FAQ on torrent files

Can you explain what BitTorrent is?

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (or P2P) protocol widely used to distribute large files.
For more info consult:

* The official BitTorrent website (http://www.bittorrent.com/)
* Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide (http://dessent.net/btfaq/)
* The Wikipedia BitTorrent page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent)

Where can I find a BitTorrent client?

* uTorrent - a lightweight and easy-to-use client (http://www.utorrent.com/)
* The official BitTorrent client (http://www.bittorrent.com)
* Azureus - a more advanced BitTorrent client (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/)
* BitComet - a user-friendly BitTorrent client (http://www.bitcomet.com/)
* Overview of more BitTorrent clients (http://www.zeropaid.com/software/file-sharing/bittorrent/)


Is it true that downloading torrent files is considered illegal?

Taking into account the fact that torrent files are not copyrighted, it is not considered a crime. But it is to be noted that when you open a torrent file in your BitTorrent client the process of downloading copyrighted content may start automatically.

In some countries with some types of content it may be illegal. Please, mind special restrictions of different countries in order not to have problems with law. In any case, to save yourself it is better to avoid downloading any copyrighted content.
Can you explain what a .torrent file is?

This is a small metadata file. Metadata here means that the file contains information about the data you want to download, not the data itself. The .torrent file is needed to connect to the tracker and download the actual data.
What is a tracker?

This is a service that assists in the communication between BitTorrent clients. When you open a torrent file, your machine contacts the tracker and asks for a list of seeds and leechers to connect to.
What are seeds?

A seed is such a client which has a complete copy of the data of a certain torrent. When BitTorrent client finishes the process of downloading, it remains open till you click the Finish button. This is called a seed or seeding.
What are leechers?

A leecher is such a client which is currently downloading the data of a torrent. If a leecher had the complete file, it would be called a seed.
What are all .rar, .r01, .r02 files?

These files are RAR archives. You need to install WinRAR or 7-Zip to extract the data of the files.
As far as I know the torrent is supposed to be 100MB. How could I download 120MB?

For particular issues consult the hash fails topic. Whenever your client receives bad data it has to redownload it, as the result of this the total downloaded file may be larger than the torrent size. Disable the "kick/ban" option to minimize the risks.
What's MY ratio?

You need to distinguish between overall ratio and the individual ratio. The overall ratio takes into account the total uploaded and downloaded from your account since you joined the site. The individual ratio takes into account those values for each torrent.

You might have seen two symbols of a number : "Inf.". This is just an abbreviation for Infinity, and means that you have downloaded 0 bytes while uploading a non-zero amount (ul/dl becomes infinity); "---", which should be read as "non-available", and shows up when you have both downloaded and uploaded 0 bytes (ul/dl = 0/0 which is an indeterminate amount).
Would you explain why my downloads sometimes stall at 99%?

The more pieces you have, the harder it becomes to find peers who have pieces you are missing. That is the reason for the downloading slowing down or even stalling when there are just a few percent remaining. Be patient and you will get the remaining pieces.
Can I somehow improve the speed of downloading?

The speed of downloading depends on the seeder-to-leecher ratio (SLR). Poor download speed is mainly a problem with new and very popular torrents where the SLR is low.

However, you may try to do something to improve your speed:

First of all, do not do it if you have a slow connection. The best speeds will be found around the half-life of a torrent, when the SLR will be at its highest. (The downside is that you will not be able to seed so much. It's up to you to balance the pros and cons of this). Just give it some time.

As explained above peers favour other peers that upload to them. When you start leeching a new torrent you have nothing to offer to other peers and they will tend to ignore you. This makes the starts slow, in particular if, by change, the peers you are connected to include few or no seeders. The download speed should increase as soon as you have some pieces to share.

Keys To Achieving Happiness In Your Job

One of the best ways to reducing stress and achieving happiness is by feeling empowered in whatever job that you are doing. Your health also improves as you have more energy to put into whatever you are doing whether at work, home or your social life. Here are keys to achieving happiness through actions that you can take:

1. Love Your Job
If you love the job you do, it is easy to be happy doing it. What if you do not love your job?

There are only two choices. Find another job that you love or find reasons and ways to love your current job. Often, whether you like or dislike your job depends on your mindset.
If you decide to remain at your current job, then find reasons why you are happy about it. The most basic of this will be that it helps you pay your bills. Focus on the few things you find that you like about the job. Meanwhile, look out for other jobs.
Avoid focusing on things that upset you. If you list these out, you may find there are only a few that look like many because you focus on them.

2. Communicate Effectively
If you are unhappy because of how the work gets done in the office, then communicate effectively with your peers and boss on how things can be done better.
Emphasis is on being effective in the communication. Complaining and griping will only irritate your co-workers and boss. Instead, think of ways to improve and discuss these with the others. Besides being better accepted, you will soon find that you enjoy what you do.

3. Mix With The Right People
Choose to mix with people who are positive and focus on results. Stay away from those who are not happy about several things and have a tendency to complain.
Work with people who want to achieve results and find ways of getting the job done better. Contribute your own ideas and take ownership of areas that you are responsible for.

4. Develop Your Skills
Improve on your current skills and start picking up new ones that will help you in your job.
Think about your long-term career and decide on the skills that you need to develop. This will help you decide which are the skills and competencies that you need to work on.
Doing this will give you a target to go after and a purpose in your life. As you keep improving, you will find achieving happiness becomes easier as you get a great sense of fulfillment.

5. Go After Your Dreams
Is your current job a stepping stone to your long-term career?
If it is not, then identify your dreams for the future first. Then decide how your current job can be a stepping stone. You may want to seek for more or a change in your job responsibilities in line with your long-term plans. Speak to your boss about it.Alternatively, you may want to start looking out for a job that is geared towards your future dreams.

Besides the above tips, it is important that you have fun in your life outside your job. If you are a happy person, it is much easier to be happy at your workplace. Choose something that you like to do and make time to do that.
Achieving happiness needs action besides getting the ideas. Now that you have the ideas, apply them and work on getting a stress-free and happy life.

Success Tip - 25 Tips on How to Be Successful

Tip #1: Keep your home, desk, closets, car - clean, neat and organized.
Tip #2: Do what you feel is best, no matter what people think of you.
Tip #3: Believe that: if it is to be, it is up to me
Tip #4: Learn something new every day
Tip #5: Act as if it was impossible to fail.
Tip #6: Build your reputation for honesty, integrity, quality and superb service.
Tip #7: Support others in achieving their goals.
Tip #8: Take responsibility for your past, present, and future experiences.
Tip #9: Inspire others by your example
Tip #10. Think BIG. Dream lofty dreams. Plan. Act NOW.
Tip #11. Strive to accomplish more, with less time, money and energy
Tip #12. Know that you are equal to everyone and that everyone is equal to you
Tip #13: Never forget the power of your smile - it generates enthusiasm, friendliness, confidence.
Tip #14: Do and say things that benefit all concerned
Tip #15. Give something away daily - a postcard, letter, gift, smile, hug, compliment
Tip #16. Develop influential friendships near and far.
Tip #17: Simplify your life, have more fun per hour.
Tip #18. Be good to yourself - keep healthy.
Tip #19. Dress for success - feel great and look like a leader.
Tip #20. Aim for excellence in your field.
Tip #21. Accept people the way they are and the way they are not.
Tip #22. Live your ideal life - NOW.
Tip #23. Be open to new ideas, relationships and experiences
Tip #24. Realize that all events happen for the best.
Tip #25. Avoid saying: can't, hard, difficult. Say: I can, it's easy, it's simple