- downloading small bits of files from many different web sources at the same time.
- Through this method, torrents are able to download large files quickly.
How are torrents special?
- Torrents are true Peer-to-Peer networking where the users themselves do the actual file serving.
- Torrents enforce 99% quality control by filtering out corrupted and dummy files, ensuring that downloads contain only what they claim to contain. There is still some abuse of the system, but if you use a community torrent searcher like www.isohunt.com , users will warn you when a torrent is a fake or dummy file.
- Torrents actively encourage users to share ("seed") their complete files, while simultaneously penalizing users who "leech".
- Torrents can achieve download speeds over 1.5 megabits per second.
- Torrent code is open-source, advertising-free, and adware/spyware-free. This means that no single person profits from torrent success.
How to Download Torrents
- Find a torrent program.
- Download and install.
- Go to a torrent site and search for a file you want to download.
- Make sure you open your chosen file with your torrent program.
- The download will start automatically.
Tips:
- Seeders (Seeds) [Upload]: Are people who have a complete copy of the torrent's files and are only uploading (sending) data to the people who are downloading (receiving).
- Leechers (Peers) [Download]: Are people who are currently downloading the file. Leecherscan become seeders after downloading the full file.
- Keep your virus protection program up to date.
- A practical tip is to stick with downloading torrents that have a large user base. This means download only those torrents that many people have downloaded and uploaded, or that have been active for a long time. The logic here is that nobody will seed a torrent that has a virus in it and therefore the torrent won't be very popular and won't be seeded. Be wary of the week old torrent with one or two people seeding it.
- When looking for torrent files, prefer ones with plenty of Seeders so that the file downloads quickly. When searching for torrents, you can often sort the results by seeds, simply by clicking on the seeds column header.
- You can leave the torrent program running overnight to download while you're away from the computer.
