Part 5 (1/2)
If you search for an approximate t.i.tle, ignore results that mimic your search phrase. If you search for indiana raiders ark movie, stay away from any result that includes indiana raiders ark movie exactly.
Never click a ”sponsored” link.
(Advanced.) If you don't recognize a torrent's tracker, type or paste the tracker name into a general search engine (like Google). Fake trackers get few search results (which often contain ”fake” or ”spam”). Some fake trackers have names deceptively similar to those of well-known trackers.
See also Chapter 4.
Chapter 9 Customizing Your Client.
This chapter shows you how to set up the uTorrent interface in the way that I use it in this book's examples. After you download a few torrents, experiment and pick the settings that suit you.
User Interface.
uTorrent for Windows offers more options than does the OS X version.
To customize the uTorrent user interface (Windows): In uTorrent, choose Options > Preferences (Ctrl+P) > General (in the left pane).
Turn on ”Append .!ut to incomplete files.”
This setting makes uTorrent append the filename extension .!ut to every content file that hasn't finished downloading. The file Avatar.avi is named Avatar.avi.!ut until the file is whole and .!ut is removed. Incomplete files appear as blank icons because .!ut isn't registered with a default program (see Chapter 3). A quick look in a folder window shows how many files are incomplete.
Turn on ”Pre-allocate all files.”
This setting makes uTorrent show the s.p.a.ce reserved on your hard drive for all the content files that you select to download. This s.p.a.ce equals the final size of the complete download, so files will appear to be huge even if you've downloaded only a small bit. As the download progresses, uTorrent ”fills in” the allocated s.p.a.ce with file pieces as they randomly arrive.
Click UI Settings (in the left pane).
Turn on ”Don't start the download automatically.”
This setting prevents newly added torrents from starting automatically. After selecting which of the torrent's content files to download, you can start the torrent manually.
Turn on ”Activate the program window.”
This setting activates (makes frontmost) the uTorrent window when you add a new torrent.
Turn off ”Show a window that displays the files inside the torrent.”
This setting suppresses the Add New Torrent window when you add torrents. (Experienced pirates often turn on this setting to make custom changes to each new torrent.)
Choose Open Folder from the ”For seeding torrents” and ”For downloading torrents” drop-down lists.
Double-clicking an item in the torrent list opens the folder containing that torrent's content files.
Click Directories (in the left pane).
Turn on ”Put new downloads in” and type or browse to the folder where you want content files to be downloaded.
BitTorrent shortens hard-drive life with continual readwrite operations. If possible, don't download to the same drive or part.i.tion where Windows is located. Instead, use a dedicated internal or external drive or a high-capacity USB flash drive.
Turn on ”Store .torrents in” and use the same location to store .torrent files that you specified in the preceding step.
For help with other settings, click the help icon in the upper-right corner of the Preferences window.
When you're done, click OK.
To customize the uTorrent user interface (OS X): In uTorrent, choose uTorrent > Preferences (Command+,) > Downloads.
Turn off ”Start transfer after opening each torrent file.”
This setting prevents newly added torrents from starting automatically. After selecting which of the torrent's content files to download, you can start the torrent manually.
Click the ”Default download location” drop-down list, choose Other, and then browse to the folder where you want content files to be downloaded.
BitTorrent shortens hard-drive life with continual readwrite operations. If possible, don't download to the same drive or part.i.tion where OS X is located. Instead, use a dedicated internal or external drive or a high-capacity USB flash drive.
Close the Preferences window.