The BitTorrent Helper Thread

[Dr. Strangelove]

Hello all. Since many of you are experiencing BitTorrent downloading for the first time with this tour, I'm going to try to put together a short guide with a few tips and maybe answer some common questions. (Maybe this could get stickied for a while until newer people get used to BT downloading? I've tried to help out in individual threads, but it would be easier if there was a specific, noticable post)

First, you will need a BitTorrent client, the program that will take the .torrent file you get from somewhere and use it to download your show. I personally use Azureus (http://azureus.sourceforge.net ) but there are many programs out there with similar features. I will, however, only be able to answer really specific questions regarding this program. So if you're just starting out, I'd recommend using Azureus so we're all on the same page. Plus, if you ask any questions, I'll probably be able to help you a lot more if you're using this program.

After you install the program, it should automatically detect some of your settings and pretty much set itself up. You will, however, need to do a few things outside of the program.

You need to know if you are behind a firewall. If you're using a router, chances are it has a built in firewall. You will need to open ports so the BT program can properly communicate with other users and the tracker it uses for your show. This is done by going into your router's configuration and setting Port Forwarding to ports 6881-6889 (these are the common bittorrent ports). The way to do this for some specific brands of routers can be found here: http://userpages.umbc.edu/~hamilton/btclientconfig.html Scroll down a bit and you can find some helpful info.

If you are behind a software firewall, such as ZoneAlarm for example, then you just need to add your bittorrent program to the "allowed" list or whatever it's called in your specific program.

Also, Windows XP users. XP has it's own, really bad, built in firewall. You need to turn this off. This can be done by going to Start Menu > Settings > Network Connections, then right-click on your connection > Properties > Advanced > then the Windows Firewall settings. Turn it off from there.

OK, we're just about ready to download some shows. First we need to make sure our bandwidth is set up properly in our BT program. You should find out what your upload and download capabilities are. You can usually do this by checking with your ISP. It's usually listed on their site somewhere. It'll be, for example something like 350 kb/s download, 35 kb/s upload. These numbers all depend on your ISP plan, but we'll use them in future examples. So, in the BT software, I usually keep my max download to unlimited because I rarely reach the max speed anyway. In Azureus, this is on the Tools > Options > Transfer area. Set kB/s max download speed to 0 (0 means unlimited). Now, the upload speed can really hit your performance hard, which many people don't realize. You do, of course, want this to be as high as possible so you are sharing with others, but at the same time, if this is too high, it can and will choke your total bandwidth (both up AND down) and you'll get some really horrible speeds. I usually set this number at about 10 Kb lower than my upstream bandwidth, which would be, in the example I gave above 25 kB/s.

That should be it! Look at the .torrent file you've downloaded and make sure it actually has the .torrent extension. Some 2005 Torrents If it has none (it's just xxx and not xxx.torrent) you can just add the .torrent to the end and it will be fine. Double-click that file and it should load up your BT software. You'll notice what appears to be all the files from the show on your computer in a matter of a few seconds. These are not complete files. They simply act as a kind of place-holder for the files you will be downloading. You cannot play these files (or do anything else with them, really) until they are completely done downloading. You can, however, set specific files to different priority levels (or even prevent them from downloading all together) so they download first if you want. For example, say you want to read the .txt file for a show. On the My Torrents screen of Azureus, double-click the listed show and it'll bring you to a more detailed window with tabs. Click the Files tab and you can see all the files for your specific torrent. Find the txt file and right-click it and set the priority to High. It should download quickly. You can see it's done by looking at the % complete column. Then you can view the txt file as you would normally. Any file that is at 100% you can then play, convert, or do whatever you want with (just don't try to move it out of the directory).

The most important thing when dealing with torrents is seeding to others after your download is complete. This is the whole basis of the system. If everyone shut down their BT program as soon as their download was finished, the system would not work. You should try to keep your torrent seeding until your upload:download ratio is AT LEAST 1:1. That way you've given back as much as you've taken, and it helps everyone else get better speeds.

One final thing to keep in mind. If you jump on a torrent right after it was posted and there are very few seeds, you will get slow speeds. There's nothing you can do. It's just supply and demand. If there's only one seed, and 25 leechers, you can only download so fast. The best thing to do is be patient. Your speed will go up as more people finish the download and start seeding.

I hope this helps a little bit. I've tried to be as helpful in specific threads as I could be, but I figure it's just easier to find some answers in one place, and it also makes it easier for me and others to help less experienced people out.

Please try to post all torrent related questions here, not in a link to the show or whatever, so everyone else can see your question too, and maybe it'll help them as well.

[rhuss]

sticky this ....

[_Scout_]

I'm having problems with being connectable and I'm dumb

Problem #1. I'm unsure if I'm using a router

When I went to the portforward link from DT I started the process assuming that what I think of as the cable modem was my router. But there is no maker listed on the 'box w/ the blinking lights' and the only serial number does not match any of the routers that portforward lists. Is a cable modem the same thing as a router? If yes, I guess I could contact my DSL provider and ask them what type of router I'm using.



I got the 6.1.05 show dl'd and converted, but I think it would be better for myself and others if I could get myself connected.

Thanks Dr.

[_Scout_]

NOw I'm really embarassed, but at least I started my pervious post by admitting I'm dumb. However, I'm getting smarter. I don't have a router, the box w/ the blinking lights is just the cable modem as I suspected.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by _Scout_

NOw I'm really embarassed, but at least I started my pervious post by admitting I'm dumb. However, I'm getting smarter. I don't have a router, the box w/ the blinking lights is just the cable modem as I suspected.

See? You're not dumb.

It just takes a little getting used to, but soon you'll be a veteran.

[rhuss]

Originally Posted by _Scout_

I'm having problems with being connectable

what kind of problems?

[killymagee2000]

Originally Posted by rhuss

sticky this ....

[joepsu0985]

Im only getting 10kbps im on a cable hook up too..My router ports are set, my client ports are set..Im using bit tornado...does the client have to do with speed?

[Donald V]

Originally Posted by joepsu0985

Im only getting 10kbps im on a cable hook up too..My router ports are set, my client ports are set..Im using bit tornado...does the client have to do with speed?

are you getting a green light in the upper corner? if so then everything is set fine...just a slow torrent at that point

Donald

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by joepsu0985

Im only getting 10kbps im on a cable hook up too..My router ports are set, my client ports are set..Im using bit tornado...does the client have to do with speed?

Also, note what I said above about choking your connection. Make sure your upload is set at least about 10 kb/s less than your connection to the internet is capable of handling. A safe number to just experiment with if you're on a broadband connection is 25 kb/s.

[_Scout_]

I'm connectable!!!!

excuse my joy but I am sooo happy I got that problem solved.

The problem was norton antivirus. I uninstalled that and downloaded a new security suite from my provider, disabled the XP firewall (thanks to Dr Strangleove ), and adjusted the settings on bit tornado per the instructions on portforward.

I want to get my ratio up. I hate the frowning emoticon

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by _Scout_

I'm connectable!!!!

excuse my joy but I am sooo happy I got that problem solved.

The problem was norton antivirus. I uninstalled that and downloaded a new security suite from my provider, disabled the XP firewall (thanks to Dr Strangleove ), and adjusted the settings on bit tornado per the instructions on portforward.

I want to get my ratio up. I hate the frowning emoticon

Congrats! Getting rid of Norton was probably a good thing anyway. It's done horribly compared to other programs when tested against them. Pretty much last, actually.

Glad you're all situated. Have fun downloading!

[trippingbilly12]

Quck question, what is the difference between a seeder and leech? I always though they were the same thing....

[superdave_3]

Thanks for the helper thread Dr., took a day but I finally got everything to work.

[hockeyandDMB]

Is anyone out there?
New problems to an old hat...
I've been d/l'ing shows forever on bt.etree using Mainline3.4.2..
I thought I'd try getting a show from Dreamingtree.com but I had some problems doing my first d/l from them and thought I'd install Azureus as reccommended by that site...but it still didn't work. I gave up and went back to bt.etree to d/l Crumbo's 6/2/05 pull and NOW I'm getting the same problem I was getting at Dreamingtree.com.

Here's the issue... I click on the torrent and save it to my computer (like I've done a hundred times before) but now it just beeps and everything dissappears... no d/l status box or anything. It does write a file name on my computer but there's nothing else. When I try it again it says the file already exisits and asks if I want to replace it but it's just the text info...not the show torrent. Why am I not connecting or getting the option to connect?

ANY advice will help.
Funny how this happens at the start of the tour!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by hockeyandDMB

Is anyone out there?
New problems to an old hat...
I've been d/l'ing shows forever on bt.etree using Mainline3.4.2..
I thought I'd try getting a show from Dreamingtree.com but I had some problems doing my first d/l from them and thought I'd install Azureus as reccommended by that site...but it still didn't work. I gave up and went back to bt.etree to d/l Crumbo's 6/2/05 pull and NOW I'm getting the same problem I was getting at Dreamingtree.com.

Here's the issue... I click on the torrent and save it to my computer (like I've done a hundred times before) but now it just beeps and everything dissappears... no d/l status box or anything. It does write a file name on my computer but there's nothing else. When I try it again it says the file already exisits and asks if I want to replace it but it's just the text info...not the show torrent. Why am I not connecting or getting the option to connect?

ANY advice will help.
Funny how this happens at the start of the tour!

Sorry, just got in from the show tonight, so I'm exhausted, but I'll attempt to help real quick. Is the torrent saving with the ".torrent" extension? It seems sometimes it doesn't. Just add the .torrent if it's not there.

I'm not sure what else it could be. I'll think more when I'm not ready to pass out.

[rhuss]

Originally Posted by hockeyandDMB

Is anyone out there?
New problems to an old hat...
I've been d/l'ing shows forever on bt.etree using Mainline3.4.2..
I thought I'd try getting a show from Dreamingtree.com but I had some problems doing my first d/l from them and thought I'd install Azureus as reccommended by that site...but it still didn't work. I gave up and went back to bt.etree to d/l Crumbo's 6/2/05 pull and NOW I'm getting the same problem I was getting at Dreamingtree.com.

Here's the issue... I click on the torrent and save it to my computer (like I've done a hundred times before) but now it just beeps and everything dissappears... no d/l status box or anything. It does write a file name on my computer but there's nothing else. When I try it again it says the file already exisits and asks if I want to replace it but it's just the text info...not the show torrent. Why am I not connecting or getting the option to connect?

ANY advice will help.
Funny how this happens at the start of the tour!

try a right click save as instead of clicking the link.

what might be happening is the one of the BT programs recognizes the file now and tries to start downloading instead of saving the file to your pc like you are used to.

[Ilovedit2]

i am honestly really confused.. All i want to be able to do is download some concerts and listen to them. I'm not even sure if I downloaded the right program to do such a thing, but i took the advice and went with Azureus. However Now i have no freakin clue what to do...how do i search for others files and what not... please help me get on the right foot.

[hockeyandDMB]

Originally Posted by Ilovedit2

i am honestly really confused.. All i want to be able to do is download some concerts and listen to them. I'm not even sure if I downloaded the right program to do such a thing, but i took the advice and went with Azureus. However Now i have no freakin clue what to do...how do i search for others files and what not... please help me get on the right foot.

Not sure where you are lost exactly but register at the torrent sites like... http://bt.etree.org or www.dreamingtree.com
then find a show you want and click on the download link. I don't use your specific program but I can try and help you with the basics.

You can e-mail me at markbramble@comcast.net or PM me if you are still having issues.

Good luck

[Ilovedit2]

how do i find the show in the BT program? I know that probably sounds ridiculously stupid but i am having issues!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by Ilovedit2

how do i find the show in the BT program? I know that probably sounds ridiculously stupid but i am having issues!

Not really sure I understand your question. You download a torrent file from a site like dreamingtree, double-click it, and it should start up your BT program and begin to download the show. Your download info for the show will be listed in the program after you run the torrent file.

[Ilovedit2]

thanks!! i finally figured it out, although i can't find the specific shows i'm lookin for...oh well

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by Ilovedit2

thanks!! i finally figured it out, although i can't find the specific shows i'm lookin for...oh well

Glad you figured it out. Here are some other sites (other than http://www.dreamingtree.org/) that have some really good live stuff (dmb and non-dmb) you may want to check out:

http://www.thetradersden.org/
http://bt.etree.org/index.php
http://www.dimeadozen.org/

[Jessica41]

any idea why some people can get speeds of up to 200 kb/s and others (like me) can only get around 40 kb/s (at the same time)? I have always used BT, then decided to try out azureus, but the speeds were awful.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by Jessica41

any idea why some people can get speeds of up to 200 kb/s and others (like me) can only get around 40 kb/s (at the same time)? I have always used BT, then decided to try out azureus, but the speeds were awful.

Hmm, not sure Jess. I've tried pretty much every program and kept going back to Azureus becuase I've gotten consistantly better speeds with it. You may just have to experiment with your settings a bit. Make sure you're not choking your bandwidth by having a really high max upload speed. That tends to be something I notice happens a lot to people. Kick it down about 10K and see if you get some better speeds.

Plus a lot depends on when you jump on a .torrent. Speeds can fluctuate a bunch, but I'm sure you know that. Like the 6/5 Naylor source for me was a bit slow compaired to others. I probably only averaged 50 kb/s on it and I notice the average swarm speed in Azureus shows it's pretty slow for everyone, too (around 40kb/s average speed).

So anyway, maybe try tweaking a bit and see what happens. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[Jessica41]

Originally Posted by Dr. Strangelove

Hmm, not sure Jess. I've tried pretty much every program and kept going back to Azureus becuase I've gotten consistantly better speeds with it. You may just have to experiment with your settings a bit. Make sure you're not choking your bandwidth by having a really high max upload speed. That tends to be something I notice happens a lot to people. Kick it down about 10K and see if you get some better speeds.

Plus a lot depends on when you jump on a .torrent. Speeds can fluctuate a bunch, but I'm sure you know that. Like the 6/5 Naylor source for me was a bit slow compaired to others. I probably only averaged 50 kb/s on it and I notice the average swarm speed in Azureus shows it's pretty slow for everyone, too (around 40kb/s average speed).

So anyway, maybe try tweaking a bit and see what happens. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

I've always got it set at auto (unlimited)

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by Jessica41

I've always got it set at auto (unlimited)

Unlimited up can rock your connection pretty hard. I'd suggest dropping it a bit and see if that works.

[czyk22]

Dr. Strangelove...Thanks for the extensive lesson on BitTorrents. I am updated the machine and hope to be sharing soon

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by czyk22

Dr. Strangelove...Thanks for the extensive lesson on BitTorrents. I am updated the machine and hope to be sharing soon

Glad I could be of some help!

[cwsrule88]

alright i downloaded the 6-5-05 show and i ran bittornado with it and now i cant listen to it now on foobar and i right clicked on the files and tried to convert them to flac files but it says no files to convert. What am i doing wrong?