Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

S Roby wrote:
> Hi there
> If I start to download a (say) 600M file
> & only download 1%
> there is a 600m file stored on the HD
>
> These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
> Is this just the way bitorrent works??

No, you have pre-allocation turned on - which is the default for
Azureus. uTorrent has pre-allocation turned off by default. I prefer to
have it turned on, so I don't run out of space before the download
completes. I think some clients will complete a download, then write it
out to a directory of your choice, which I guess means that 2x the
filesize is required to be free.

The downside to pre-allocation is that there is no way to tell (other
than looking in the BT client) whether a file is complete or not - for
example, my mp3 players just barf on incomplete files. Explorer can't
tell, either.

bittorrent & incomplete files
 

Hi there
If I start to download a (say) 600M file
& only download 1%
there is a 600m file stored on the HD

These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
Is this just the way bitorrent works??

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

In article <43db18f9@news.orcon.net.nz>, -=rjh=- <usually@mail.com> wrote:
>S Roby wrote:
>> Hi there
>> If I start to download a (say) 600M file
>> & only download 1%
>> there is a 600m file stored on the HD
>>
>> These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
>> Is this just the way bitorrent works??
>
>No, you have pre-allocation turned on - which is the default for
>Azureus. uTorrent has pre-allocation turned off by default. I prefer to

I had a look at uTorrent, pre-allocation is turned off but is still
preallocating
A bug in the program??

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

If it is a download that you started in azureus, and was pre-allocated,
then utorrent will not shrink it down - you will have to put up with
the preallocated space.

Pre-allocation does have some advantages - you can play bits of the
downloaded file (if it is a video, as many are :-). As the previous
poster said, you don't run out of space half way through a download.

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

S Roby wrote:

> Hi there
> If I start to download a (say) 600M file
> & only download 1%
> there is a 600m file stored on the HD
>
> These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
> Is this just the way bitorrent works??

It preallocates the space you need. That is how big the completed file will
be.

You may have to leave it downloading for a day or two (or three) to get the
whole file if it has few sources....and they have set that peer/seed
torrent to "dial-up" speed, while they speedily download what THEY want in
another torrent.

..

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 07:24:29 +0000, S Roby wrote:

> Hi there
> If I start to download a (say) 600M file
> & only download 1%
> there is a 600m file stored on the HD
>
> These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
> Is this just the way bitorrent works??

It sounds like your bit torrent client is (correctly) allocating all the
space the file needs before starting to download the contents of that file.

If you have only downloaded 1%, then all what you have downloaded will be
within that 600mb file, and your client will probably be still trying to
get the rest of the file.

BTW, if you are on dialup and you disconnect, you will still be able to
continue the download next time you connect up. It is best, however, to
pause the torrent BEFORE disconnecting.

If you have changed your mind about completing the download, and you wish
to delete it, then best to do it from within the bit torrent client -
delete torrent AND data.


Undeniably Sluttish

--
Adam L. Penenberg: "The next time Bill G. promises to make software that is
so fundamentally secure that customers never have to worry about it, ask him
what decade he plans to release it."

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

S Roby wrote:
> Hi there
> If I start to download a (say) 600M file
> & only download 1%
> there is a 600m file stored on the HD
>
> These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
> Is this just the way bitorrent works??


It will have to pad the file out to the part that it has downloaded, bittorrent
doesnt start at the beginning and work its way to the end like http does, even
with pre-allocation turned off it still has to write the pieces to the file at
the right place.

You can use the windows file system compression to shrink them down heaps if
they are going to be paused for a while, just right click on it, properties,
advanced and click compress to save space and apply out, the space on disk
should drop heaps if its doing its thing. Dont download into a file thats
compressed unless you absolutly have to since it will thrash the disk heaps and
be really slow to write to the middle of the file.

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

In article <1138442701.034523.283420@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>, "nick" <nick@rout.co.nz> wrote:
>If it is a download that you started in azureus, and was pre-allocated,
>then utorrent will not shrink it down - you will have to put up with
>the preallocated space.
>


I did actually run ouf of HD space beacuse of the preallocated files.
I deleted most of them now.

Re: bittorrent & incomplete files
 

In article <VPFCf.45611$vH5.982622@news.xtra.co.nz>, email@gooble.gooble (S Roby) wrote:
>In article <43db18f9@news.orcon.net.nz>, -=rjh=- <usually@mail.com> wrote:
>>S Roby wrote:
>>> Hi there
>>> If I start to download a (say) 600M file
>>> & only download 1%
>>> there is a 600m file stored on the HD
>>>
>>> These incomlpete files can chew up alot of space
>>> Is this just the way bitorrent works??
>>
>>No, you have pre-allocation turned on - which is the default for
>>Azureus. uTorrent has pre-allocation turned off by default. I prefer to
>
>I had a look at uTorrent, pre-allocation is turned off but is still
>preallocating
>A bug in the program??

Ive changed the setting so that incomplete files go into a separate folder
Easier to keep an eye on them & when they are completed they go into the
'normal folder'. Now I can tell whats complete & what isnt