Install uTorrent.
4. Open uTorrent.
5. Find a torrent to download.
6. Verify the torrent.
7. Scan the torrent.
8. Open the torrent.
9. "Ok" the Torrent.
10. Wait.
Constructive criticism is appreciated. Any tips on how I can organize the guide better would be appreciated.
