Problems with BitTorrent

[jimmo]

I have two questions about BitTorrent, a few things that look out of the norm on my BT activities window (What is the actual, correct name for the BT download window? I want to refer to it properly).

First, there is a small, yellow triangle icon in the bottom-right corner. When I placed the cursor over it, a message says that unless it turns green something may be wrong with my network configuration. I clicked on it, and a window opened that said BT will test network and configure itself for best performance. So I allowed the test to run.

The test results were as follows-- Bandwidth box checked and Results: Uploads: 629.1 kbit/s (76.7 kB/s) and Downloads: 1.8 Mbit/s (220.8 kB/s); Network box checked, and Results: Port is not open (you are still able to download). The Current port: (0: random), and the Automatic Port Mapping (Recommended) box is checked.

Additionally, three of my files are seeding. I understand it is best, to be considered a good BitTorrent user, to allow one's ratio per file to be higher than 1.0. Two of my three seeding files are higher than 1.0, one at 3.992, one at 1.932, and the third at 0.806. The one still downloading has no ratio, and occasionally there is a red bar in the Status column of that one, that alternates back to a light blue color. The one still downloading has been at 95.5% for a few days now. Does that fact, plus the Status bar turning red occasionally, indicate a problem?

Please also advise on what, if anything, I need to do about that yellow trangle icon situation. It is still not green after the test. I am not a computer expert, have figured out how to download torrents from a friend's instructions, but am still uncertain about all the fetaures of BitTorrent.

Thank you,

Jim

[Harold Feit]

The one still downloading has been at 95.5% for a few days now. Does that fact, plus the Status bar turning red occasionally, indicate a problem?

Probably, and very likely if the availability for that torrent is below 1.0

When the bar is red, get the tracker's status message from the trackers tab.

http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=15992 covers other steps you can try.

[jimmo]

Probably, and very likely if the availability for that torrent is below 1.0

When the bar is red, get the tracker's status message from the trackers tab.

http://forum.utorren...ic.php?id=15992 covers other steps you can try.

Hi Harold:

There are six different messages in the "Status" column list of that "Trackers" tab--four of them read "Working," one read "offline (Timed Out)," and the other read "No connection could be made, because the target machine actively refused it." Should I continue to see if the download will become active, give it a few more days, or just delete the whole thing?

More importantly, what do I do about that yellow triangle icon, and the test results that say a port is closed (whatever that means?). I did just allow BT to update to the latest version. Would that yellow triangle be reflective of an update that is ongoing? Will it turn back to green after the update is complete?

Lastly, I'd like to have a private conversation with someone at BT about the whole file sharing issue and the recent raid by Feds on MegaUploads. I just love BitTorrent, and even other, non-torrent-based, file-sharing programs such as RapidShare, MegaUpload (before they were shut down). I am a big fan of classic television, and my friend turning me on to torrents is one of the nicest gifts I have received. I am a fan of BitTorrent and the ability to share video files, in the same way that music fans loved Napster before its bubble burst. I'd like to chat with someone who is an expert about these technologies, to get a professional take on this controversy, and the likelihood of our being able to continue to share files. Would you be willing to have a Private Message exchange about this, or can you recommend someone at BT who would?

Thank you,

Jim

[jimmo]

Probably, and very likely if the availability for that torrent is below 1.0

When the bar is red, get the tracker's status message from the trackers tab.

http://forum.utorren...ic.php?id=15992 covers other steps you can try.

Hi Harold:

Per your question, I noted what the six messages were in the Status column of the Trackers tab for my one remaining download, as well asked you if it might be okay to just see if the situation improves in the next few days before deleting the whole thing.

I also saw your further suggestion that I read this µTorrent guide. Do I need to download that program? There are so many things in that guide that I would like to go through it with a friend of mine who is a computer programmer. I am having other issues with my new laptop that he needs to take a look at anyway, in addition to installaing an anti-virus program for me when my 60-day trial period of Norton ends.

My main BT problem is that yellow triangle icon, which says there might be a problem with the network connection, although there was a green check in the top section after I did the test, indicating the bandwidth is okay, I think. The bottom section of the test had a yellow check mark, but said the files were downloading. I posted the complete results in my reply of the original post. I did recently allow the BT update. Could that yellow triangle at all be related to the update being in progress? Is it likely to return to green after the update is complete? Do I need to restart my browser to complete the update?

Lastly, would you or someone at BT be willing to chat with me about the file sharing issue, the prospects, long-term, of torrents and other file sharing methods being available? I am concerned the Internet police may try to put an end to file sharing, have discovered a few non-torrents file sharing methods unavailable, such as MegaUpload and one or two others. I also read the Feds actually shut down MegaUpload.

So I am curious to know the views of someone who knows about file sharing and torrents, from a technological perspective, to know if we may expect one of our favorite Internet tools to go the way of Napster? If you would like to chat about this, let me know another BT administrator to whom I may send you my private e-mail address.

I am going now, have heard Debby Boone singing "You Light Up My Life" as the jingle of this Lifestyle Lift TV commercial one too many times the last few days, so must turn of the television and get some sleep. I thought that song had finally left our airwaves in the late 1970s. And now it is rearing its ugly head again, as a commercial, with Boone appearing in it. Her style of music on the radio, in addition to disco and mainstream arena rock, is why punk rock evolved in the first place. Now, with all this mainstream music crap again, "American Idol" and such, maybe it's time for another musical revolution. Where are today's Ramones and Sex Pistols? Sorry, I know this is way off topic, but just had to vent. Please don't report me. You may delete this part, if you like.

Thank you so much for all your help,

Jim M.

Arlington, Massachusetts

[Harold Feit]

Do I need to download that program?

No. The core of the two programs is the same, so the steps are the same.

Your first step though should be to completely remove norton from your computer. Trial or not, it will give you no end of problems.

[jimmo]

No. The core of the two programs is the same, so the steps are the same.

Your first step though should be to completely remove norton from your computer. Trial or not, it will give you no end of problems.

I have never heard of advice to remove an anti-virus program from one's computer. How may such advice even be responsibly given?

Do you not have an anti-virus program on your own computer?

[Harold Feit]

I have never heard of advice to remove an anti-virus program from one's computer.

It happens too much.

How may such advice even be responsibly given?

When a product's history has been as bad as Norton's has been.

Do you not have an anti-virus program on your own computer?

I use AVG free on my own computer.

[jimmo]

It happens too much.

When a product's history has been as bad as Norton's has been.

I use AVG free on my own computer.

On a scale of one to five stars, with one star meaning "Poor" and five as "Excellent," CNET.com's editors rate the AVG-Free anti-viral software program as only four and a half stars, while they give Norton the full five stars.

CNET is generally regarded as the computer user's equivalent of "Consumer Reports," so the excellent rating is significant.

I also get the Norton corporate edition for free, my computer receiving the protection under the auspices of a large university.

Just exactly what is the "bad history" you stated Norton has had? And how is AVG-Free's better, in the same areas you allege Norton to be "bad?"

[Harold Feit]

Looking over at the uTorrent forums, a simple search for "norton" or "symantec" will find approximately twenty to thirty times the cases where norton products are the direct cause of a problem versus avg.

False positives are lower in AVG, as are false negatives.

[Guest Margaret]

Please help with shut down. I have a 12+ hour indicator "Quitting. . . " and cannot override it and shut my computer down. MM