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Download Torrents

Before we gets started, let's get this out of the way right up front. It goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway ... scan everything you download before running them on your computer!

First, we have to understand the basics. A torrent file is nothing more than a link with trackers. It allows the user to connect with other users worldwide who all hold pieces of the original file, so that everyone is sharing bits and pieces with each other, until the user has the full file. In order to do that, you need a bittorrent client. The easiest to use, and the fastest to run on a computer, is Utorrent (click here to download uTorrent). Don't worry, it's completely free, and easy to use.

Install the program, and you'll be presented with an options screen after it installs. Follow the link to check your upload and download speeds, then enter the appropriate upload speed in the dropdown list. This allows the program to select the best settings for your speeds. Also, click the link at the bottom of that options screen to check if the port is open. A closed port doesn't allow you to connect to seeds and peers. We'll get to those definitions after, but they're essential to P2P (peer 2 peer) downloading. Then close the options screen, and you're all set. If you want, you can go into the options < preferences screen and choose where you want your completed torrents to go. I have a folder set aside for torrents, with subfolders titled "completed, downloading and done files - delete" just to keep everything organized. You choose this in 'directories'.

There are other various programs you're going to need in order to deal with torrents.

ConvertXtoDVD ConvertX is the program you'll use to turn AVI files into Audio TS and Video TS files, the appropriate files to burn to a disk in order to watch the disk as a DVD. Using it is fairly simple, but we'll get to that in the file formats section.
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ISO Buster This is the program you'll use to unpack ISO files. It's easy to install, just follow the directions.
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Winrar This is the program you'll use to unpack files in RAR packaging. It's easy to install, just follow the directions. After setup, you'll be asked to select file associations. Uncheck "zip".
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Daemon Tools This program is only necessary if you're planning on downloading and installing games and software. It acts as a virtual drive, so you can install programs from your computer as if you were installing them from a disc.
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Now, all the software in the world isn't going to help you if you don't know where to go. There are hundreds of torrent sites online, but finding a safe and reliable one is a different story. These are the ones I use.

Superfundo Axxo uploads his torrents here, and all are in DVDRip format. This means they are perfect DVD quality. On the top menu there are links to 20 or so professional rippers who all upload in different genres. Axxo and the others usually have RIPS up of popular movies within a few weeks of their screen releases.
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Pirate Bay The Pirate Bay holds much more than just movies. This is where I get my music, desktop games, programs and software, etc. You can either direct search, or you can go to Top 100 and check out what's on the most popular list for downloads. This is always a good practice, because you know those are going to have plenty of seeds. (people uploading parts of the file) Make sure to pay attention to the format of the movie category.
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Demonoid Demonoid is the most popular bittorrent site on the net, and is also closed for registrations. BUT, keep an eye on it for when it's open again, or you can find someone to send you an invite. The difference with a site like demonoid is that it's ratio based, meaning in order to use their torrents, you have to seed back just as much as you take. If you don't keep your ratio up, they suspend your account. The easiest way to do this is to leave torrents in your bittorrent client, after they've completed, until they reach a ratio of 2.0.
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For someone new to the world of torrents and peer to peer sharing, some of the definitions can get tricky and confusing, so here's a rundown.

Bittorrent
BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer protocol which allows users to connect directly to each other to send and receive parts of a file through a central server called a "tracker". The tracker itself does not contain or transmit any information pertaining to the actual content. It only coordinates and manages connections between peers.
Seed
A seed or seeder is a person who has a full copy of the content in this torrent. They are either the original distributor or someone who has completed the download and is just uploading.
Leech
A leecher is a person who has begun downloading this torrent and does not have a full copy as of yet. Also referred to as a peer.
Hit & Run
A hit-and-runner is a leecher who completes the download, but doesn't seed until they reach a ratio of 1.0. Of course, this is frowned upon. These hit-and-run users are often called leechers, as in the parasite, the blood-sucker that lives in the tropics. Although the same word is used as someone who hasn't finished downloading, it is also used as a derogatory term.
.torrent
A .torrent file is basically a small text file containing necessary information required to start your download/upload. Such necessary information would include, file sizes, file names, tracker URLs, comments, hashes, etc.
Swarm
The group of machines that are collectively connected for a particular file. For example, if you start a BitTorrent client and it tells you that you're connected to 10 peers and 3 seeds, then the swarm consists of you and those 13 other people.
Tracker
A server on the Internet that acts to coordinate the action of BitTorrent clients. When you open a torrent, your machine contacts the tracker and asks for a list of peers to contact. Periodically throughout the transfer, your machine will check in with the tracker, telling it how much you've downloaded and uploaded, how much you have left before finishing, and the state you're in (starting, finished download, stopping.) If a tracker is down and you try to open a torrent, you will be unable to connect. If a tracker goes down during a torrent (i.e., you have already connected at some point and are already talking to peers), you will be able to continue transferring with those peers, but no new peers will be able to contact you. Often tracker errors are temporary, so the best thing to do is just wait and leave the client open to continue trying.

Downloading The Files

This is the step by step process to downloading a file.

1. Go to one of the torrent sites and find a file you want to download. Check the file to make sure it has a decent amount of peers (seeds and leeches). Once you've ensured that it does, click the torrent download link and save it to your computer.

2. Open Utorrent. In the top left hand corner, select "file" then "open torrent". Point the browser to the torrent file you downloaded. You'll get a popup screen showing you the files contained in the torrent. It usually consists of a text file, the file itself, and possibly sample screens or image files. When you're more experienced, you'll know which you can uncheck if you don't need them.

3. Click okay, and you'll see the torrent show up in your download slot. If it doesn't immediately start downloading, you can right click on it and choose 'force start'.

4. How fast the file downloads depends on your connection speeds and the connection speeds of the people you're downloading from. I usually put my torrents on at night when I go to bed.

5. Once it reaches 100%, the file is downloaded to your system. If you're working on a ratio based torrent, leave the file there to continue uploading to other peers. Otherwise, you can right click on the completed download in Utorrent and choose "remove". Do not choose "remove and" because that will delete the file information on your computer instead of just the file information in the program itself. You should leave the torrent uploading to other users for as long as you can, though, at least to a ratio of 2.0. If everyone stopped the second their download was complete, the world of P2P sharing would be nonexistent.

6. Find the folder where your downloaded file is stored. If you didn't select a custom one, this should be in your documents / downloads folder.

7. The rest depends on the format of the individual file. Check the chart below for how to deal with each individual format.

File Formats

See below for how to deal with each individual file format. If, for some reason, you run across a format that's not on this page, feel free to email and annoy me. ;)

AVI
Avi is the most common. If you're planning on just watching it on the computer, you don't need to do anything beyond this, you can watch it in AVI format. If, however, you want to burn it, you need to convert it to Audio and Video TS files. Open ConvertXtoDVD. Click "file" then "add video file". You'll see the video and options appear in the left hand pane. (the right hand pane should be a preview screen, but if it isn't, go to "window" and "video preview" to enable it). Under DVD options, open the little plus mark to get all the options. Click "template" to select what type of screen you want to have. I usually just use the minimal one. Click "Disk Name" to input the name of the movie. Open the plus mark for "Title Menu Parameters" and add the movie title to "title text". Close the DVD options portion and open the Titleset portion. Open the plusmark for "in title menu" and put the text here for the actual link you'll click to play the file. I usually just put "play movie" here. Make sure a disc is in the drive, and click "convert" This process usually takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

MPG
MPG formats are dealt with exactly the same way as AVI.

MOV
MOV formats are dealt with exactly the same way as AVI.

WMV
WMV formats are dealt with exactly the same was as AVI.

ISO
ISO is a packaging file. Open ISOBuster. Click "file" and "open image file". Once you open it, you'll see a bunch of information fill both panes. Right click on the first title in the left hand pane, and select "extract". Choose a location, and open the file. Then, proceed depending on what format gets pulled out.

RAR
Rar is a packaging file. You'll have a folder with a bunch of rar files (looks like a stack of books) that all have numbers, such as file00.rar, file01.rar, file02.rar, etc, ranging up to 20, possibly more. Double click ONLY the first one. It will extract all the necessary files from all folders. After you double click the first, you'll get a winrar popup. Select "extract to" on the top bar, and choose where you want to extract the file to. Then, proceed depending on what format gets pulled out.

BIN OR CUE
These are the formats some games or software will come in. Open Daemon tools, and once it's open it will be sitting in the taskbar in the bottom right corner of your screen. Right click on it and select to load a drive. Point it to the bin and cue file, and it will automatically start loading the file.

VIDEO_TS
Sometimes you'll find that the file is already in Video_TS format, which is great, it saves you time and work. This is the format files have to be in on disk in order to play in a DVD player. BUT, it also has to have an audio folder. Right click inside the folder where you found the Video_TS, and select "New" then "folder". Name it "AUDIO_TS" , just like that, in all caps. The folder should be empty. Then, open ConvertXtoDVD and select "action" and "burn a process already converted". Point it to the folder containing the audio and video ts files, and select burn.

And that's pretty much all there is to it. You'll get the hang of it quickly enough. ;)