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Free File Hosting Websites
December 20, 2007 by sharky
Something that’s becoming more and more popular is the use of ‘File Hosting’ accounts to share files. A file hosting service (webhosting) is an Internet service specifically designed to host static content - typically large files that are not web pages. It’s like having an ‘online’ hard drive that you can share with anyone you want, without having to incur the costs of hard drive space and Internet bandwidth.
But are these services appropriate for hosting illegal files? You bet! DDL ‘warez’ websites are a great resource for accessing the links to the copyrighted contraband. Companies that make this service available don’t have the manpower or resources to check all incoming content. Illegal content would be deleted if they received a complaint, or if the infringing content appeared excruciatingly obvious. And if your files get deleted, just move on to the next company - there’s plenty of ‘em.
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Anonymous BitTorrent
December 18, 2007 by sharky
(BitTorrent over I2P / BitTorrent over Tor / anoNet)
Using BitTorrent to download files is quite possibly the best method going - both for speed and for sheer content availability. And when used alone, it is also the most vulnerable. All P2P users share each others’ information in order to complete a download - thus opening the door to anyone who wants to acquire that info. This is simply a requisite of the deal, quid pro quo. And BitTorrent is no exception to the rule: IP harvesting (of the shared *.torrent file) is especially easy to do with a modified Bit client.
Solutions:
As mentioned here, using a proxy server is a great way to ensure anonymity over any P2P application, including BitTorrent. But there is an alternative - ‘BitTorrent over I2P’.
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Darknets (Private Internet & File Sharing)
December 16, 2007 by sharky
(Freenet / WASTE / Onionland / I2P / anoNet Darknets)
Well, if you’ve come this far, you can see that we’re treading into some pretty deep water when it comes to Internet security and P2P file sharing - perhaps even considered borderline paranoia. As the saying goes, “You’re not paranoid if they really are out to get you”. For many zealots, this is the only way files should be shared.
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Anonymous Web Searching (& Decentralized Search Engines)
December 15, 2007 by sharky
Faroo
ixquick
Majestic-12
YaCy
Most existing search engines use a ‘centralized’ style of architecture combined with ranking algorithms to generate the ranking of documents crawled in their databases. The best example of this would be the Google PageRank system. However well they perform at generic web page queries, popular search engines are not conducive to finding illegal content on the Internet.
Search engines also log your ’search queries’ including the keywords, IP address and other data of the search, even if you didn’t provide any information. This info is kept in their databases, and there’s no telling how long this info is kept, or what is done with it. Giants like Microsoft (MSN) and Yahoo keep their retention policies private, and Google’s is scrupulous at best.
Want to use the Google Search anonymously? Try Scroogle! They offer free anonymous Google searching through their site. Check it out here.
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Internet Tunneling & Traffic Routing
December 14, 2007 by sharky
(Anonymous Protocols & Networks / Tor / I2P)
IP Tunneling and IP encapsulation (encryption) ensure the reliable delivery of massive volumes of real-time data without packet loss or damage.
Here are three key features in which tunneling becomes beneficial to the P2P file sharer:
- 1.It makes the user anonymous: By masking the real IP address of the user.
- 2.It encrypts the data on both ends: Thus no-one can intercept the transfer and figure out what’s being sent. Helpful in preventing traffic shaping by ISPs.
- 3.It can help circumvent firewalls that would otherwise be implemented to prohibit specific programs and transfers.
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IRCKlipper - The Death of a Giant
December 14, 2007 by sharky
From Sharky: Filesharefreak.com siteop
Not only do sites like TPB, Mininova, Isohunt et al. have the MPAA, RIAA and government agencies breathing down their necks, they’re trying to stay afloat as well. Imagine these ironic headlines:
“Mininova shuts (itself) down: Operating costs too high. MPAA rejoices!”
“ThePirateBay closes: can’t afford the burden of tracking servers any longer.”
OK, maybe this is a little extreme, but it could happen, and does. This is exactly what happened to IRCKlipper.
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P2P Programs Designed for Anonymity
December 14, 2007 by sharky
(P2P Clients & Networks designed for anonymous connectivity)
Alliance P2P
ANts P2P
CSpace
Emscher P2P
Filetopia
GNUnet
i2Phex
iMule
Kommute
MLDonkey
MUTE
MFC-Mute
Nodezilla
RetroShare
Rodi
StealthNet
Other Projects
P2P file sharing is generating a lot of heat these days as countries introduce new copyright laws, stiffer sentencing for Internet pirates, and ISPs that restrict bandwidth for P2P file sharing programs. Fortunately for us, this new-age anti-P2P movement has inspired software developers everywhere to come up with their own counter-measures: Anonymous/pseudonymous P2P applications, encrypted traffic and safeguarded networks. Internet piracy is not exactly going to wither away and die, but it must evolve and adapt to strange days in order to continue to thrive. We’ve learned a great deal from Napster’s peccadilloes and KaZaA’s decoy-prone freestyle nature.
This is the future of P2P file sharing.
Filesharefreak is committed to providing information about these cutting-edge technologies and applications. Listed in this section are some newer (and some not-so-new) methods that incorporate anonymity into your Internet usage and file sharing. This is beneficial in two ways: First, you are out of the prying eyes of anybody snooping on your traffic (like the MPAA and RIAA); second, some client programs/networks support encrypted traffic/routing so that even your ISP can’t tell what you’re downloading (and throttle your bandwidth).
Categories of software include: F2F (Friend-to-Friend), P2P File Sharing, Instant Messaging, Chat, P2P Clients and Networks.
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Finding Free eBooks & Audiobooks
December 12, 2007 by sharky
Here’s a list of some common methods for finding eBooks and audiobooks on various P2P networks and protocols.
An eBook, or Electronic book (sometimes spelled “E-Book”), is simply a book, magazine, manual etc. that has been released to digital format. They take many forms, such as *.PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files, *.CHM (similar to a Windows ‘help’ file), *.LIT files (Microsoft Reader) or just plain text files (ASCII). Usually when a book or magazine is converted to these formats (except ASCII), it is professionally done in deliberate support of the program that is opening it, making the reading experience far more enjoyable that reading it in a text editor like Notepad.
An audiobook is a book that has been professionally narrated and saved to digital format. Retail audiobooks are normally found in the form of CD media to be enjoyed in any compact disk player. However, a ripped audiobook will most likely be found as *.MP3 files in order to save space, and can be ‘burned’ to CD media if desired (be advised that many audiobooks will require many CD disks to complete just one book - sometimes as many as 30 - as in the case of unabridged versions). But if you choose this route, use CD-RW (re-writeable) disks so you can use them again afterwards. Many tech-savvy people opt to play these MP3s on portable media players like iPODs, MP3 players and even cell phones.
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Using Serials, Cracks & Keygens
December 12, 2007 by sharky
OK, so you’ve downloaded some great software, and you can’t figure out how to get it to work. In general there are only three methods that all ‘Release Groups’ adhere to for getting that illicit piece of software or game to good use: Serial numbers, cracks and key generators.
In a proper release, there is always an information file that accompanies the release (an *.NFO file). It is here that information can be found about how to get the software working normally.
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Bad P2P Programs - What To Avoid
December 09, 2007 by sharky
Some contain crazy spyware; some you just can’t connect to anymore; and some just want your money. Either way, steer clear.
— Adware/spyware-laden P2P clients
— Pay-to-use P2P services/programs
— The iPod $ Music Scam
— P2P programs that don’t connect
— Other things to avoid
Below is a list of some outstandingly BAD P2P clients, as tested in Dec. 2007 - each with a summary. They could have fit into ALL of the categories above.
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Anonymity Software (Anonymous Proxies)
December 07, 2007 by sharky
Using Software to maintain Anonymity / Anonymous Browsers
Anon Proxy
GoTrusted
JAP
Psiphon
Torpark
SSL Explorer
xB Browser
To compliment web proxies and proxy servers, a software-based approach can help automate the anonymity process. The trick is performed by setting up a SOCKS server (proxy server) that performs the bypass procedure. Not only will most programs allow you to surf the web anonymously, there’s a variety of implications that go beyond the realm of just hiding the IP address. Other useful features include:
- — Using P2P programs from behind a corporate or university firewall.
- — Sending email to recipients via programs that would otherwise be restricted.
- — Using “Messaging” software on prohibited machines.
- — Block popups, ads and spyware.
- — Remove scripts (java) and potentially dangerous activex components.
- — Encryption features, file shredding, cache emptying.
- — Erase your online tracks, history, cookies, temp files.
- — Anonymous web searching
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Anonymous Proxy Servers
December 06, 2007 by sharky
Using ‘Proxy Servers’ to maintain Anonymity
As opposed to web-based anonymous proxies, “real” proxy servers don’t rely on you having to visit their website every time to enter an Internet address, or URL. While generally they offer the same anonymous services as their web-based cousins, proxy servers are embedded into the Internet browser, within the settings. Another key feature is that they can also be incorporated into almost every single application that requires access to the Internet: Online games, FTP programs, P2P filesharing programs - just to name a few.
Like everything else on the Internet, Proxy Servers come in two flavors: Free and Paid.
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How to Browse Isohunt & Torrentspy in the U.S.
December 05, 2007 by sharky
Yeah, we all know Isohunt and Torrentspy have banned access to Americans. If you visit their sites, you’ll probably see something similar to this image (unless, of course, you live in the rest of the world!):
How to circumvent this:
These two websites have blocked U.S. access to their torrents, but this doesn’t mean the exact same torrents don’t exist somewhere else. And the files are hosted by trackers that don’t block American users - the trackers themselves haven’t changed anything (they’re still serving up the same ol’ files to American downloaders from other BitTorrent sites).
All you have to do to start surfing again on Isohunt or Torrentspy, is use an anonymous web proxy (heck, they’re free all over the place) or use a proxy server. There’s even proxy software that’ll allow you “anonymous” web surfing (which is the same thing).
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Anonymous Web Proxies & Proxy Servers
December 05, 2007 by sharky
An anonymous web proxy allows anyone to surf the web anonymously (almost) through the web browser. It works by hiding the user’s IP address and any other identifiable information from the websites that they are visiting. This is great for protecting your online identity, or browsing websites that may be otherwise blocked from your location (work, school, library etc.). Privacy is the key benefit to using an anonymous web proxy. They prevent other websites from tracking your browsing habits while protecting your browser history at the same time. Also, they work from any computer, without downloading any software.
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IP Blocking & Blocklists
December 04, 2007 by sharky
Using ‘IP Blocking’ and Blocklists (P2P)
IP blocking/blocklisting is simply a technique used to restrict (block) traffic from any computer that is within a set list or parameters of any given IP range.
While IP Blocking hardly makes oneself anonymous, it can significantly reduce your chances of being tracked by bad groups interested in what you’re doing with your bandwidth. And by no means do blocklists offer 100% effectiveness for file sharing protection. However, when used in conjunction with a proxy server, it can reduce your odds of being caught down to nearly zero.
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Anonymous P2P & Web Solutions
December 03, 2007 by sharky
Keeping safe while sharing files, whether it be while downloading or uploading, is crucial to avoiding any undue attention. When using file sharing programs, computers are susceptible to IP harvesting (collecting) by anyone else sharing the same files - whether it be a *.torrent, or files being swapped on P2P programs such as Limewire.
There are a variety of ways to implement anonymity:
- IP Blocking - blocks snooping IP addresses.
- Web proxies - for anonymous browsing.
- Proxy Servers - to hide your real IP address (web & P2P programs).
- Anonymity Software - to automate the proxy process.
And lastly, use anonymous P2P programs that are specifically designed to achieve anonymity.
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Torrent Search Software
December 01, 2007 by sharky
There’s truly not a lot of BitTorrent ’search’ software - heck, the websites that host the torrent files do a pretty darn good job of searching for torrents! Plus, there are torrent metasearch sites that show aggregated search results for various combined BitTorrent websites. But here’s a few software solutions that may be able to assist in finding torrents that you may not be able to find on your favorite sites.
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Finding ‘Free’ Expensive Software on P2P
November 30, 2007 by sharky
FileShareFreak has done it’s homework, and come up with a list of expensive software that can be found available, for free, on various file sharing networks and protocols. What’s the best part about free stuff?? - there’s no tax on it! These are just some examples of the software availability out there; many would be classified as ‘niche market’ applications and considered quite rare.
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TV on the Internet - Fact or Fiction?
November 29, 2007 by sharky
There are a variety of ways to max out that high-speed Internet connection besides downloading illegal movies, huge games and an obscene amount of music - much to the chagrin of your ISP. At least they haven’t figured out how to throttle streaming media yet, as far as we know. Do ISPs think BitTorrent is the next-gen problem? - YouTube alone consumes over 10% of all Internet bandwidth.
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P2P Tips - Firewall and Speed Settings
November 28, 2007 by sharky
Firewall Settings
If you are running WinXP, don’t rely on the firewall supplied by Windows XP, it’s not adequate to handle the duties of a dedicated firewall. Get something else like Zone Alarm, it’s free.
When you install software that requires access to the Internet, most firewalls will give you a chance to allow this change in the system, and a window will pop up prompting for your attention to the matter.
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P2P Tips & Tricks
November 27, 2007 by sharky
A list of some miscellaneous tips for P2P programs:
- — Try to avoid using P2P programs such as Limewire, Shareaza and BearShare etc. to search for software and games, since many of these files are infected with malware. Use the BitTorrent protocol instead. Music, movies and TV shows are a safe bet, however.
- — Try to upgrade to the “Pro” versions or ad-free “Lite” versions if possible. You may be able to find these premium editions right from a search in the same ‘freeware’ program.
- — If you decide to run more than one P2P program at a time, don’t forget that they BOTH will conceivably be using bandwidth to upload, which in turn can impair downloading for both programs.
- — Note that P2P programs/networks can and have been permanently shut down (lest we forget KaZaA?). This has also happened to WinMX in recent times as well as others, so keep up-to-date on the available programs.
- — Try to “enable” as many networks as you can within the settings. This will maximize speed and search results. (This is not possible within Limewire Pro, as it connects to just one network - Gnutella).
- — If you choose to update or install a newer version of the software, some settings may revert back to the default selection. Normally ‘in-program’ upgrades won’t do this, but if you upgrade from Limewire to Limewire Pro, this may be the case.
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An Introduction to P2P File Sharing
November 25, 2007 by sharky
The term “Peer-to-peer file sharing” is, in essence, an umbrella term used to describe any protocol or method whereby users can share files with other users. This would include almost every activity on the Internet: ICQ (instant messaging); sending files through MSN or Yahoo!; web hosting services; BitTorrent; Usenet; IRC. Even email could be considered peer-to-peer file sharing.
But for all general purposes, “P2P file sharing” is best used to describe the swapping of music, video and other files over the Internet by means of a broad-based application on a common network with a large base of users. Some examples of this would be Limewire, Shareaza and eMule.
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Getting Started with P2P Programs
November 25, 2007 by sharky
Users require just two things: An Internet connection and P2P client software to connect you to the P2P network(s). This is a little easier than BitTorrent in terms of difficulty - as there are no necessary websites to visit or external files to download. Here’s a list of some of the available programs and which network(s) they run on:
| Limewire v4.14 | Gnutella network. |
| BearShare Lite 5.2.5.1 | Gnutella & G2 network. |
| Shareaza v2.3.1 | Connect to the Gnutella, Gnutella 2 and eDonkey2000 (eD2K) networks. |
| eMule v0.48a | Connects to the eDonkey2000 (eD2K) and KAD networks. |
| TruxShare v3.8.0 | Connects to the Gnutella (G1) and Gnutella2 (G2) networks. |
| KCeasy v0.18 | Connects to the Ares, Gnutella and OpenFT/giFT networks. |
| Ares Galaxy v.2.0.9.30 | Connects to the Ares network. |
| Blubster 2.69 (Free) | Connects to the MP2P/Manolito network. |
| Zultrax P2P v4.17 (Free) | Connects to the ZEPP/Gnutella networks. |
| Soulseek v157 | Connects to its own network. |
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P2P Software Review & Comparison
November 25, 2007 by sharky
Our Top Ten Best Free P2P File Sharing Programs
This is a review of our top ten free P2P file sharing clients, with the PROs and CONs of each and the rankings. All programs were tested in October 2007 (and are thus deemed to be working). The list below represents the main “client” programs to connect to most of the major networks available.
And The Winner Is…
Limewire Pro 4.14 wins this race, but Bearshare 5.2.5 was right behind at #2. It’s too bad that they both connect to the same P2P network; the search results are very similar. And since they run on the largest network - Gnutella - naturally it contains highest number of search results and best speeds. And Shareaza offers perhaps the most comprehensive search results because it incorporates multiple networks, yet Limewire has more users (and thus more search results). But in pursuit of the obscure, other smaller networks offer a diverse ’set’ of search results from an entirely different clientele base.
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Known Reliable Release Groups
November 24, 2007 by sharky
We’ve included this list of release groups specifically for the purpose of searching. Users can enter a “name” in a BitTorrent website to see what this group has released. This is particularly helpful for narrowing down specific searches, and for filtering out the junk torrents from the good ones. These groups are highly-esteemed and respected, and they back it up with solid working releases. Note that some of these RGs are presently inactive. Nevertheless they still generate good search results with active torrents. These lists contains mostly RGs with proper ’scene releases’ only. Stick with releases from these guys, and you can’t go wrong!
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How to Identify Tags on Pirated Releases
November 22, 2007 by sharky
— “Where does all this free stuff come from, anyway?”
Well, that depends on what you are looking for. Generally when it comes to pirated movies, TV shows, software, games and even music, piracy “Release Groups” are the usual starting point for distribution.
Release Groups are at the top of the Illegal Distribution Pyramid, and it is through them that pirated copies are first created.
A typical release group will comprise of members that are very adept at certain tasks. Some members are suppliers; some will ‘crack’ software; some are packers and distributors. After all, groups perform better than even the best individuals at solving complex problems.
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Tags Found on Music Releases
November 22, 2007 by sharky
Music/Audio Tags
Release Groups distribute music as well, usually in the form of complete albums, special compilations, sound tracks, etc. whereby the source was, is, or will be, found retail. There’s no sense in a release group downloading a bunch of songs from Limewire and packaging it up as a ‘release’. This just does not occur. So you can expect a “complete” CD from RGs. Sometimes proper releases will have ‘album art’ included, which includes digital pictures of the cover, CD or even inner jackets. Others may include a small playlist file (*.M3U) just for that album. But there will undoubtedly be ‘tags’ in the name of the folder in which the music is contained, and sometimes they will be in the filename of the file (song) also.
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Tags Found on Software-Games Releases
November 22, 2007 by sharky
Software Release Groups take their work just as seriously as movie releasers, if not more so. They have a protocol of ‘tags’ on their releases as well. Tags on software/games are becoming more erratic at the P2P level because much of what is found is not a genuine ’scene release’, or the release name has been changed so that it’s no longer identifiable as ‘proper’. An ever-updating list of proper software and game ’scene’ releases can always be found at www.nforce.nl (search their site or click the appropriate ’sections’ tabs on the left).
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Tips for Downloading Software
November 21, 2007 by sharky
The Risks/What to Avoid
One thing that anti-piracy groups and software companies strongly advocate is the fact that software obtained illegally is hazardous and chancy. They want you to believe that illicit software is chock-full of little nasties waiting for the opportunity to unleash disastrous consequences to the unsuspecting user. And for this we do not disagree - there is plenty of bad. This is the Internet; we’re all part of one vast network sharing our computers with each other, a little bad is even expected.
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Tips for Downloading Movies
November 20, 2007 by sharky
It takes a bit of experience and know-how when it comes to downloading movies and getting exactly what you want without any surprises. There are certain key characteristics that you are looking for, and ones that you definitely want to avoid. Here are a few tips to get you going down the right path. And lately we need all the help we can get to avoid the bunk out there.
With BitTorrent, when I look at a page of ‘recently added’ torrents on a public tracker, I am simply mortified by the sheer number of people who are trying to download the bad torrents. To a seasoned BitTorrent veteran, they stick out like a sore thumb.
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Usenet - Tips
November 18, 2007 by sharky
Websites for Usenet searching
There’s a few sites that offer search capabilities (some in ‘real time’) for finding content on Usenet. This can be a helpful service to find older posts, especially if you subscribe to a premium online news server like Giganews that will be able to retrieve them. These websites can also be used as a tool for discovering popular newsgroups that belong to your interests.
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Mounting Virtual Drives
November 18, 2007 by sharky
Often found on P2P sites are “image” files of a specific release. For example, full DVD movies, games and applications that are found in *.ISO or *.BIN format are ‘images’ of the original disk. This is to ensure the integrity of the original retail product and keep the release as similar to it as possible. Game releases are very common in this format; newer ones are quite large so it’s just practical to release it as an image (with some small tweaks) - instead of ‘ripping’ it all apart to make it only minimally smaller. Movies are released this way in order to keep the original DVD menus, extras, languages, and subtitles intact. So sometimes these are essential and necessary formats (and preferred).
Essentially there are only three things that a user can do with an “image” file:
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Usenet and Newsgroups
November 17, 2007 by sharky
Introduction to Usenet
Usenet is one of the oldest computer network communications systems still in widespread use. Check the full description of Usenet on Wikipedia.com. It is a virtual peer-to-peer network for exchanging text messages or binary files with people all over the world. Text message files contain just that: text. Binary files can contain images, multimedia, programs or basically anything, all of which is broken down into its simplest format (binary). Each subject collection of posted messages is known as a newsgroup, which number at over one hundred thousand. Users can “post” these messages to the newsgroups for others to read and download. Was this ever handy back in the day! To be able to share files with someone and you didn’t have to copy them to a 5.25″ floppy disk first.
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Antivirus Software and Other Protection
November 16, 2007 by sharky
P2P file sharers should take these necessary precautions before working with any file sharing programs. Antivirus software, antispyware and a good firewall are the big three prerequisites for safe downloading. And here are some other lesser-known tips to aid in covering Internet activities, properly deleting files and file/folder encryption.
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Audio Video Codecs
November 16, 2007 by sharky
If you’ve ever come across a certain movie or song that opened but wouldn’t play, it was most likely caused a missing codec. A great feature about how codecs work is that they are basically shared by all computer programs. Sometimes codecs are referred to as ‘decoders’ and ‘encoders’, for all general purposes it’s the same thing.
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Using WinRAR (and other Archive Tips)
November 14, 2007 by sharky
Typically, proper pirated releases are always compressed; and therefore require an external program to open and extract the files. Here are some tips for extracting, fixing, opening multiple ZIP/RAR files and renaming groups of files at the same time.
Opening Compressed files
Many files sent over the Internet are compressed as *.ZIP or *.RAR files. This is done for two reasons: One; A ZIP/RAR file essentially has a “shell” around it to protect it from data corruption during transmission. Two; It makes the package smaller, or breaks a larger package (like a movie) into multi-parts to be reconstructed by the downloader. The second reason is particularly important to those popular websites that offer free file hosting, where the allowable file size is usually limited to somewhere between 100MB and 500MB - far too small to support a regular extracted DVD ‘ripped’ movie.
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Tips to increase BitTorrent download speeds
November 13, 2007 by sharky
Striving to get the most out of your bandwidth? Struggling with slow BitTorrent download speeds? The first step is to see if your BitTorrent client is properly configured through the settings - a simple tweak here and there can drastically improve the download speed. Here are some other suggestions to fine-tune your downloading to maximize those torrents:
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Finding open Private Torrent sites
November 10, 2007 by sharky
How to find Private Torrent websites that are accepting new signups.
Private BitTorrent websites are already elusive, but what’s even more fleeting are the times when they’re actually accepting new registrations. Zeropaid.com has a great running list of torrent sites (public and private), so just by clicking on the ones marked PRIVATE will launch you to their site where you’ll be able to see if they’re open for new signups:
http://www.zeropaid.com/links/bittorrent/
And another list of public & private torrent sites can be found here:
And here’s a great search tip for finding private BitTorrent trackers that are accepting new signups. In the Google search window, type in this:
torrents inurl:signup.php
Google will now search torrent sites that are currently displaying a signup page (and thus accepting new members). At last check, it came back with 674 results. (No longer must you fumble around with ‘Tracker Checker 2′.)
Tracker Checker 2
Another excellent tool to find private trackers is through software, like “Tracker Checker 2″ available here. Tracker 2 goes through a list of known private torrent sites and notifies you when they become open to new registrations.
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Private Torrent Websites
November 09, 2007 by sharky
Torrent Websites (with private trackers)
What’s a ‘private tracker’?
A private tracker is a tracker that requires users to register with it before they can use it. This is done at the tracker website. Private trackers usually register how much the user uploads and downloads and may enforce a minimum upload-to-download ratio. As a result, their torrents usually offer better availability and speed compared to public trackers where leeching is more common. Some private trackers are accepting new members from time to time; others are full and won’t accept new people unless they’re invited by a member. Fortunately, there are always new private trackers opening up all the time, and they gladly accept new members.
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Public Torrent Websites
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Tips for Home Movie Collectors
November 06, 2007 by sharky
This is just a personal list of tips for movie aficionados.
Hardware
Get yourself a decent DVD player, one that supports DivX (most do nowadays) - Try to avoid that $29 one from Wal-Mart. Note that these players will play XviD flawlessly as well. It looks like Blu-Ray is going to win the race for next DVD format, but they’re a little to pricey at the moment. And blank Blue-Ray disks aren’t light on the wallet either, nevermind the PC DVD Blu-Ray burner. Ride it out until the end of 2008…also Blu-Ray downloads are slim pickings for the moment.
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Torrent Hosting Websites
November 05, 2007 by sharky
A BitTorrent website is simply a torrent search engine (where .torrent files are hosted) in which you can browse through and download the ones you want to add to your BitTorrent client program.
Torrent websites are broken down into two categories - public and private. Public torrent websites allow anyone (in most cases) to browse and download torrents. Private sites require registration and signing in before any access is granted.
There’s a huge number of torrent hosting websites, each with different qualities. Check out the alexa.com ‘Top 100 BitTorrent Websites‘ to see which ones are the most popular by ranking. But first we’ll explain how to open .torrent files:
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AutoGet for IRC
November 05, 2007 by sharky
As I said before, we don’t go into great depths at explaining IRC/mIRC, but one script that’s worthy of mentioning is called ‘AutoGet‘. AutoGet is an add-on script for mIRC designed to make the entire process of downloading music from IRC much easier. It basically works much like any P2P program would.The general process is this: Users can search for music and connect to multiple MP3 channels all from the same program, instead of having to type the same search string across all channels, over and over.
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Direct Connect/DC++
November 05, 2007 by sharky
Introduction to DC
Direct Connect is probably one of the least-known about P2P protocols for sharing files over the Internet. Haven’t heard about it? You’re not alone, many people haven’t. DC is a completely free, open-source file sharing community consisting of users from all over the world. Collective groups of users are connected in “Hubs”, which number in the thousands. Users can join multiple hubs, perform searches, chat with other people in the hub, and download just about anything. The interface is somewhat a cross between Limewire and mIRC, where users can browse through other peoples’ shared folders to view what a particular user is sharing.
Direct Connect - Recent Popularity
Widespread use of DC is becoming more and more popular. This is evident by looking at the recent software projects being developed for the DC protocol. Do a search for “DC” or “DC++” at www.download.com or sourceforge.net and one can see a list of all the new entries.
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Getting Started with BitTorrent
November 04, 2007 by sharky
To use BitTorrent, users require just two things: BitTorrent client software and torrent websites to download the torrents.
BitTorrent Client Programs
There are many BitTorrent clients available, however; we favor µtorrent, BitComet and Azureus because they constantly evolve to increase speeds and combat mechanisms commonly used by ISPs to thwart the P2P/BitTorrent community. There’s also a good page on Wikipedia here that covers all the BitTorrent clients, as well.
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ISPs and Speed
November 03, 2007 by sharky
How to Outwit the ISP by obfuscating your Internet traffic.
ISPs have been increasingly reducing the available bandwidth for P2P users, and more are joining the list all the time. In fact, most major Internet Service Providers now employ some form of technology to limit the file sharing traffic throughout their precious networks. Recently Comcast has been ‘caught’ doing this; others such as Sympatico (Canada) have blatantly admitted it. Could this be because one-third of all Internet traffic is created by P2P programs? Check out the list of bad ISPs here. Below are some solutions to ‘hide’ your P2P file sharing traffic so that it won’t come under the watchful eyes of Big Brother Cable, Co.
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BitTorrent for File Sharing
November 02, 2007 by sharky
A king is born: BitTorrent - The new Goliath of illegal file sharing.
Everybody’s heard of Napster, the original pioneer of P2P programs was the de-facto standard for sharing illegal music over the Internet - but much has changed over a few short years. Nowadays, BitTorrent is the new reigning protocol for swapping almost everything - and despite its recent surge in popularity, there’s still a colossal amount of Internet users that haven’t even heard of it.
How to use BitTorrent: To grossly oversimplify it - a user visits a website that hosts .torrent files, selects desired files to download, and downloads the torrent file into his/her BitTorrent software program, which then begins to download the selected files. The .torrent only contains ‘links’ to the desired files - these links contain information to connect with other users sharing the same files.
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IRC Searching on the Web - XDCC Search Sites
November 02, 2007 by sharky
There are a few good websites that take some of the hard work out of having to join the proper networks and channels in search of the files (packs) to download. With one-click you’ll be launched to the proper channel on the right network with the ‘command line’ you need to get the request just one ‘paste’ away. With these sites, users can search for a movie, game, album or software title, and they will display a list of files matching your criteria with the active XDCC bots that are hosting that file, all in real-time. When you see the desired file, click the link and it will launch your mIRC program. It’s that simple!
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IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
November 01, 2007 by sharky
Introduction to IRC
One thing we can tell you is this: This is where it all begins. Every movie, every program and every game - it all originated from IRC first - and then trickled down to the torrent sites, to P2P, and to the newsgroups. A pioneer of file sharing, IRC is still at the heart of ‘the scene’. And still the best place to get the newest pirated releases.
IRC, which stands for Internet Relay Chat, is a protocol to connect people for real-time discussions and file sharing from all over the world. It is perhaps the most sophisticated method of file transfer available, and it is also one of the oldest. Mastery of IRC takes a great deal of skill and knowledge. But to grossly oversimplify it, users connect to a network through client software (mIRC) and then join ‘channels’ in that network. Some networks consist of thousands of channels, covering every known topic and subject. Some channels are dedicated to cars, some to pokemon, and some are dedicated to the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials. Can you guess which one has the most users?
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