Guide To Optimizing ?Torrent

[Guest alicrysis2]

The goal of this guide is to help new ?torrent (aka uT - pronounced "micro-torrent" :lol: users get it set up all nice and purdy. (It may also help some veteran users discover features they never knew existed.) These are the settings that I have found to be most beneficial for speed, ease of use and all around good working order. As always, YMMV, so use this as a "starting point" instead of a scripture. I plan on covering every setting there is, so feel free to skip past settings you don't need. I'll try to be good about noting places that your settings will likely be (or likely could be) different then mine.

Let's get started, shall we? ;)

Please note that this guide is based on v1.6 on Windows with the English language setting!

Key:

C Means "check this box"

U Means "uncheck this box"

If either of the above are followed/substituted by a *, it means settings may vary.

The reason why to C or U a setting will follow the name in (italics)

Don't forget to click "Apply" when making changes to settings! Otherwise they won't be saved. You may have to restart uT for some to take effect.

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This is the "General Preferences" screen, which is opened simply through "Options -> Preferences" (or by pressing CTRL+P).

User Interface Settings

-> The language setting is self-explanitory.

->C - Check for updates automatically (always best to have the latest version!)

->C - Confirm when deleting torrents (can save you from deleting a torrent by mistake)

->C - Show confirmation dialog on exit (can save you from accidentally closing uT

System Tray

->U* - Close to tray (personal preference - X goes to tray instead of prompt to close)

->U* - Always show tray icon (personal preference - I feel it clutters the System Tray!)

->C - Show balloon notifications in tray (saves you from having to open it to check on the status

->C - Minimize to tray (keeps the Task Bar clear as I always have uT open!)

->C - Single click on tray icon to open (I'm a busy guy... good to save a click)

->C - Always activate when clicked (same as above... good to save a click

Display Options

->C - Alternate list background color (very nice for a long list of torrents; keeps order)

->C - Show current speed in the title bar (always nice to have as much info handy as possible!)

->C - Show graphical progress bar (same as above - as much info as possible is nice)

->U* - Show speed limits in the status bar (personal preference... I've found this actually hides other info)

Windows Integration

-> HIGHLY RECOMMEND clicking the "Associate with .torrent files" as this greatly increases productivity!

->C - Check association on system startup (makes sure other rouge programs don't alter .torrent association)

->U* - Start ?Torrent on system startup (personal preference; can degrade computer performance)

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This is the "Downloads Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Downloads" on the left of the Preferences window.

Location of Downloaded Files

->C* - Put new downloads in: (Allows you to properly organize your torrents and save time)

* Upon checking the above setting, you'll be prompted for a location to put the torrents into. This is where torrents will

download to by default. This is an excellent way to save yourself browsing for a location (likely the same one) for each

torrent. I've got mine set to a secondary hard drive in a folder named "_Active Torrents_". This is also the location

you'll want to put the files for torrents you create before you start seeding.

->C - Always show dialog on manual add (this allows you to alter the default location or pick and choose files)

->U* - Move completed downloads to: - (personal preference, good if you have limited space and for organization)

When Adding Torrents

->U - Don't start the download automatically (Defeats the purpose of showing the dialog box)

->C - Show a window that displays the files inside the torrent (to pick and choose files)

->C* - Activate the program window (personal preference, I like being able to instantly start the torrent)

Other Settings

->C - Append .!ut to incomplete files (best way to keep track of downloading files)

->C - Prevent stand-by if there are active torrents (keeps system from entering power saving mode)

->C* - Pre-allocate all files (great for saving on fragmentation and the disk health, but not for limited HDD space)

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This is the "Connection Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Connection" on the left of the Preferences window.

Listening Port

-> The port used for incoming connections will vary for everyone. I recommend something above 10,000 for good measure.

You'll want to make sure this port is allowed through your router and/or firewall. (See your router/firewall

documentation for instructions on how to do that.) Without having this port "open to the Internet" you will not be

connectable. Not being connectable will greatly reduce your Bittorrent speeds.

->U - Randomize port each time ?Torrent starts (will likely make you not connectable)

->U - Enable UPnP port mapping (UPnP isn't a very good solution; try to manually forward the port first)

->U* - Add ?Torrent to Windows Firewall exceptions (only check this if you use the WinXP SP2 Firewall; not advised)

Proxy Server

-> Most private trackers don't allow the use of proxy servers, so this shouldn't be used UNLESS you know exactly what you

are doing (say on a corporate network and you need a proxy server to connect). If you know what you're doing in this area,

you don't need me to tell you how to set this up.

Bandwidth Limiting

-> "Global maximum upload rate (kB/s)" is a useful feature. Keeping in mind that your download speed is directly proportional

to your upload speed, limiting your upload just below your maximum possible speed will help your Internet performance (not

just uT) as a whole. Find out your upload from your ISP (say 384kbps), then divide it by 8 to get your kB/s (kilobytes per

second). Now shave about 20% off of this number and enter it here. For example... if you have a 384kbps upload, dividing

that by 8 gives you 48 kB/s. 48 - 20% (= is 40. This will give you the optimal upload cap to allow other minor tasks (email

checking, web browser AV updating, etc) to function while giving you the fattest pipe possible for upload speed. Keep in mind that trial and error works best. The percentage rate (20%) isn't set in stone. Use it as a starting point and try higher

and lower to see what works best for you.

->U - Alternate upload rate when not downloading (though it can help the above scenario, I've found it hinders)

-> "Global maximum download rate (kB/s) can also be useful, especially if you're on dial-up or a slower DSL service. Capping the

download speed using the same formula as above will allow you the necessary bandwidth to perform the other tasks mentioned.

If you have a 1.5Mbit or better ISP connection, don't worry about this (leave it as 0; unlimited). If you notice issues using

other Internet apps (like browsing the web) while downloading torrents, you can try capping your download rate here.

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This is the "BitTorrent Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "BitTorrent" on the left of the Preferences window.

GUIDE CONTINUED - SEE SECOND POST

[Guest alicrysis2]

Number of Connections

-> "Global maximum number of connections" is just that - the total number of connections that BitTorrent will create across the

board. Setting this number too high will cause instability and slowness. Setting this number too low will produce the exact

same results. The number to use completely depends on your speed. The best "formula" to use is stick in whatever kbps upload

speed you have (such as 384). Again, playing with this will give you the best results, so don't be afriad to deviate from this.

-> "Maximum number of connected peers per torrent" is also one of those "grey areas" when it comes to definitive settings and

calculations/formulas. What I've found the most effective is use the number you calculated for the "Global maximum upload

rate" above (40 in my example) and double it. Again, tweak it here and there to find the sweet spot. Too high and you'll

expereince bandwidth choking. Too low and you'll find your speeds moving slowly.

-> "Number of upload slots per torrent" is, again, heavily dependant on your Internet connection. The most efficent way to calculate

this that I've found is to take that same number we doubled for "conected peers" just above (again, 40 in this example) and

divide it by 4 (10 in this example). This number should obviously never be 0 or else you'll never connect! For dial-up

users, 1 or 2 at most should suffice. Otherwise try the mentioned calculations and toy with it from there.

->C - Use additional upload slots if upload speed < 90% (waste-not want-not! Lets it use it if it's there...)

Additional BitTorrent Features

->U - Enable DHT Network (not allowed on private trackers - NEVER check this!)

->U - Enable DHT for new torrents (not allowed on private trackers - NEVER check this!)

->C - Ask tracker for scrape information (regularly checks the health of a torrent like seeds/leechers)

->U - Enable Peer Exchange (similar to DHT, it allows peers outside of the tracker to connect)

-> "IP/Hostname to report to tracker" should be left blank UNLESS you know what you're doing.

Protocol Encryption

-> This setting allows some users to bypass traffic shaping techniques used by some ISPs. By encryption the BitTorrent traffic,

the traffic shaping applications can't identify the traffic as BT traffic, hence it is left uncontrolled. Doesn't always

work. "Enabled" means it will attempt to encrypt the traffic, but fall back to unencrypted mode if it can't. "Forced" will

always encrypt the traffic, but won't allow the fail safe of unencrypted traffic. (Not recommended unless you have to.)

->C - Allow incoming legacy connections (without this you would only receive encrypted connections, very limiting)

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This is the "Queueing Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Queueing" on the left of the Preferences window.

Queue Settings

-> "Maximum number of active torrents" is always up for debate. There is no real "right or wrong" answer... just use common

sense. By uploading small amounts, it will hurt the BT community (and your ratio). Be cautious when downloading and don't

try to run EVERYTHING at once. Pace yourself! Always remember to seed when finished as well.

-> :Maximum number of downloads" is the exact same as above. Use common sense.

Seed While [Default values]

-> "Ratio is <= (%)" means you can automatically stop seeding when your ratio reaches a certain percentage. Only useful for

limited connections or limited system resources. It's in your best interest to seed forever if you can. (I've got

mine set at 10,000%.) You also have the option (via the drop-down box) to stop seeding after a certain period of time.

Again, this is only advised if you have a specific need. (I've set mine to ignore.)

->C - Seeding tasks have a higher priority than downloading tasks (great for your ratio and the BT community!)

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This is the "Scheduler Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Scheduler" on the left of the Preferences window.

Scheduler Table (if enabled)

-> Here you can adjust the bandwidth uT is allowed to use depending on the time of day. It's nice for allowing uT to still

run during the day, but also allow more bandwidth when others are using the nerwork/computer. (I use the scheduler at my

office to allow us to function during work hours, but still continue to seed.) The settings are pretty much self-explanitory.

(Hover your mouse over a box to see what time frame it represents.)

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This is the "Other Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Other" on the left of the Preferences window.

Storage For Torrent Files

->U* - Store .torrent files in: (personal preference; only used to change location of the .torrent files)

->U* - Move .torrent files for finished jobs to: (personal preference; only used to save the .torrent files automatically)

Auto-Load Torrents

->U* - Automatically load torrents in directory: (personal preference; used to load all torrents from a specific directory)

Other

-> "Boss-Key" is a keyboard combination you can setup to instantly hide uT (like if your boss, or wife/husband, walks in).

Just click "None" and type whatever key you want. ALT will be added to it to make the combination. Press this combo to

hide it, press it again to make it return.

->C - Allow ?Torrent to send anonymous... (this helps improve uT and doesn't invade your privacy)

GUIDE CONTINUED - SEE THIRD POST

[Guest alicrysis2]

This is the "Advanced Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced" on the left of the Preferences window.

Advanced Options

-> This section is for advanced tweaking only. This is not the place to go playing around and seeing what everything does. You

can royally screw up your uT expereince that way. I'm only going to address those settings which are believed to give

your Client a boost. All others are better left alone, unless you know what you're doing. Locate each bolded option

below in the list, then left-click it once to highlight it. This will allow you to change the value in the line below. Type

in the new value, then click "Set" to save it. (Click Revert to go back to the default.) the recommended values I've found

to be the most useful are noted in blue. If curiosity gets the best of you, you can always see more information

in the Official uT FAQs.

net.max_halfopen (How many connection attempts ?Torrent will make at any one time.) This setting depends on whether or

not you've hacked your TCPIP.SYS file (if you have SP2 installed). If you're unsure, you probably haven't patched it. If you'd

like to, or if you just want to check, grab this utility from my website.

-> If your file is unhacked, NEVER set this higher then 8!

-> If you have patched your TCPIP.SYS file, the best way to determine this number is to divide your upload kbps (384 in my example) by 4 (96 in my example).

net.low_cpu - FALSE Unless you're living in the stone age and have a really old CPU, it's ok to let uT use more CPU. (This is the default.)

peer.lazy_bitfield - TRUE This is handy if you think your ISP may be using traffic shaping, or simply if you're having

trouble maintaining your upload speeds (or can't seed properly). This may help with such problems! (TRUE is the default setting.)

peer.disconnect_inactive_interval - 600 This setting can help stabilize your connection. The most accepted idea

is to set it to a higher value. Some say turn it off completely, though I disagree. I believe it is still a useful thing in some

cases! Best to play around with it and see if it helps. uT will ignore anything below the default value of 300.

diskio.write_queue_size - -1* This setting can help you if you are having hard drive issues, such as the hard

drive not being able to keep up with the download speeds, or if you are seeing the "Disk Overloaded" message in the status bar.

Modifying this may help... You can safely set it 2 or ever 4 times your maximum download speed. NEVER set it below 2MB (204

or higher then 32MB (3276. For example, if you have a 4Mbit download speed, multiply that by 1024 to get the byte value (4096) and

then again by either 2 or 4 (at most) to get the new value (or 16384 in this example). The latest version of uT are optimized quite

nicely, so messing with this setting rarely helps. (The default of -1 is best if you aren't having any problems.)

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This is the "Disk Cache Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced -> Disk Cache" on the left of the Preferences window.

Disk Cache

-> The default settings are best left alone UNLESS you are noticing issues. (Especially the "Advanced Cache Settings" -

these is setup to keep the wear and tear on your hard drive at a minimum.) Pop up a post if you think you may need to modify

these settings and we'll help.

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This is the "User Interface Preferences" screen, which is shown by clicking "Advanced -> User Interface" on the left of the Preferences window.

Actions for Double Click

-> As you can imagine, all these settings really are personal preference. I encourage you to explore the pull-down menus to

see what other options you have when double-clicking.

Speed Popup List

->U* - Override automatic speed popup list (allows you to customize the upload/download cap override limits)

-> To use this, keep in mind that you can right click on U: or D: in the status bar to quickly change the upload and

download caps. Entering different numbers in this section will allow you to customize the automatic values available.

Persistent Labels

-> This is a very cool feature! It allows you to label your torrents in any fasion you choose. I personally use this to

simply keep track of which tracker a particular torrent is for. (If you're like me, you have a ton of trackers for

multiple torrents going at once. Labels keep things organized.) Here you can enter labels that you always want to

have access to, even when no torrents are assigned that label. (More on labels later in this guide.) Be sure to separate

the labels with the indicated character ( | ). They will be available in alphabetical order from the drop-down box.

Search Engines

-> You may have noticed the FireFox-like search bar in the upper right of the main uT window. Here you can define additional,

or edit the existing, search engines. I have added BitMe and Demonoid, for example. (See screenshot above.) Just do a

search on whatever tracker you'd like to add, then copy/paste the URL of the search, but remove the search terms you typed.

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Now that we've gotten out settings tweaked out, lets take a peek at how to use all these goodies! Above is a screenshot (reduced

size, obviously) of my uT "main window". You can see my labels on the left, followed by the number of torrents under each label.

Clicking on a label will allow you to instantly see all the torrent associated with it. Excellent for keeping tabs on your

favorite trackers! I also find it useful to be able to click the "Active" label to instantly see all active torrents from all trackers.

If you right-click a torrent, you have lots of options. Some of the most useful for productivity are...

Bandwidth Allocation - Allocate more bandwidth to your most important torrents or less to others.

Advanced -> Reset Bans - If a torrent doesn't seem to be connecting to peers, try that. (Clears the auto-bans)

Update Tracker - Performs a manual scrape (data sync) with the tracker. This is done automatically every 30 min or so.

Another way to optimize your torrenting expereince is to tweak what colums are displayed, and in what order they are. This is easy!

Right-click anywhere on the displayed colum names (such as on "Size". You'll get a list of all possible colums, with check marks next

to those that are displayed. If you have no need for certain information to be displayed, simply click on its name and it will become unchecked.

This will also make it disappear from uT, allowing you more room to see what information is important to you! If you're missing some info

you'd like to have, simply reverse the process (click on an unchecked item to have it be displayed). You can drag and drop the colums to have

them displayed in any order you like.

Something else that is wonderful to be able to do - details stats. Look at the bottom half of the screen. Here you can obtain

specific information about whatever torrent you have selected. The "General" tab is useful for basic information. (I've blocked

out a few details for my own privacy. ).

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The screenshot above is the "Peers" tab, which allows you to see detailed information about the connected peers. (Again, some

information has been removed for privacy.) The next tab (Pieces) will give you detailed information on the data chunks that

compose the torrent. More useful is the "Files" tab as seen below. This lets you quickly see the progress of your download by

the individual files it contains.

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The next tab, "Speed" gives you a graphical representation of your transfer speeds. (I rarely look at it.) the last tab is an

important one - "Logger". Here you'll be able to see any important system messages, such as failed has checks, auto-bans (for

bad data received), internal errors, etc.

I hope this guide helps people who are either thinking about switching to utorrent, or are having trouble with it right now.

[J.Stash]

Very detailed and descriptive guide, I will be sure to read it and try it when I get home tomorrow as I do not have time right now. I will let you know how it goes when I get back! Thanks!

[Guest constant]

Very good post.

I hope that will have another torrent application's optimizing.

Thanks for your post.

[Guest Amandeep]

very good post

[Guest jesper]

Very nice. thank you!

[Guest onewinged]

thanks works well but my port always seem to be blocked for sum reason downlaod still gets through but always the red sign

[Guest Mohammed]

Thanks alot

This post was useful for me

It helped me

my speed is 50 kb now

Thank you very much

[Guest hassan]

thanks

[Guest darkmagician]

thanks for the very good guide

[Guest RabidNeurosis]

Nice post, thanks

[AlienKill]

Sweet guide mate.

I reinstalled uTorrent just so i could do this

[Guest Januse]

Thankz dude..!!!!

[Guest cipher phoenix]

Thank you for this guide, my upload speeds became much higher thanks to some of the settings. It's a wonder what a small tweak can do. ;)

Also I never knew about labels, but they are fantastic for organizing the torrents. I now label each torrent from which tracker they're from. A very useful technique, I recommend it to everyone who wants an easier torrenting experience. :)

[wasteman]

I've had to use this tutorial twice. Thanks ALOT for this :D :D :D

[Guest azam]

thanks for this informantion

[Guest NoLimit]

That max_halfopen helped me a lot.. Thanks :)

[Guest daking963]

thats a lot of setting changes...good work

[Guest Shravan093]

Thanks for this tut man :)

[Guest nikitesh]

Thanks for the information share..

[Guest Delta-38]

thx, But mostly my config was already like this ;)

[Guest nataxtari]

nice :)

[Guest blado]

thanks for the tut

alicrysis2

[Guest agentFBI]

nice tutorial. it really optimize uTorrent