Here is a guide that I hope will be very beneficial to all users that are on the site.
I know for sure it will be a help to all our newer users, but also to many of our older ones.



Bittorrent - Basics

Firstly get a good client such as µTorrent or Azureus.

The client handles the torrent file you download from a tracker. There are a number of sites where you can find torrent files. You can even find them using Google, or read around in forums.

The torrent file is not the file you aim to download, but a tool in order to begin downloading it - it keeps you in touch with a tracker touch sorts out which users are sitting on which piece. See - bittorrent sends small bits randomly between users, who in turn send small bits to other users. Have you ever seen a champagne pyramid? Principally the same - one glass gets filled, and that glass in turn fills up the next glass, which in turn fills the next, and so on. Trickling down, filling all glasses. Bittorrent isn't linear though, that that example might imply - it randomly sends and receives pieces from random users connected via the same torrent file.


Terminology

Leecher – that's the guys that don't have the complete file. Observe that the leecher still is a part of the process and uploads at the same time he/she's downloading. It might do you good to know that the more you participate in the uploading process, the faster you will get the whole file. Try not to quench the upload speeds too much, it will pay off for you.

Seeder – those that now have the entire file, 100%, and therefore only function to upload to those that haven't got the whole thing yet.

Peers – all users connected to the same torrent. The more peers, the greater the speeds, providing there are enough seeders. If there are thousands of peers and only one seed, you will have to exercise some patience.

Tracker – the centre when you start up the torrent. In short - it connects you to other users and is also the thing that sends you messages to your client. It informs you of the health of the tracker at the moment or if, for example, the tracker needs for you to use another client. The latter is clearly put, most errors though are notes of the tracker being bogged down, so just leave the torrent open and again, show some patience.

A complete list can be found HERE


How to download

So - you've downloaded and installed a client or two. And you know you need a torrent file to be able to download a release. Next step.

Practically - you find a torrent file online, you download it to your computer - usually by right-clicking the link and "save as", but some sites also have that automatically on left-click. Recommended to keep the actual .torrent-file on your hard disk, in case you need to restart it.

Client – open – browse to .torrent file – open.

Dead simple. Open .torrent file and run, basically. It starts download the minute the tracker has picked up on you being amongst the peers. Most tracker needs AT LEAST a few minutes to pick up, so leave it alone for a while. Return to the client, 15-30 minutes later to check on it.



Observe that the .torrent keep in touch with the various bits of the file you're downloading, and it's not done until the client displays you have 100% of the file. Before downloading, check the client's preferences and set a designated folder. This so that both you and the client know where the file is when done.


Speeds and settings

you should go over your settings in the client, called preferences at times, to see to that you have the best possibilities for good speeds and connectivity.

Ports – In short: Open the same ports in your client as in your firewall/router. --Really important.

In your client's preferences you always find a port setting. You can, if you wish, use the default setting, but many complain about those ports being too widely used and reducing effectiveness lately, so change them into something else. Any numbers will do.

Add for as many ports you figure you need. For instance: 11111 first port, then 11112, 11113 etc. (Mostly typed in like 11111-11119) Ten ports or so should be enough - certain clients only allows for one port though - no worries it will work anyways.

The trick is that the SAME PORTS are open in your firewall/router as in your client. Portforward.com has the best help on how to achieve that, if you don't know how to manipulate your firewall/router yourself. Take your time and master this - it will pay off big time.


Bandwidth – Users often have problems with speeds, and if it's not because they don't have corresponding ports in client and firewall, it's because they are choking the bandwidth by too liberal settings. Best is to find the prefences in your client, and limit speeds up and down (varies between clients) to about 80-90 percent of your total bandwidth. Too much, it chokes on itself, too little and you'll get mad. Fiddle around with the settings and see what your system can handle.

Most clients have a site and a FAQ where you can read around about the settings. Test it, experiment; it will become easier as you get to know the client. If nothing else works, change client, and see if the interface of the new one perhaps feels easier to handle for you.

If you absolutely can't control the speeds, you can use a proggie like Bandwidth Limiter or Netlimiter, where you can set how much bandwidth each program is allowed to take. However - they require some work, and can create problems, so try to use the client instead.


Why is it still slow, even though having done all above?

The downside of Bittorrent is limited life-expectancy on the torrent files. If you have started to download a file that was released some time ago, chances are that there are very few peers hooked up to it, or it might even lack a seeder. You can check the client if indeed there are more than 100% of the file distributed between the leechers, which would give you a chance at least to finish it, but usually the speeds are quite slow in cases like these. Sometimes you simply have to give up on it.

The point is - it's not going faster than what the peers connected to the same file allows/are capable to give. Patience, and then some more patience.


Bits and bobs

most errors that shows up is notes about the health of the tracker. Usually that it's bogged down. Leave the torrent as is in the client, and return a bit later to see if things have improved. Some errors are quite clear: Change client, Register on Tracker. In which case you simply do as the message you get tells you, in order to get the file.

Some releasers uses something called "superseeding" when releasing. This function serves to "force" users to participate in uploading the pieces they receive. Read this for a detailed description. This setting sometimes makes your client to believe that a torrent is without a seeder, because of the nature of the function. That is not the case - a relatively new torrent, with lots of peers - even though showing zero seeders it's probably because it's superseeded, so please just be patient.

Bittorrent is built on everybody helping each other out. It is considered good manners to at least upload as much as you download. Yeah - some have less possibilities to seed, but then try out to help out in other ways. Entering the bittorrent community with some sort of notion to just download - only creates bad will, so please do not demand anything, and give back as much as you can and be helpful.