torrent help

[crazysugarboy]

Can someone please explain in simple terms how I download and then play torrent files

[Mike]

You need to download and install a 'bittorrent' client

Try this one:
http://www.utorrent.com/

When you click on a torrent download link, it downloads a small torrent file which manages the download by connecting all the bits of the file to the places/users it is available from at that time.

Over the time of the download, the actual file (like mp3 or whatever) is built up so when its done, its just a case of opening that file.

Thats pretty much it.

:)

[Sean]

Thanks for this. I've been trying with Shadow's Experimental client, a "highly recommended" client through the rtsr FAQ - but all I keep getting when I try to download anything is an "ERROR missing key" message whatever the hell that means. Guess I'll try µTorrent.

I thought all this file-sharing crap had gotten easier as technology progressed, but this seems less intuitive than any other file sharing method I've ever tried. :(

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Should one choose "save" or "run"?

[dubman]

this isnt about underworld or even rtsr, this is about downloading torrent files.

moved.

[crazysugarboy]

I am sorry to say this, but not even the promise of unknown proto u/w tracks warrents the faffing about on the commy of a non-commy savvy person. What the f*** is "seeding"????

What's wrong with a simple "download mp3" button??

Maybe someone who has managed to master this .torrent nonesense can burn me a cd and send it to me in the old-fashioned postal service:confused:

[crazysugarboy]

Should one choose "save" or "run"?

My thoughts exactly john (see previous posting)

[Jan]

I am sorry to say this, but not even the promise of unknown proto u/w tracks warrents the faffing about on the commy of a non-commy savvy person. What the f*** is "seeding"???
http://www.utorrent.com/beginners-guide.php
Maybe someone who has managed to master this .torrent nonesense can burn me a cd and send it to me in the old-fashioned postal service:confused:
No. How to use BitTorrent is basic internet knowledge.

[TheBang]

Yeah, it's really quite simple. You download small .torrent files. .torrent files contain the information necessary to find people who have the data for what you're trying to download. You have to load the .torrent file into a BitTorrent client software, which will then go out and make direct connections to those people to download all the pieces of the data that you need.

If you've already gotten uTorrent installed, just open up the .torrent file with it, and let it run for a while.

Maybe these videos will help too. Instead of Mininova or IsoHunt in the examples, you're using the RTSR Tracker to get your .torrent files.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SGwm_PXTZo
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/772322/how_to_use_utorrent/

[Sean]

I'm gonna keep trying, but it is seriously far less intuitive than it oughtta be. I work on computers all the time to animate, draw, make music, do tons of stuff, and I can typically figure things out pretty quickly. But this is just so klunky and unnatural. Like why do I keep getting this "ERROR missing key" message? What "key"? There's no place to enter any "key" code or anything. And nothing anywhere on the rtsr page or the torrent page is telling me anything I can do about it. And the rtsr email address won't accept my emails even though I'm sending it through the address I used to set up my account.

If it requires hours and hours of research to figure out how to simply download something, then it's not a good system.

Can you tell I'm frustrated?

:(

[sanakan]

Like why do I keep getting this "ERROR missing key" message? What "key"? There's no place to enter any "key" code or anything.
this may happen if you try to open a torrent file from so called "private trackers", i.e. where downloading is restricted to members, and each downloaded torrent-file is bound to a single user.
did you download the .torrent file yourself, with your account?

If it requires hours and hours of research to figure out how to simply download something, then it's not a good system. or maybe you're not good at "research"? sorry, i can understand your frustration, but its really not that hard! there's some linked tutorials here, googling "download torrent tutorial (http://www.google.com/search?q=download+torrent+tutorial)" gives some nice things as well. and related to your missing-key error, "torrent missing key (http://www.google.ch/search?q=torrent+missing+key)" does have some hits where it is explained why one gets these errors.


oh, and one more thing: don't use the shadow-client... it's been years since i used it, so i don't know its current status & functions, but on windows utorrent - like jan said - is really a very good client.

[Sean]

this may happen if you try to open a torrent file from so called "private trackers", i.e. where downloading is restricted to members, and each downloaded torrent-file is bound to a single user.
did you download the .torrent file yourself, with your account?Yeah, I did.

or maybe you're not good at "research"? sorry, i can understand your frustration, but its really not that hard!Ha ha ha. Wiseass.

there's some linked tutorials here, googling "download torrent tutorial (http://www.google.com/search?q=download+torrent+tutorial)" gives some nice things as well. and related to your missing-key error, "torrent missing key (http://www.google.ch/search?q=torrent+missing+key)" does have some hits where it is explained why one gets these errors.


oh, and one more thing: don't use the shadow-client... it's been years since i used it, so i don't know its current status & functions, but on windows utorrent - like jan said - is really a very good client. Yeah, I switched clients to utorrent this morning, and it's downloading now. So it appears that the rtsr recommended software I first tried doesn't work.

[Leon]

At first I thought "wtf is this" as well, but after a while you realize it's really kinda the same as a "download mp3" button. Only thing you need to do is find torrents with a lot of seeders and leachers.

[Sean]

At first I thought "wtf is this" as well, but after a while you realize it's really kinda the same as a "download mp3" button. Only thing you need to do is find torrents with a lot of seeders and leachers.I'm not sure if it's just because my home pc runs on vista or what, but getting it set up to work was a pain in the ass. Overall, I probably spent about 4 or 5 hours tracking programs down and installing them, trying to get them working and then researching why they weren't, then redownloading new programs and giving them a go, and on and on. Now that it's all finally set up as of an hour or so ago, it is indeed an easy matter to download - but DAMN!

Anyway, thanks for all the tips that were dropped here.

[Leon]

I'm not sure if it's just because my home pc runs on vista or what, but getting it set up to work was a pain in the ass. Overall, I probably spent about 4 or 5 hours tracking programs down and installing them, trying to get them working and then researching why they weren't, then redownloading new programs and giving them a go, and on and on. Now that it's all finally set up as of an hour or so ago, it is indeed an easy matter to download - but DAMN!

Anyway, thanks for all the tips that were dropped here.

I dunno, I run vista as well. I just downloaded uTorrent and that was enough. Anyway, never mind, I see you've got it working. Nice one.

I still love Soulseek though.

[chuck]

Stimpee's usually got an opinion on the torrent front.

here are my thoughts:

best client in my experience is utorrent on the PC.

best client on mac - is Transmission

try to get torrents that have plenty of people seeding.

Simply put.

A seeder - is someone who has the complete file and is sharing it to the network.

A leecher - is someone who doesn't have complete file.

Therefore - torrents with more seeders are will get to you quicker - as your client will have more people to get the entire file from.

If you've only got leechers on a torrent - you'll struggle to get the file.

I never really got into Limewire or Soulseek - but I dig torrents - I like being vaguely nice to the networks - spreading the load and sharing my bit. It's a good way of getting software updates - particularly from down here near the south pole.

It's always polite to seed the file until at least a ratio of 1.0 - that is - you've uploaded as much as you've downloaded. If you're feeling nice - you can upload more - but check your upload speed. Depending on your ISP plan, you might get hammered if you forget that you're uploading, then several gigs later you get a nice warning email. You do run the risk of using up most of your bandwidth and slowing others down as well.

[Sean]

I dunno, I run vista as well. I just downloaded uTorrent and that was enough. Anyway, never mind, I see you've got it working. Nice one.Yeah, utorrent is what ended up working for me. And working very easily after all the hassle....

[stimpee]

Stimpee's usually got an opinion on the torrent front.

here are my thoughts:

best client in my experience is utorrent on the PC.

best client on mac - is Transmission
*snip*Looks like Chuck has said it for me. My advice is getting through. uTorrent for PC is the easiest, and Transmission for Mac. Some swear by Azureus which is multiplatform (Java), but I find it to have huge ram requirements and its a bit slow (though it is packed with features). If youre an Opera browser user though, it has a bittorrent client built in which is simple but good for the casual user (Opera v9.6 was released last week).

It is a simple concept. What you have to get over is that youre not downloading the files you want with your browser. Youre not. What youre downloading with your browser is a small .torrent file, which your Bittorrent client uses to download the mp3s from whoever is also seeding/leeching. What chuck didnt mention is that people who are downloading can also be uploading :) in other words, you can share the pieces youve already downloaded even though you dont yet have the complete file.

I personally use uTorrent 1.6 (http://filehippo.com/download_utorrent/1258/) as its the last version before Bittorrent.com bought out uTorrent and its small and fast.

[TheBang]

Yeah, I switched clients to utorrent this morning, and it's downloading now. So it appears that the rtsr recommended software I first tried doesn't work.
All the documentation (FAQ) on the RTSR tracker is just the stock boilerplate. I hadn't bothered to review or edit any of it. After your problems, I went through and changed the link to that outdated BitTorrent FAQ (if you hadn't noticed, it was from 2002). I also changed the client question to reflect that the recommended clients are uTorrent and Transmission. Sorry about the problems.