"Free Fast Downloading" scam

The "fast download" scam seems to be one of the biggest internet advertising scams. There are legitimate downloading servers if you know where to look but there are also many that say "fast free download here" and once you go there you get "you must register or login to download". So I register thinking its "free" giving my name, email address and home address then step two is "what type of account?" meaning you must PURCHASE/SET UP an account to proceed. I choose the "7-day limited trial" pay my $4 only to find out later I paid $12 because they gave me "extra software" I didn't even ask for! Then I try downloading and find out its torrent dowloading instead of direct downloading... I mean really where does the crap end? I send them email and no reply.

umm... welcome to the real world? If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Torrents are the best way to download your "sensitive materials." It may take a few hours/days, but as long as you have a good virus scanner and are at least somewhat technical minded, you're gold.

Could you be referring to Usenet/Newsgroups?

The very same academic network created by US university students to share research studies etc, and today is a Terabytes per day file sharing party?

Originally posted by jjjtir
Could you be referring to Usenet/Newsgroups?

The very same academic network created by US university students to share research studies etc, and today is a Terabytes per day file sharing party?

No, what he's referring to is websites that promise downloads of illicit material for little/no cost, and don't deliver as promised.

reply to post by LiquidLight


I was trying to download some old pc games from the 90's that are not sold in stores anymore and figured I give "fast free download" a shot since I normally download with rapidshare but its always busy and slow.

First of all it did not say torrents, it merely said "fast free download". Second I don't know how to use p2p file sharing and third I fear spyware and/or viruses.

The problem is deceptive advertising, not how much I pay.

Hilarious. You intend to download illicitly and are pissed off other peoples illicit activity.

reply to post by LiquidLight


"legitimate downloading servers if you know where to look" i thought he meant usenet with this expression.

but yes, i know these sites. they're all copycat websites with little difference in layout. if you visit only 10 of them, you'll learn to spot them easily.

shame really.

"true" filesharing is overshadowed by many times the volume of fake/copycat websites ridden with viruses/trojans/backdoors that steal your financial info.

Originally posted by LiquidLight
umm... welcome to the real world? If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Torrents are the best way to download your "sensitive materials." It may take a few hours/days, but as long as you have a good virus scanner and are at least somewhat technical minded, you're gold.

I don't download porn. If I want "satisfaction" I simply go to my nearest convience store and buy magazines. Nice try though..

Originally posted by LiquidLight
umm... welcome to the real world? If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

You got that right. I married my first wife because she said she had a body that wouldn't quit.. well, it did!

But Seriously, NOTHING can make your download go faster than the sped your ISP sets for your speed cap. BUT there are things you can do to help.

First thing you should do is go check your internet speed connection times for downloading an uploading at speakeasy.net. If those times are far below your advertised speeds, call your ISP company and have then come out and check for problems.. Especially if you are using a DSL through the phone line.

They can find problems with phone wiring in the walls and he wires going to your PC. They will make sure your modem software is properly updated. With most DSL companies, you can request a "speed boost" be installed on the line from the companies end. This is usually free and they do this by hitting a few buttons on their console.

Search the net for info on how to optimize your windows based computer for downloads of maximum connections and speeds. Speedguide.net and DSLReports.com have good info.

That being done, there are programs that can appear to make your downloads go faster by using better compression algorithms on the data stream and using multiple simultaneous connections. This will help too. Many of these are free search around for internet download managers.

If all of these thing are done you can be sure you are getting the best speeds your system can deliver with the type of service and equipment you have.

reply to post by Skyfloating


Skyfloating, the "real" filesharing bosses are quite explicit and have strict rules against malware.

You only get one chance in the "Scene", mess up, you are nuked and banned forever.

The file sharing today follows roughly this hierarchy path:

Topsites, which are "THE" Scene official release point > Usenet and/or Private torrent trackers, depending on competition speed > warez sites using http hosting like rapidshare/megaupload > public torrent trackers

Depending on what your trying to download ( I saw games from the 90s ) it can be fairly easy to find. I know my sister uses usenet and all that and she usually lets me bum some things off of that, other times I can often find the game on megaupload or something; but it may be in different parts like part 1, 2 or 3.

I've found that using a few string of commands on Google usually leads you to what you want to find. At least that's what I do when searching for outdated OSTs for a friend. Games on the other hand are harder, usenet from what I've heard is still the best :/

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix

Originally posted by LiquidLight
umm... welcome to the real world? If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

You got that right. I married my first wife because she said she had a body that wouldn't quit.. well, it did!

But Seriously, NOTHING can make your download go faster than the sped your ISP sets for your speed cap. BUT there are things you can do to help.

I don't have a general speed problem as I have downloaded with rapidshare and megaupload at speeds above 100 mbps when not busy.

When busy it drops to 30-40 mbps.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
That being done, there are programs that can appear to make your downloads go faster by using better compression algorithms on the data stream and using multiple simultaneous connections. This will help too. Many of these are free search around for internet download managers.

If all of these thing are done you can be sure you are getting the best speeds your system can deliver with the type of service and equipment you have.

I don't like download managers because they seldom work properly with the default settings and it takes a bit of knowledge to get them fine-tunned. Its easier to download directly one at a time.

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


The 'free' part means the downloads, not the service. The service does not supply the down-loadable files just the downloading service.

Not a scam, just a misunderstanding.

Most download sites offer a pay for service for faster downloads, and 'faster downloads' doesn't mean it will make your download speed faster it just means faster access to the download, i.e. no waiting, or queuing etc. The 'service' cannot increase your download speed, only take full advantage of what you are supplied by your IP, but it can slow the download speed from it's server for 'free' users, as happens when they are busy.

As far as Bit-torrent, that is the fastest and safest way to download anything.
If you're worried about viruses get a good anti-virus (NOD32) and do a scan of the file before you open it. But the Bit-torrent community is pretty good at informing people of bad downloads. It's not the same as the old P2P like Kazar etc...

[edit on 12/15/2009 by ANOK]

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


Do you live in Sweden or a far-east country like Japan?

With 100 mbps at home you probably live close to these countries...

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


I use JDownloader to get stuff from Megaupload. You just copy and paste all your links into it and it downloads them all one at a time till it's done. For big downloads like 8 or more gigs I set it to do this overnight while I sleep. It is not the same type of download manager as mentioned but rather it is used for making sure you don't get the time limit for downloading and so you don't have to keep copying in the links after each download.

Even with this, I noticed certain times of the day megaupload is a lot slower than others.. and during weekends it is worse. On the weekends everyone has a cap so to get around this you have to reset your ISP to a different ISP connection and then you can continue downloading. The best time for Megaupload seems to be after 5 PM USA time till about 8 AM the next day.

I use Megaupload exclusively because Rapidshare has a 15 minute wait period. During the week megaupload has no cap.

reply to post by Gigantea Rosa


Which then leads you to fame incompatibility issues with xp and vista because eventhough windows is supposed to be reverse compatible it isn't.

That means either a dual-boot install or dos emulators that run a bit slow. So frustrating! Ever since microsoft became a giant in computing it has shown grave arrogance and indifference to the gaming community and beyond. I hate them, not to mention all the explorer exploits that must constantly be patched.

Originally posted by jjjtir
reply to post by EarthCitizen07

 

Do you live in Sweden or a far-east country like Japan?

With 100 mbps at home you probably live close to these countries...

Sorry I meant kbps.

And I'm familiar with these 90s games... in some areas of the internet they're called "Abandonwares", games whose copyright still stands, but the respective developer companies no longer exists or don't care about the game anymore to sell or give any support whatsoever... sucks doesn't it?

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
reply to post by EarthCitizen07

 

I use JDownloader to get stuff from Megaupload. You just copy and paste all your links into it and it downloads them all one at a time till it's done. For big downloads like 8 or more gigs I set it to do this overnight while I sleep. It is not the same type of download manager as mentioned but rather it is used for making sure you don't get the time limit for downloading and so you don't have to keep copying in the links after each download.

Even with this, I noticed certain times of the day megaupload is a lot slower than others.. and during weekends it is worse. On the weekends everyone has a cap so to get around this you have to reset your ISP to a different ISP connection and then you can continue downloading. The best time for Megaupload seems to be after 5 PM USA time till about 8 AM the next day.

I use Megaupload exclusively because Rapidshare has a 15 minute wait period. During the week megaupload has no cap.

The problem is you don't know who is crediblbe and who isn't till you get burned. I don't consider myself naive but decepting advertising has reached an all-time high and unless your extremely careful and experienced it is easy to fall victim.

From personal experience there are only 2-3 good download sites/servers, at least the ones I trust.

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


Most old games and programs can be ran under compatibility mode (Vista/7).

The only real problem with incompatibility is drivers for old hardware that isn't supported by it's developer anymore. All vendors will eventually upgrade their drivers for the new OS's, or go out of business, they have had plenty of time. Not a Windows problem.