Anime Banzai

Q: Why the Experimental Client?
A: I have tried some clients by now, and the Experimental BitTorrent 3.2.1 Client is the most stable and the most detailed, with a lot of handy options.
If you think other clients works better than the Experimental client, go on and use them, you might find your answers here too.
If you don't know where to download the Exp. Client, try looking here

Ok, after this, let's start.

Preliminary Step

This is where it all begins, a .TORRENT file.
The first thing you might want to check is the file size, in this case is only 14k, this means that you haven't downloaded the file yet, you need to double-click this file and run BitTorrent , this starts the real download of the file.
After you've double-clicked it, a new window will pop-up

Step 1

(Im taking Narutaru as an Example, this works with EVERY torrent file)
(Sorry for the Italian XP, this is all I have right now)

This is our 1st Step, and as you can see, there is nothing new, apart from a directory picking.

Note 1: If you want to change the name of the file, you have to keep in mind that the new name you are going to put on the file is extensionless.
This mean that if you want to save the file as [Triad-AonE]_Narutaru_01_[4F4ABBFF] the file will be with the right extension (.AVI) but if you want to save it with another name you have also to put the extension at the end of the file.
Your new file will be, for example, NaruTaru 01.avi and not only NaruTaru 01, this kind of file, as you can see, is without any extension.
Lets make it to the 2nd Step then.

2nd Step

This is the 2nd Step, where BitTorrent is generating the ghost image for the file, this mean that in this step, BitTorrent is generating the whole file, where he will download all the little pieces of the file.
It's something like a big box, for now you have only the box, as big as the file you want to download, but empty! BitTorrent will still have to fill it, don't let this step fool you.
This step is usually very fast, a 180Mb file is allocated in 10-15 seconds, larger files (DVD-Rs, Films, etc...) may take a little longer to allocate.

Note 1: Look here for the step, as you can see it's Allocating, and not Downloading.

Stand-Alone Note: I don't know why but if you try to interrupt the allocation you won't be able to cancel the file afterwards, I think it might be caused by XP when it tries to load the preview of the file, so if by accident you stop your download here, just resume it again, let the allocation end its work, and then remove it.
Edit on the Stand-Alone Note: Actually after months of research, I've noticed that if you crop the allocation, the file will be allocated no matter what. That's why you may have problems with the removal of the file. Just wait untill the allocation is finished, or again, reopen the BT client and redo the allocation.

Additional 2nd Step

If you are trying to resume your download, this is the window you will face after the 1st step.
BitTorrent is checking all the file in order to evaluate the size of the file downloaded, and start where you left off the last time.
This step takes a little more time to complete, but don't worry, its usually 40-50 seconds, after this your real download will start

Note 1: And again, you can check if BitTorrent is doing the Checking of the Existing file here

Ahh.. the actual download.. so let's take a peek at the notes.

Note 1: Here we have the Upload Rate, where you can set how much of your line you want to use for uploads.
Zero is infinite, that means that the other people will use up all your upload rate.
While this is ok for normal Symmetrical connections, this may be bad for Asymmetrical connections (look at the end of this guide for a detailed explanation of the word Asymmetrical).
For asymmetrical connections I suggest to make it 1/3 of the actual Max Upload of your line, you will download faster, yet the others will still get something from you.

Note 2: This is the Max UPLOADS (and not upload), basically how many users will download from you.
Set it thinking about the Note 1, try to set them according to your connection.

Note 3: This option opens a new window where you can follow the flow of the downloads, uploads, % of file downloaded, seeds, peers, etc... a very detailed, yet a bit useless option.

Note 4: How many Seeds/Peers are connected in that moment.
Seeds = People with a 100% completed File
Peers = Users with less-than-100% comp. File.
If the seeds are 0 (zero) you might have some problems with the downloading of the file. It means that no one actually has the whole file, so you won't be able to finish it. For this problem I suggest that you go and look at Resharing Requests here in the AnimeSuki forums.

Note 5: The % of the file that you have downloaded, pretty neat huh?

Note 6: Share Rating... I dont know the use of this option, Its just a simple Fraction, Downloaded/Uploaded.

Stand-Alone Note: Look at the next pic to see one of the other options of the Exp. Client...

Here you can pick the best setting for the connection you are using, a very useful option if used in combination with the Note 1 and Note 2.

As you can see, when the Note 5 is completeted you will get to the.

4th Step

Yay! You did it! If the bar Note 1 is Blue, you have the full file... click on the Note 2, grab a beer (cola if you are not old enough) and watch the anime you have downloaded...

Good luck with Bit Torrent!!

Sidenotes:
Asymmetrical connections: If you are equipped with a standard 56k modem, cable modem, or ADSL, you are on an asymmetric connection. What it means is that you can download far more data than you can upload. Now it gets a bit technical, so bear with me. For each package of data that you download, a small amount of data will be sent back to the sender to tell him that you got his package. If you upload too much, this confirmation will be delayed, and the sender will pause and wait for you to either acknowledge that you got the package he sent or request it again. What this means to you is that you will have to leave "space" in your upload stream to acknowledge the data you recieve on the download stream.

Its out!! A new version of 3.3 was released a few days ago, with a pack of new features.
You can download the new client here.

New features involving the 3.3 Client:
Files now only get allocated as they're downloaded and don't fragment the hard drive
Large torrents no longer hose the CPU
Better network utilization and more consistent download rates
Poorly seeded torrents get out faster
Several important bug fixes

Lets check those new add-ons:
The new file allocation system basically removed the allocation part, where BT generates a ghost image (as big as the file) of the file.
Now if you have downloaded 30Mb the file will be 30Mb, and not the max file size, like the BT client 3.2.1. Good point here, It doesnt fragment the HD as much as it used to, and you can check the file progress by looking at the size. (No more mistakes here, if you dont have the full file, you dont have the full size)
Less CPU usage, basically you can load more torrents and work on the same time, while with the old BT 3.2.1 you had to leave the PC if a lot of files were working.
BT 3.3 uses a more sophisticated gestion of the speeds to improve the DLs and ULs, nothing much to say here, but I think someone already noticed the difference. Points at BoneyJellyFish's case
Pretty much what BC said.
Bad thing, no one released the Bug list for those important bugs.
The feeling is that the dreaded Win restart bug is finally a bad nightmare rather than a scary truth.
No info avaiable on those Bugs yet.

Errors Spotted so far:

1° Error = "checking existing file" error: Basically every torrent gets stuck on the "CEF" for ages, and nothing moves. The solution seems to be a complete delete/reinstall of the BT client. (MANY times, 3 or 4 times, dont ask me why tho).
2° Error = Apparently the freeze CPU-goes-to-100% problem is still there, so it wasnt fixed in this new client... Too bad.
3° Error = The new BT client is not a nagware! (Or rather, it is, but there is a way to bypass it.)
At the start of every torrent a window asking for a donation will pop-up, dont worry! If you hit ok, the window will be gone (forever).
__________________

(click on Advanced)

(sorry for the poor quality)

This is basically where you check if there is something wrong with your speed.
If you are getting odd speeds or slow downloads, even with a lot of seeds, you can check here what is wrong.

UP = this is actually how many K/s are used by the BT client (uploading to the others)
Down = this is how many K/s you are downloading in that moment.
Downloaded = how many Megabytes you have downloaded so far and from who.
Uploaded = how many Megabytes you have uploaded to others.
Completed = the % of the file of the connected users, Seeds own a full file, that is why there are people with 100% file completed.
Peer Download Speed important = here you can check the flow of the downloads.
As you can see, even if there are 7 Seeds and 13 Peers (or Leechers, if you want to call them like this) someone is downloading really fast (267 K/s), thats why the Client is not getting a good speed.
If your download is slow, you can check here if someone is using all the UL bandwidth.
Don't worry, if you see that there is someone who is Downloading really fast, just close the Client, open it again, and let the Tracker connect to other Clients, or just wait a few moments.
As you can see the speed of BT is mainly caused by the others, and is rarely immputable to firewalls or internet problems, you just have to be patient. the problem will be gone soon.
You can always check the sum of all the Peers Speed in the Total Speed.
(for the total speed don't compare those pics, as they are NOT taken in the same moment)

Q: If I try to open the XXXXX link, Windows Media Player pop-up and try to run the file, Why?
A: Probably the link is setted wrong, or the extension is not .Torrent, don't panic!
All you have to do is save the link on the desktop, by right clicking on the link and picking Save As... as a choice.
Save the file on your desktop and add .TORRENT to your file, and run it from the desktop.

Q: The Download starts and the file is downloaded in a flash, but I can't run the file! Why?
A: The file is only allocated! you have to actually download it in order to see it. Be sure to leave finish the download and click on Finish when the bar in the middle of BitTorrent is Blue.

Q: I have downloaded the file but there are missing parts, is that a codec problem?
A: No! If the file plays correctly but there are some "missing" parts, thats mean you havent actually completed the full file, and its not a codec problem!
Run again the BT client and resume the file, and finish the download of the file.

Q: There are xx Peers and 0 (zero) Seeds and my download is stuck at 0k/s. Why?
A: Zero seeds mean zero completed file! If there are no seeds, thats mean that no one connected with BT for that file actually have a full file to share, thus you can't complete it. Try asking in the Resharing Request for some seeds of the file.

Q: There are xx seeds and xx peers, but my download is slow! Why?
A: Sometimes the slowness of your BT Download is not caused by anything you can fix.
If the seed is a dialupper you can't hope to get 50k/s on your download. This is the same for ADSL users with a normal 16/20k/s down. If you add that some other peers might want the same file, you see that the outcome isn't really good.
The answer? I'm sorry, there is no way to fix this.

Q: I recently downloaded a few episodes of a series. I was waiting for new episodes, but suddenly, they put episodes 10-18 on the same file. The bad thing is, I've already downloaded 10-16, I just need episodes 17-18 which are just two episodes, so I was wondering how I can do that?
A: Good question, lets analyze it to its fullest. First you have to know that a batch is often saved in Folders.. Who cares you say? Well, this is going to save you some work.
If you want to download only 1 or 2 episodes off a batch, first let the client allocate the files, all of them.
When the allocation is over just close the client for now and open the folder with the episodes you have (in this case EP 10-16) and copy them.
Now go to the folder with the batch you just allocated and paste the episodes you copied in it.
Now you have 10-16 completed in the folder and 17-18 still to be downloaded.
Open your client again and let it check the existing files: now you just have to download the last 2 episodes.
Important note: If you want to use this "trick" the size of the files must be identical! Also, you have to rename the files exactly like the existing ones, the ones you just allocated, so the client will check them, and not the empty ones.
Example: [subgroupA]animenameA.avi[crccheck] will work only with another [subgroupA]animenameA.avi[crccheck] and not with a [subgroupB]animenameA.avi[crccheck] or a [subgroupA]animenameB.avi[crccheck]
Got it? Its easy, Good luck!

Q: How do I turn off my XP Firewall?
A: By checking the Micro$oft site Here....

Q: Im using a Router and I download really slow, is there a way to fix this annoying problem?
A: I had the "great Illumination". Try to plug the cable from the router (assuming you are using a home router) directly in the wall where the router connects, and see if the download still goes slow.
If its still slow, then there is not way to speed it up. If the download speed up to your current connction level, use it that way when you want to download something.

Q: After a while my CPU goes to 100% and my Internet "stops" or crashes, same thing happens with BitTorrent, it just crashes/froozes. Some help please?
A: Its time to upgrade your network cards drivers then, since your old drivers are not able to support all the incoming connections from the BT client.
Add-On: There is a way to bypass this (Key word here: bypass, you are not fixing anything with this procedure) and its to install The Shadow Client and set the incoming connecion to around 50/60 (not more, since its a problem about incoming connections) and download freely but slowly from the shadow client. Use this only if you cant get the upgrade files for your Network card.

Additional Step: Errors

This happens when a piece of file downloaded by BitTorrent is in any way uncompatible with the file you are downloading, BitTorrent checks every bit of file, and if the file fails to pass this check, this is the error you will get, no big deal, BT will remove it and download the piece again, you have to do nothing

(this is the same for errors like 10060, 7, 10054 10055, 111)
Problem with the Tracker, in this case (look at the picture) the tracker is either down or nonexistent. Be patient, the tracker will be up soon, and you will be able to download the thing you want to download soon.

For some unknown reason, Internet Explorer doesn't save the Torrent in the Temp files, and thus this error pop up.
If you want to bypass this error, just clear your temp files or use the option Save As.. and save the torrent in your HD, and then run it.
This error seem caused by the brackets in the file name, it's still a mystery anyways..

Something in your file or folder name is not coherent with the client. Remove all the japanese kanjis, or any other odd symbol in the name and folder and try again.
If you want to keep the real name of the file, just save the name with "copy" modify it into something else (Remember the extension) and paste it again once the file is completed.

We all know how BitTorrent works ( Right? ) but sometimes we still have little problems here and there.
One of those little problems is the one connected with Firewalls and Routers.

A Firewall is a software (or hardware) that protects your PC from incoming connection (like Trojans, Hackers, etc...) but the problem is that it usually blocks every connection, bad or good (<-- our loved BT).
A Router is a little box (different from your external modem) that connects your PC to the internet line and its equipped with an internal Firewall.

Your download speed is proportional to the number of people connected to your client, if a lot of people are connected with your client, you will (usually) get a better speed, and thus, if your firewall blocks them, your speed will suffer a lot from that.
BitTorrent connects you to the "world" by some ports, those ports are the main point of your problem, since your Firewall/Router usually blocks them. The ports are the ones between 6881 and 6889.

Now, lets list the problems (and the possible solution) connected with ports opening:
Software Firewall: Its a common problem, your firewall is probably blocking the ports. Try to disable your Firewall while using your client, and see if BT is able to connect to some remote clients (A Remote client is a "connecion" behind a router or a firewall). You can check the list of client in the "Advanced" menu located in the lower left part of your client.
If the problem is your Firewall, you are set! If you need to download anything via-BT, just remove the Firewall for a while, and set it back once your DL is complete.

Router: The dreaded router, the magical box that protects you from the evilness of the internet. The same problem is located here, but with a little variant... you cant "remove" your router, so the only way possible is to open the infamous ports (6881-6889) and let BT connect to you without problems.
There is no real general way to open ports, you have to pick your Router manual (Yes, that 7500pages book hidden somewhere in your room) and read if you can open the ports, and how to open them. You can see if you have them opened in the Advanced menu. If you see a Remote Connection ®, you are done, your ports are forwarded now.

Seeds Sometimes your speed in not caused by any of the things said above. The problem might be the ammount of seeds and peers. If there are no seeds, you wont be able to finish the file, and thus you will probably get a 0k/s. Same if the beers and seeds are on a slow connection. You cant expect 500k/s from someone with a 56k modem... right? Be carefull about those things, a good way to spot if you are actually connected with peoples in Remote is to check the "Advanced" Tab.