Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Downloading

Moving a downloadable file to another downloading service?

Mael Oui — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:02:47 -0800

There's a pretty small file (a .rar that contains a .pdf) I want to download on Megaupload. The download keeps timing out after a few seconds and doesn't start from where it leaves off when I reattempt to download it. I'd like to know if there's a web service that will grab that file off of Megaupload and move it to another downloading site (since I've always had this problem with MU). TIA! OK, there's a file (a .rar that contains a .pdf that is definitely virus/malware-free) I want to download on Megaupload. It's not big (3.19 MB), but I have never had luck with Megaupload. Every single file I have ever attempted to download there times out after 500 kb or so. When I try to download again (either using the original link to the file or the 'direct link' to the file), it doesn't continue downloading from where it leaves off. It starts over again, and then it times out. I don't know who originally uploaded the file, and I don't know of anyone who would download the file and upload it somewhere else for me. I'm on dial-up, so it's a pain.

I haven't have a lot of luck asking technological or internet-related questions on Metafilter, so I'm not expecting results, I guess. I just want to know if anyone knows of a free online service (website) that will either:

1) grab the file off of Megaupload and have it available to download somewhere else that is more stable and compatible with my connection (or will email the file to me, even)
OR
2) grab the file off of Megaupload and convert it to.. whatever.. .zip.. I really don't care. Just so it's available to download at a different service and on a different server (and when I open it, there's a complete .pdf there that I can read).

I've tried submitting the 'direct link' to Zamzar, but, after a few minutes it said it couldn't do it. I kind of fear that this won't be possible because Megaupload does the whole CAPTCHA thing. I'm not trying to do get around any kind of security measures on Megaupload. I'm JUST trying to download a public file that is timing out.

Any (fairly simple) ideas (no coding or typing something on a command line or anything)?

Recommendations for downloading and saving streaming video?

bluesky43 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:44:24 -0800

Recommendations for downloading and saving streaming video from youtube, hulu, megavideo? This has been covered before in Meta but not since 2007 and this seems to be an 'evolving' discipline. There is also lots on the web but a lot of it seems to be about potentially sketchy, looks-like-freeware-but-it's-not programs with questionable reviews. I'm primarily interested in lifting from megavideo. I'm not particular about format and have VLC, which if what I have read is correct, will play pretty much any format (and not having to convert formats seems like a desirable thing). Any suggestions based on your experience welcome (pc running windows xp). Thanks!

Which term: Bandwidth, Throughput, Download Speed, Else?

Quarter Pincher — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:30:42 -0800

Throughput, download speed, bandwidth, or something else -- which of these am I trying to say? I can download a huge file, topping speeds of around 140 KB/s. Is 140 KB/s my maximum download speed? And isn't that speed the same for all information I can receive, or just file transfers? I was trying to tell a friend that my DSL recently got bumped up in speed -- when I noticed that my previously-familiar download speed of 80 KB/s (kilobytes per second) is now suddenly in the 120-140 KB/s range, without a change in service plans. He tried to tell me that "download speed" isn't the right term, but couldn't offer an alternative or bother to explain the differences.

I'm from the 2400 baud modem era, and typically estimated my max bandwidth (my word) by the maximum apparent speed at which I could download a large file (a RAR for instance) the quickest, and assumed that's the maximum by which information of any kind could reach me. When I moved up to a 56,600 baud on dialup, I could pull down from 3.5KB/s to 4.5KB/s tops on a big file. Now with the DSL, I was getting 80KB/s, but now I'm getting 140 KB/s max download speeds. Is that my bandwidth, or download speed, or throughput, or what?

We play Halo 3 on XBL regularly, and he asserted that the communicating speed from x360 to XBL server is calculated differently than being governed by whatever limiter governs my 140 KB/s, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Hivemind, clear us both up!

iTunes Help

CollegeNelson — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:55:53 -0800

How can I download a song from another country store at the iTunes store? I am in the US and really want an artist that is ONLY in the UK iTunes store I know that I signed the user aggrement that says I will only get stuff from the US store but I really want this artist. Is there any way to get her CD (Sharleen Spiteri if it helps) without paying $20 to amazon. It would be $10 or less if I could get it on iTunes. I don't have a UK billing address or credit card and using an Apple if that helps and just want the music without paying an arm and a leg.

How can I download this news video?

fogster — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:13:32 -0800

I need to download a video from my local ABC affiliate, an ibsys.com site. (If that means anything?) They don't provide a way to do this, and the usual tools are no help. Can you help? This local news story and the attached video pertain to a family member, and I'd like to save the video for posterity. However, the site doesn't make this easy:
- There's no download button.
- They don't use a simple embed tag. In fact, they never call a unique video URL.
- The "Video Helper" Firefox extension doesn't help here.
- Running a packet sniffer, it appears to go off and connect to a Flash server (?) rather than doing a GET over HTTP, so I'm never able to pull out a unique URL like "/video12345.swf" to save.

Surely, someone's found a way to do this?

Automating TV show downloads off of usenet?

cosmic osmo — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:14:10 -0800

Is there a way I can automate downloading TV shows off of usenet? I download a few TV shows every week off of usenet. I get the .NZB from Newzbin after it's been posted, download the .rars (and the .pars) using Unison, unpack the file with MacPAR deLuxe and watch the file.

This is all fine, but it takes a while to download, and it'd be great if my computer could be doing that while I'm sleeping (the .NZBs usually get posted a few hours after the shows air, so sometime in the wee hours). It'd be awesome if it would also unpack them for me, but just downloading them is fine.

I've seen a few guides on how to do this kind of thing with Bit Torrent, but nothing about usenet. I'm on a Mac, running the latest version of Leopard. Is this kind of automation possible?

Giving back to directors who need it?

aschwa5 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:50:10 -0800

I often download documentaries, and generally love them, and frequently feel like I want to give back to the director. Monetarily-wise, that is, as perhaps I didn't pay for them. What do you think of a service that allowed for paypal or such donation to individual directors? Could it work? Alternately, directors of small films could set up a link on their websites, and one could spread the idea memetically. I'm not looking to cash in on this, just to get feedback on an idea of how to assuage my guilt and help support those who make films worthy of support.

A bit on bittorrents

barrakuda — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:04:13 -0800

Can someone explain to me the magic of bittorrents? How do they work? How are they different from programs like Limewire and Kazaa? What's the deal with seeds and peers and how can you optimize your downloading speed (i.e. how to make it quicker)? Finally, which are the best sites where you can find downloadable files? Thank you.

Downloading

Wanderlust88 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:14:26 -0800

I'm looking for a complete or brief history of downloading. Starting out with Napster preferably, or even before if its interesting enough. The evolution of downloading, from p2p to bitorrent, etc. I'd like to see when the RIAA and the MPAA first started suing people, and when controversy really began.

If you were trying to explain the entire ordeal to a layman what would you be sure emphasize?

Has anyone ever been sued for downloading music?

squarehead — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 07:57:31 -0800

Has anyone ever been sued for downloading music? It seems to me that I keep hearing about people being sued for illegally downloading music, but it seems like it always turns out that they are actually being sued for making music files available for others to download because they are sharing them on a P2P network. Is it just that people are either sloppy with language or don't understand the difference between downloading and sharing, or has someone actually been gone after for downloading?

What could cause downloads to stop or stall at 90% or so?

the ghost of Ken Lay — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:33:05 -0800

What could cause downloads to stop or stall at 90% or so? We've got 2 bonded T1s at work and we're seeing some really weird issues. So far AT&T has been unable to help. What happens is that downloads from many different sites all just kind of peter out at 40 or 90%. If I try to restart them they'll either do the same thing or the download rate will say something like 700 bytes/sec.

According to bandwidth tests we still have a lot of bandwidth so it doesnt seem bandwidth related. This seems to have started after we got the 2nd T1. AT&T says the line is okay. Unfortunately, we dont have any nice networking equipment that gives reports or anything. Nor do I have admin rights to the router.

Has anyone experienced such a thing? Or perhaps make suggestions to try other things? DSL reports tests report a good line. MTU seems fine too.

all your word belong to us

thinkingwoman — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 04:27:08 -0800

macfilter/wordfilter: word attachments have suddenly started downloading as something called "securedownload." the files automatically open as word files, but don't save as word files (i have to do a "save as"). also the filename is lost. in other words, if i download "attachment.doc", it shows up on my desktop as "securedownload".

why is this happening, and how can i fix it? it's happened from a couple of different sources. i haven't done any updates recently or noticed anything mysterious. i have a mac ibook g4, less than a year old.

suggestions?

Downloadable PSP Videos

lemonfridge — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:07:18 -0800

I'm about to fly to Ibiza, and would like something to watch during the flight, and when relaxing during the day. Where can I get easily downloadable TV shows or films (and documentaries) in the correct format for my PSP (or maybe iPod)? I'm into all sorts of genres, I'd just like something to entertain my brain for the flight. Comedy is good (Family Guy, South Park, Naked Gun, Airplane etc), action and Sci-Fi films are also more than welcome.

Time is of the essence, so I would like to avoid converting video where possible.

What are the risks of downloading from Usenet

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 20:52:17 -0800

Downloading from Usenet: what are the risks? I'm trying to convince someone to *stop* downloading things (music, software) from Usenet. I think it's like stealing -- he thinks it's fine. My fallback argument: he could get caught. He says that's impossible. Aside from all the other issues about this being right or wrong -- just how likely is it that a person doing this would be caught?

School Filtering

JABof72 — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:09:21 -0800

I can't download torrents at school (JC in Tucson). Pages won't load. Solutions? Thanks

UK music subscriptions from the US?

apple scruff — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:16:48 -0800

As an American, can I subscribe to UK music subscription services (Napster, etc)? I'm interested in Napster UK, but I live in America and I know that music stores are a bit funny about letting foreigners partake. Is there any way I can subscribe to the UK Napster versus the US service? And what other UK-based subscription services are out there? Bonus points, of course, if there's a way for me to subscribe.

allofmp3 legality

mzurer — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:53:46 -0800

Is using allofmp3 any more or less legal than downloading from an open server that lives somewhere under explicit RIAA coverage? What about an open server in Russia?

My file downloads in OS X are ending unexpectedly

teem — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 09:13:12 -0800

Lately my computer (Powerbook, OS X 10.4.6, wireless ADSL internet) has been giving up halfway through downloading files. What's going on? I'll start downloading a file and before the file is anywhere near completing, Safari (which I use mostly, although firefox gives the same issues) decides that the file is complete and the download appears as 'completed' in the download manager. I've noticed this downloading both large and small files, and also in pre-loading youtube videos (it goes from, say 10% preloaded to believing it's completely preloaded). The youtube thing I'm willing to put down to website problems, but both problems began at the same time.

Although I can't predict what file downloads will be affected, it's not completely random. That is, if it happens to a file once and I try to download that file again it will give up on downloading at almost the same point (this goes for youtube videos as well). Restarting doesn't make a difference. So, once I have a problem with a certain file, it basically means that file is permanently inaccessible to me.

These problems began about a month ago and didn't coincide with any software or hardware changes that I can recall. My computer is a G4 Al Powerbook, running OS X 10.4.6. My internet is ADSL over a wireless network (Apple Airport).

Any idea what's going on, or how to fix it? If not, what can I do to identify where the problem is?

Why are some YouTube videos so much better quality than others? What video specs and file format (AVI, MOV, MPG) produce the best results?

JudgeBork — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 17:56:13 -0800

Why are some YouTube videos so much better quality than others? What video specs and file format (AVI, MOV, MPG) produce the best results?

wget don't like no flash

cavalier — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 09:46:02 -0800

Flickr. Easy to upload to. Easy to publish. Easy to share. Finding it not so easy to download from. What tools if any exist so that I can do a batch download or otherwise automated capture of my photostream? Here's the thing -- I could set a wget or siteripper up but it seems that the URL's for my photos do not seem to run in sequential order. So that would be awfully nasty to Flickr's bandwidth and pull an unnecessary amount of pages if I were to just set it loose, at, say, my user directory. Am I missing something obvious to Flickr or is it really supposed to be that hard, i.e., pick every photo, go to original size, right click and save?

Sound distortion in Windows XP

chiababe — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 14:31:59 -0800

Sound distortion on Windows XP I have noticed that if I am downloading or uploading at high speeds and when I am burning CD's/DVD's my sound gets very choppy and distorted.

What causes this and can I prevent it?

CPU Stats:

Dell 3.4ghz Pentium 4 HT
1Gb SdRAM
250GB Hard Drive
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Service Pack 2

How to copy Shared iTunes music?

mowglisambo — Tue, 24 May 2005 19:09:02 -0800

Illegal Uses for iTunesFilter: How do you copy the mp3s from Shared libraries on iTunes to your HD? I seem to recall a program that achieved this task, but don't remember its name.

Legal to sell MP3 player with music?

gottabefunky — Thu, 12 May 2005 16:36:34 -0800

Would it be legal to sell an MP3 player already full of music? I'm thinking that could be an added incentive on something like Ebay. You could even let the buyer pick what he/she wants on it from a list of what you have.

Fuckin' winamp

saysthis — Sun, 20 Feb 2005 23:03:29 -0800

Is there a software that can create mp3 playlists using tags (or something like it)? MI I like the idea of playlists. I am a devoted downloader (and I'm far, far away from any reasonably available legal music, so, y'know... when bands come through here (China), I usually do make it and pay out the butt to see them, and I support local stuff where I can find it; International Noise Conspiracy was in Wuhan a while ago, 'twas good), but I also like the album format. But it dawned on me after I downloaded ZZ Top's Mescalero that there are lots of songs on albums that really just aren't good. I've always downloaded/stored my music by album, which means I'm not to keen on manually separating my songs by folder. I don't want redundant copies of things on my HD, and having to manually add things to winamp/media player playlists is way too much work for my fickle, flighty moods. So I need something that can churn out playlists with tags, and then allow me to add a song on a whim by right-clicking the song and getting some sort of neato input where I can choose from multiple pre-existing playlists or new ones that I can create on the fly. Do you know of anything? If you don't, do you know of any sourceforge-type sites where a software program of this sort could be requested and written within my lifetime (sourceforge is good too, I'm just looking to increase my odds)? Fantastic if it's free, bearable if not.

LokiTorrent panic filter

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 11:52:22 -0800

Let's assume, for a second, that I've maybe used LokiTorrent a few times to download a few things. Now, assume I've done this through a router and cable modem. How traceable am I? Is there any chance I could get sued? (i.e. should I take my computer and any CDs I have and make a big bonfire?)