BitTorrent/FAQ

An actively answered and popular list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding BitTorrent (has achieved a high Google ranking). You can contribute to this page by clicking the "Edit this page" link at the bottom. See Text Formatting Rules and Style Guide for details.

Posting New Questions

NEW questions go at the very end of this document. Answers that require discussion may be placed in /FAQ-Talk. If your question WAS on the front page and now suddenly isn't, check there for suggestions.

Before asking:

1. Visit the BitTorrent home page and make sure you have the latest client and The Official BitTorrent FAQ as doing so may quickly solve your issue. We will try to answer questions about other BitTorrent software but the official client should be tested before "accessory" clients to reduce confusion.
2. Restrictive firewall settings often block BitTorrent connections. Make sure that your router or software firewall (such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security) are configured correctly.

Newly Answered Questions

1. I have the original Bittorrent client and utorrent on my computer because one or the other can usually download faster. I was wondering how I change which one is the default client so that I can choose which one I want the torrent to download in because right now I can only use utorrent which I downloaded second.

Try:

1. Uninstalling the other software
2. Right-clicking on torrent files and selection "Open With" - "Choose program..." and selecting uTorrent (you may need to search your hard drive for the program). Once you have selected it, click the box "always use the selected program to open this kind of file.
3. Is it possible to download only part of a torrent? For example, if someone has uploaded a band's entire discography, can I download only one of the albums? I don't want them all, but I can't find the one I want on its own.

Unfortunately torrent files cannot be parsed in this way. Because of the way a hash file works, it is only possible to run a file check on an entire archive, in this case a band's entire discography. Torrent files would be made much larger and less efficient by containing many smaller hashes in order to make this possible. It is unlikely this feature will become available sometime soon in torrents but may in the future. --Webfork 06:25, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

1. I ran out of space on my hard drive, producing 'Error: No space left on device'. Now when I resume, I can upload to others, but I do not download, even tho I have freed suffient space on the drive and have not completed the download. How can I fix this? Am I uploading corrupt data to others?

Suggestions:

1. When this problem occurs, close the BitTorrent window. You then have to close the handle before you can relaunch the torrent to resume downloading. The easiest way is to use Process Explorer (do a google search). Use the find function to find the thread/handle relating to your bittorrent app and the downloaded file. Then close the handle. This is the same problem as when you have cannot delete a file or folder even though nothing is supposedly accessing the file.

1. As mentioned above, in Azureus, right-click on the torrent and select "Force re-check."

1. Is there a way to terminate the client automatically once the download is completed? This would mean not having to stay awake late at night to avoid being capped at the end of the month!

This one works on linux with btdownloadcurses: edit the program-file:

 sudo emacs `which btdownloadcurses` 

search for the finished-Method of class CursesDisplayer -- which is approximately line 66 in version 3.4.2 for debian etch. This will look like this:

 def finished(self): self.done = 1 self.activity = 'download succeeded!' self.downRate = '%s/s down' % (fmtsize(0)) self.display({'fractionDone': 1}) 

add the following directly after the previous line - make sure not to change the indentation (has to be at the same level as self.display - do not use tabs, use spaces instead!

 mainkillflag.set() 

1. I'm behind a firewall at work that blocks all ports but HTTP and FTP, and I can download e-mail over POP3 but not send. Is it possible for me to use Bittorrent? I tried setting the port range at "80" and "80" in Torrentstorm for the min and max ports but nothing is downloading. I'm running XP Home. What can I do? BTW, I found an article (http://btfaq.com/serve/cache/26.html) that says running a proxy server may be an answer. I do have access to a web server running cgiproxy (http://www.jmarshall.com/tools/cgiproxy/). Can I use this somehow?

You could probably use Azureus (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/) to overcome your problem, but are you risking your job by BitTorrenting? - http://www.bamber.org/wiki/?Clients/Azureus

Hmm... didn't work. Same problem as before. Just because it's a Java-based client doesn't seem to change anything... I still have to configure the port to 80 and torrents don't download.

I'm guessing that "the firewall blocks all ports but HTTP and FTP" part is for outgoing connections? That is, you can connect to HTTP and FTP servers, but you can't run a server yourself. When you set the port to 80 in Azureus, you're only setting the port that Azureus uses on your computer. Most people use the default ports (in the 68xx-69xx range), therefore you're unable to download from them if outgoing connections are blocked on your company's firewall.

Try port 53 (DNS), This port is often "overlooked"

(Check BitTorrent/FAQ-Talk for more discussion points.)

1. I use Torrentstorm and although I find it very useful it consumes an abusive amount of ram for every .torrent file being downloaded, such as 20 ~ 25mb! Is there any way to correct / bypass this? - Carlos - 21/08/2004 - Brazil

Azureus is similar in its RAM usage, with the intention of writing to the hard drive less. The official client (mentioned at the top of this document) uses about 9.5 megs of RAM, which is probably the least.

1. I ran out of space on my hard drive, producing 'Error: No space left on device'. Now when I resume, I can upload to others, but I do not download, even tho I have freed suffient space on the drive and have not completed the download. How can I fix this? Am I uploading corrupt data to others?

Try removing the torrent for the que, deleting any data, and then re-adding/restarting. This is also a problem in Azureus, meant to make sure that users have enough space for the full download.

1. Does BitTorrent install & work well on Windows 2003 Server? If it does, are there any particular precautions within an NTFS/Active Directory environment?

This may provide some useful information: torrent-911-on-windows2003. If you are running BitTorrent in a server environment, it is important that you turn off everything that is not necessary. Because BitTorrent is fairly self-contained and doesn't rely on other permission sets, its unlikely that there would be any advantages or conflicts in the Active Directory structure unless you were dealing with distributed storage.

I guess the next question is are you planning on running a tracker or a node, which is a separate question.

1. How can I create a .torrent file using only the programs in the BitTorrent source tarball, without using a GUI interface?

One can make a torrent with btmakemetafile or btmakemetafile.py. Just do btmakemetafile directory/filename http://tracker_hostname_orip:tracker_port/announce or check it's manpage for more extensive options. Tracker_port is mostly 6969, and /announce has to be included.

1. My internet is through a network at a university, and they monitor us somehow to make sure we dont get any illegal software and such. Can they detect this with the multiple sources?

Probably. BitTorrent uses a specific port (6881) and it may be possible to sniff the name of the file you're downloading (BT uploads often use descriptive file names), but difficult to determine the file's contents, since the it will be gradually downloaded out-of-order from multiple locations (known as hive downloading). If you want to not be monitored, there are many options includingvisit Encrypting Your File Sharing, the Tor network (gradually being integrated into Azureus client) or simply use a program like Filetopia that uses the randomize-ports setting. Filetopia uses encryption to prevent your activities from being watched and the port-randomization prevents your connections from being blocked by some type of File Sharing-specific Firewall.

I would also suggest using BitTorrent to download legal files such as Free Software and Machinima. You may also download perceived illegal files such as a "Metallica.mp3" file that contains non-copywrited information. Then if someone from the university/business contacts you about downloading illegal files, you're in the clear and definitely know not to use BitTorrent.

1. Can I use BitTorrent from behind my company's Proxy server? What do I need to change for BitTorrent to work? I know the proxy does not require auth. and I connect through port 3128.

This site covers this question much better than I could.

1. Hi, I'm using SHAD0W's experimental client on XP Home at my school network [100Mbps LAN], and trying to download Mandrake Linux ISOs. While I can dowonload some other torrents [rips etc..] quite easily, I keep getting "<urlopen error (10051, 'Network is unreachable')>" on the ISO torrents. (Same error with the Fedora ISOs). I've allowed ports 6881-6889, and 6969 on my XP firewall... Other than that, I couldn't find any other things to do... I'm not aware that I have a proxy server.. never have to enable that for my regular browsing/mail etc. Any pointers?(UPDATE: I had tried the Official client too. it says the same thing - "Problem connecting to tracker - <urlopen error (10051, 'Network is unreachable')>" Torrentstorm (using SHAD0W's client)first says "Unable to connect to tracker for Scrape" and then gives the same 10051 error.)

We recommend with any experimental client to try using the official client first as it tends to have error messages we're familiar with. Please let us know if the regular client displays similar messages.

1. I'm currently using Torrentstorm for downloading .torrent-files. However just I've started to download a file it stops and goes to idle-mode again. It does so with all files, just after a couple of seconds peering it goes right back to idle. I have opened the ports.

The issue is probably not torrentstorm's as it is only a front-end but the fact that non-new .TORRENT files often do not have seeders. BitTorrent often only have the latest, popular files available. This is increasing with distributed torrent exchanges.

1. Newbie question: I downloaded (not with bittorrent) a "anymovie.torrent" file. It's size is about 15k. How can i download the full movie with bittorrent? I installed it but got no executables. - Sorry, if this is a stupid question, once downloaded via BitTorrent (and Mozilla) on my other box, but don't remember. I read the whole site and the official site but it's too much for me now, so please gimme a hint here. TIA. FlorianKonnertz, 04-02-05

If you haven't installed the BitTorrent client, visit the home page - not having executable files with which to do so is not something we have experienced. Try downloading again. If its a file-association problem, some older versions had to be dragged-and-dropped into yout Web browser but you should be able to merely click twice on the file and have it suggest a location for the full download. Also, Mozilla sometimes does not associate torrents with BitTorrent but sometimes as text files. I've had mixed results with this.

Note: this issue was cleared up. See /FAQ-Talk

1. Are there any tools that can be used on a file partially downloaded with BT (in combination with the .torrent file, I guess), that keeps all the contiguous pieces from the start of the file onwards, and throws away any isolated pieces. This leaves us with a partial file that can be resumed with http/irc/ftp, etc, in case the torrent has been permanently removed but the file is available elsewhere. Any tools like that?

Unlikely as a BitTorrent file does not download from the beginning of the file to the end of the file but little bits randomly inbetween. This is due to its hive system.

Many new video codecs such as DivX and RealVideo were designed specifically to allow for poor Internet transfer. Some files of this type may not be recoverable but may still be viewable. RAR files, if a "Recovery Record" option was checked at time of creation, may have files inside that can be recovered.

With the original BitTorrent client, even if one file in a torrent containing multiple files seems to be completely downloaded (size matches size of the original file) it is unlikly that it can be read/restored, because BitTorrent saves all the pieces(even from other files) in the first file (of the list) that has some "unused" space. (if anyone more fluent in english (or not so tired) wants to check look at Storage.py)

See also: Data recovery

1. I want to know how that anti-leech design is supposed to work. If I download using the official client I often end up with (ul/dl) ratios in the 10x range. OTOH if I throttle my upload rate to almost zero I still get the file pretty quick. Isn't this supposed to be prevented?

This question has been moved To BitTorrent/FAQ-Talk for discussion

1. Can peers downloading the same torrent as me see my IP Address?

Very likely, although they may see a routing address that your Internet Service uses. It is possible to test this with a program like TCPView and a friend. If you can see each other downloading the same file, then the answer is "yes".

If you are concerned about the RIAA Dragnet, know that they are not currently prosecuting BitTorrent users as they tend to only share a small number of music files. See "Safeguard Against RIAA" and "Boycott The RIAA".

1. I can't control or slow uploads! Its using up all my upload bandwidth.

The high-upload level is the nature of the client. The BitTorrent client always exchanges information with other users downloading the same file as a cost of having access. This prevents leeching and is important to the health of the group. At least with the official client, the only way to stop uploading is to cancel the download or click "Finish" once its complete.

This FAQ so far does not cover non-official clients (such as Shareaza).

1. BitTorrent is SO SLOW. I check my pc loading light, wont turn off until I close BitTorrent. Why?

You may need to update your client (see top of page). Otherwise: sometimes a slow-down is caused as the file is initially created or - for larger files - when it resumes. The current amount downloaded must be checked against the hash which involves the computer reading the entire file. On a slower hard drive with 500 megabyte files, this can take as much as 10 minutes. You may wish to have a second computer available to handle BitTorrent files so that it does not cut into your main computer's time.

Other than that, slower computers are the only ones that should be affected and only with MULTIPLE torrents running. BitTorrent does not have high system requirements (Pentium-class computer should do it) so a faster computer may or may not help but more RAM is always good.

1. I get the error message:

Problem connecting to tracker or Problem connecting to tracker <urlopen error (10060, 'operation timed out')>

1. It keeps on saying:

Problem connecting to tracker or Problem connecting to tracker <urlopen error (10060, 'operation timed out')>

This error results from having no tracker or an unresponsive one but it doesn't mean that a file cannot be downloaded. If you're already downloading it, and some seeds and peers are known, it may finish, provided you don't close the client until it's done. Or you can just wait and see if the tracker comes back online.

Sometimes the file will still download despite this error message.

Also, as Torrents gradually get older, those who distribute them - called "seeders" - stop making it available. If the original seeder leaves the group, this message will appear.

This error results from having no tracker or an unresponsive one but it doesn't mean that a file cannot be downloaded.

1. When seeders go, you often end up with lots of peers all stuck at the same %-rate. That must mean, that they all downloaded all the same pieces, right? (E.g. piece 1 up to 190 out of 250)? Why don't BitTorrent clients download pieces in a random order, then the chances of finishing would be much greater? Example: 200 peers all stuck at 65% and no 100% seed - no go. 200 peers that have have each downloaded random pieces of the seeder while online - they are very likely to finish at 100% by getting the missing pieces from each other.

These are highly technical and more of a question for the TorrentTalk group. The average BitTorrent user does not understand the complicated networking issues associated with BitTorrent downloading.

1. Why do seeders stop uploading?

If they see that the "upload" area is constantly at 0 for more than a few hours and decide to spend their processor cycles on more in-demand torrents. Some torrents - such as RedHat Linux will stop being distributed as soon as a new version of RedHat (now called Fedora) appears. It is best to try the torrent a few times at different times of the day and then, if there is no result, assume it is too old to be useful.

1. Does anyone know a program I can use to make queue files?

If you mean creating the original torrent file to exchange files with others, then you might try MakeTorrent. Webfork

1. I have finished downloading a torrent but although the picture is perfect I am getting no sound at all. Please help as this has never happened to me before.

The fault is not BitTorrent's but the video player you're using, even though it may appear to be an ".MPEG" or ".AVI" file that has always run without issue before. Go to DVDrHelp.com - a site that covers these issues. There are far too many Operating System, codec and audio-video software issues out there than is possible to cover in this FAQ.

1. Using Windows 95/98/ME, I sometimes have trouble surfing when BitTorrent is active. I read somewhere that the maximal number of open connections of Win98 is quite small, so I suspect the problem is there. Can someone confirm this?

The problem is because Windows 9x/ME has a limit of 100 sockets, which can be increased by editing the registry. Windows 95 users should download a Winsock upgrade first. Then, all systems can change their socket limit.

Despite this increase, many open connections will always slow things down regardless. BitTorrent aims to saturate both your download and upload channels, and the effect can be quite dramatic on a fat pipe after the initial slow speed.

Also, "ACK Starvation" can happen on asymmetric lines such as ADSL and Cable modems, where upload and download are highly unequal. If you are uploading too much, packets start to get dropped. If these packets are [ACK packets (part of the TCP protocol), your connection will slow considerably. It is believed that this problem will be repaired as more systems convert to IPv6. This adoption is moving slowly, however.

1. How can I create a .torrent file using only the programs in the BitTorrent source tarball, without using a GUI interface?

One can make a torrent with btmakemetafile or btmakemetafile.py. Just do btmakemetafile directory/filename http://tracker_hostname_orip:tracker_port/announce or check it's manpage for more extensive options. Tracker_port is mostly 6969, and /announce has to be included.

1. My internet is through a network at a university, and they monitor us somehow to make sure we dont get any illegal software and such. Can they detect this with the multiple sources?

Probably. BitTorrent uses a specific port and it may be possible to sniff the name of the file you're downloading (BT uploads often use descriptive file names). If you want to not be monitored, use Filetopia and use the randomize-ports setting. The tool uses encryption to prevent your activities from being watched and the port-randomization prevents your connections from being blocked by some type of Firewall.

I would also suggest using BitTorrent to download legal files - see if someone contacts you about something that could be perceived as an illegal download. Gauge from this wether you can download *actually* illegal files.

1. New Version Corrupt Old Files? - Files downloading with BT version 3.2 are always the size of the finished files, files downloading with BT version 3.3 grow until they are the finished size. This presumably means that the file structure has changed between 3.2 and 3.3. Now my question: If I have started a download with BT 3.2, can I upgrade to 3.3 and finish the file this way or will this corrupt things? Thank you.

Yes. I have tested this and upgrading it will not corrupt your current files.

1. Correct Way To Close? - Is the proper way to pause a download to use the "Cancel" button, or the "X" button (I never knew the name of that box in the upper right corner)?

It doesn't matter. Both function the same.

1. Checking Download Status - How can I see what status a downloaded file is in? Now when all files always is 100% in length I can't figure out how to poke the status for an individual file (by file size) without starting downloading it.

This has been repaired in the latest version. Please download the latest version or, if the file is a ZIP/RAR file, run a "Test Archive" in your decompression program (such as WinRAR or WinZip). Webfork

1. Slow Speeds - I am on DSL and I'm downloading a file which have many seeds and peers (more than 10 in each) but still my download rate is so slow (that if it isn't ZERO) and i am uploading without even getting the same download rate as my upload one ..it is sooo slow... is that a problem with my bittorrent or maybe my connection ?

Your ISP may be paying attention to the ports you're using for BitTorrent. Or the people you are connecting to may be throttling their connections lower. Or maybe those seeds are dialup people. Have someone on a different connection attempt to use it and see what happens. Even files with many listed seeds do not always download quickly. Note that this is from a Web site whose stats may be innacurate.

Common Questions

Can I resume ?

Yes, just save your download to the same location as the existing partial download. BitTorrent will resume where it left off after checking the partial download.

How do I start uploading ?

BitTorrent will upload automatically. If you already have the whole file, just act as if you did not and point the client to download to where the file you have is. The client will check the contents and start uploading.

My upload rate is much faster than my download rate !

This happens, sometimes. Most of the time, your download rate will pick up gradually and surpass upload.

I don't want BitTorrent stealing my bandwidth! How can I stop it from uploading?

You could hack the source to not upload, but then your download rate would suck. BitTorrent downloaders engage in tit-for-tat with their peers, so leeches have very little success downloading. You should help people to download by uploading.

Throttling exists in the experimental client, and possibly elsewhere.

When I look at the file it's already full size but it's garbled and BT says it's still downloading, what's going on?

BitTorrent pre-allocates the entire file when your download begins, then writes in pieces in random order as it gets them. As a result the file jumps to its full size immediately. BitTorrent will tell you when the download is complete.

As of BitTorrent 3.3, files are allocated as they are downloaded.

I use Mozilla, how can I use BitTorrent?

As of version 3.0.2, BitTorrent works with Mozilla out of the box.

Can I use BitTorrent on Mac OS 9?

If you install Python, you should be able to use btdownloadheadless.py from the source.

How can I contribute to a file distribution without downloading?

Just leave your downloader running after it's done downloading. If you already have the complete file, run the downloader as a resume.

How do I know the download isn't corrupted?

BitTorrent does cryptographic hashing (SHA1) of all data. When you see "Download Succeeded" you can be sure that BitTorrent has already verified the integrity of the data. The integrity and authenticity of a BitTorrent download is as good as the original request to the tracker. Checking the MD5 of a file downloaded via BitTorrent is redundant.

I'm behind a firewall/NAT, can I use BitTorrent?

Yes, but you will get better performance if other peers can connect to you. By default, BitTorrent listens on port 6881, trying incrementially higher ports if it's unable to bind. It gives up after 6889 (the port range is configurable.) It's up to you to figure out how to poke a hole in your firewall/NAT.

How many downloads can BitTorrent support?

BitTorrent routinely supports around 1000 dowloaders of files around a gigabyte in size. After current tracker scaling work, the next scaling bottleneck is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of simultaneous downloaders.

How do I limit the amount of bandwidth consumed by BitTorrent?

Use the --max_upload_rate command line parameter, which takes an upload rate in kilobytes/sec. There is also btclient, an unofficial BitTorrent fork with bandwidth capping for DSL and Cable users who need to cap their upload bandwidth to achieve reasonable download speeds (Windows only)

Does BitTorrent contain spyware or adware?

The official BitTorrent client contains no spyware, adware, or any other kind of -ware. There are some third party clients which do contain spyware. Be suspicious of any client you see advertised in a banner ad.

What license is BitTorrent released under?

MIT, which basically lets you do anything you want with it so long as you leave the license notification in the source.

My download is currently at 99% and it's stopped there.

You may be able to utilize it, depending on file type. If the file is a program, you should probably give up after a few days of retrying and delete the file. If it is a media file (mpeg, mp3, divx), you may try opening it in a viewer anyway and see how it goes.

It is suspected that this problem is sometime due to the badly implemented preview in the windows XP file explorer. Windows may creates athumbs.db file in the directory that is being uploaded with bittorrent then not allow bittorrent to access it.

Is there a port for FreeBSD

The bittorrent are written in python so if if you have that installed you only need the bt*.py files to start sharing. However, there is a port located at /usr/ports/net/py-bittorent. Other bittorrent clients are available in net/ctorrent (C implementation, CLI only) and net/qtorrent (Python, QT GUI).

How can I run bittorrent in the background on a unix look-a-like system.

By using the command-line tools and this BitTorrent/Background Script you can telnet to your system, start bittorrent and then exit the shell without loosing the bittorrent task.

An alternative would be using the terminal window manager screen. Just start screen, then BT and leave screen with "Ctrl-a d" (for detach). Resume with "screen -r" sometime later.

Could multicast be aded to bittorrent

Since DSL lines often have dramatically different upload/download speeds, their download capacity, being capped by that of the uploads, is not used satisfactorily at all. Of course, fairness demands that people give the current as much as they receive. Wouldn't it be possible to use multicasting to use the upload bandwidth much more effectively?

Not with the current state of the internet. ISP's generally don't provide their customers with muticast service. In most cases a muticast bittorrent would not be any more efficient than allowing users to upload an equivalent amount. Peers are nearly allways on different ISP's so the data would have to be stream seperatly across the internet to each peer.

Common Client Errors Explained

By Darth TaGam and Romeria in the Hawkie's world forum.

1. 'connecting to peers'

Maybe there are no users to connect to. Leave your torrent open and maybe the bit torrent client will connect (it may take some time).

1. windows cannot find "c:documents and settingsownerlocal settingstemporery internet filescontent.ie5.....

Download the torrent to your hd and launch it from there. Right click on the link and save the torrent to your hard-drive, then open the torrent that is in your hard-drive by double clicking on it.

1. No space left on device

The client allocates the space needed to store the file on your HD, you get this error when you don't have enough space on your hard drive for bit torrent to fully allocate the file.

1. urlopen error - (7, 'getaddrinfo failed')

This means that the tracker is overloaded, just keep the torrent window open and wait.

1. temporary internet files content 1.5 xxx don't exist

It is an XP thing, either download the torrent to your hd and launch it from there.. or clear out your temp internet files that will generally resolve the issue. (XP compresses temp internet files once it reach a certain # of files or 1/2 alloted space that is what causes the error) Just let the torrent run in your client and the client will keep checking the tracker and should resume eventually.

1. problem getting response info - [errno2] No such file or directory

The directory of C : /// is probably causing your problems, it's most likely a temporary directory that Internet Explorer uses when you left click on the torrent file. Try right clicking on the .torrent and selecting "save target as". Then save the .torrent file to a directory on your C drive. Keep them all in a folder specifically designed for use with Bit Torrent and your life will be much easier. Then when you start your client and you're ready to download the files you can navigate to that special folder and not have to keep searching for where Windows plonks the torrents each time. Clear your temp internet files, then make a dedicated folder for your torrents and try again. Put the download in the folder you made.

1. (IOError - [Errno13] Permission denied)

Sometime bit torrent still runs in the background, and if you start more than one GUI (the same torrent) it will give you permission denied, go to Task manager and close down all bt-gui processes.

1. rejected by tracker -

Your IP is not registered to use this tracker for this file Probably the tracker is overloaded, so the owner decide to only allow certain IPs to use the tracker

1. Problem connecting to tracker: HTTP Error -1

Leave your torrent running in your client. The client will keep checking the tracker and it should resume eventually.

1. Problem connecting with tracker - (10060, 'Operation timed out')

That error means that the server/tracker is down or too busy to process your request. Just keep trying - leave it open.

1. <urlopen error (10061, 'Connection refused")>

Just leave your torrent running in your client. The client will keep trying to connect to the tracker. When you're already downloading, just ignore it.

1. Problem connecting to tracker - <urlopen error(10055, 'No buffer space available')>

A lot of routes in your routing table (due to a mis configured router, or mis-configured default route) Lots of stale connections in your connection table Or a lot of data that is pending for sending or receiving on a current connection(s), which can't be sent or received for some reason (destination system dead or unreachable, for example). Opening too many sockets at the same time. Probably don't have enough free space on your hard drive.

1. Problem connecting with tracker - (10054,'Connection reset by peer')

This occurs when an established connection is shut down for some reason by the remote computer, just ignore it.

1. 'Problem connecting to tracker. HTTP error 503: service unavailable'

Have you tried using torrentspy to check on the tracker's status? Maybe the tracker is down for a rest or something bad happened

1. Piece XXX failed hash check, re-downloading it

Bit Torrent downloaded a wrong packet, so it's re-downloading it, just ignore it.

Related

1. Smiler's Bit Torrent links
2. Slashdot's Bit Torrent overflow site for Slashdot effect victims
3. BitTorrent Search Engine (English / Spanish)

Other BitTorrent FAQs

1. Brian's BT FAQ and Guide - very complete, if primarily Windows-oriented. The most popular FAQ but sometimes down due to bandwidth overload.
2. Theory.org's wiki BitTorrentFAQ
3. Monduna FAQ - More detail, a glossary
4. Sharing the Groove Good, basic overview with Informal Message Board FAQ
5. AyudaBitTorrent - Spanish FAQ
6. Deutsche Bittorrent FAQ - Detailed German FAQ
7. Newbie FAQ - Questions, problems and walk-thrus

More? See: Google Listing

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Hey There. My Question is: I have a Debian Server up running and I connect to it threw ssh. So far so good ;) I installed bittornado and Torrentflux. Bittornado runs on ports 50000-60000. So if I want to download a torrent it can't find any Peers. Any Trackers tell me, that i can't connect, because I'am not visible. The Ports are forwarded correctly. Anybody got a idea?

Post new questions and possible answers here

1. My college recently decided to block all ports on our internet link. As a result only websites can be accessed and the bittorrent client is not working. Is there any way to find out which ports may be open or to overcome this problem in some other way?

Some suggestions:

1. You may wish to use a proxy. One example, Tor, is an anonymous proxy that is probably too slow for file sharing but should allow you to escape your closed network.

Ideally you setup an encrypted proxy so that network administrators do not sniff your connection.

1. There is also Filetopia set to randomize ports but recent iA testing has shown the program to be unwilling to accept new users.

1. Is there a way to find out who is connected to a torrent swarm, before I even load the .torrent file into my BT client?

1. I can't believe this isn't a common question, but it's not answered in any of the BitTorrent FAQ's I've found. "No space left on device" often presages file corruption from which BitTorrent will not resume. No easy fixes for this. I saw this answered on a BitTorrent mailing list (sorry I don't have it anymore, or know what list it was on) that one's only hope in that situation would be to delete all and restart the torrent. This was about a year ago, and I'm not sure that the problem has not been subsequently fixed.

I suspect that in this situation, one's uploads to others are corrupt, but I don't really know.

A suggestion:

In Azureus, right-click on the torrent and select "Force re-check." This has worked for a similar problem I've been having.

I don't have enough insight into this problem to add this to the FAQ myself. If this only occurs in some clients, I can say it does in mine, BitTornado 0.3.7 (BitTorrent/T-0.3.7).--Edgarde 10:23, 27 Dec 2004 (GMT)