P2P Downloading is very different from web downloading. Your ability to download a file and the speed of downloads have nothing to do with your TrustyFiles software.

Click here to test P2P downloading.

When you download from a web site, you're downloading from a business class server that has a very fast Internet connection, unlimited download slots, and is always available. A web download is virtually guaranteed.

In comparison, P2P downloads are inherently unpredictable. When you download over P2P you're downloading from, and dependent on, other users on the P2P networks. That is unpredictable. With P2P you are reliant upon other users (not your own software) to currently have the file, stay online, make it available for sharing, provide an upload slot, and provide sufficient bandwidth for sharing.

Your likelihood of downloading a file depends on the network, the type of file, and its availability. While popular files with lots of sources typically download immediately, most files with only 1 or a few sources may never download. It's more effective to try to download many files or versions of files than to rely on downloading one or a few files.

As far as speed, TrustyFiles will often download files at up to the full bandwidth of your Internet connection. A real-life DSL connection example is shown in our download screenshot, which shows 7 files downloading at a total speed of 150 KB/s.  On that test you'll notice a mix of speeds from 45 KB/s down to 2 KB/s.  The low end speed is likely for users that are sharing many files or on dial-up.  The speed you experience at any one time has nothing to do with TrustyFiles.  It depends on the Internet bandwidth of other users sharing files, as well as any settings those users have that may restrict the number of uploads and total and individual upload bandwidth. 

When TrustyFiles locates a file source that does not mean you are assured of being able to download at that time from that user. There are many reasons why a file from a user may show up in your search results but be unavailable to download.

• The user may no longer be online
• The user may have moved the file since his files were last indexed or his software may not have fully updated his shared file database.
• The user may not allow downloads, may not have a current download slot, may not have download bandwidth available, or may not allow downloads to you based on your connection speed.
• The reported file may be a partial file with vitually nothing downloaded itself or with nothing new in addition to the part of the file you already have.
• TrustyFiles exchanges known sources with TrustyFiles and certain other clients. This result in sources that can be hours or even days old with a low likelihood of being online.

You'll need plenty of download sources (multiple users sharing the file) to be able to download a file. Here are a few tips to maximize the likelihood of downloading a file.

• Run TrustyFiles in Public File Sharing mode. This is the default setting and is located in your TrustyFiles options.. If you haven't changed it, you can skip this step.
  
  
• Be connected to the P2P networks. The networks and their status are displayed in the status bar at the bottom right of the TrustyFiles application window. TrustyFiles always seeks new sources for downloading files. The longer you stay on the network, the more total sources you'll find, and the sooner or more likely you'll download the file. Give the software a few minutes after start-up to make current connections. If you have connection problems, check our P2P Connections Guide.
  
  
• Have good P2P network connections. Sometimes you may connect but end up with poor network connections. To check this, run a general search that typically gets many search results. If you don't get the number of results you expect, you may have poor connections. Disconnect your connections and Re-connet.
  
  
• More is better. There can be multiple versions of a file. If you and I have the same exact CD and separately rip (convert to digital) a song to create an MP3 file, we will end up with different file versions, though the digital files may sound exactly the same. When you have a choice of multiple versions, download more than one to maximize your chance of getting the file.

'Depending on the size of the file and your own connection speed, sometimes you can download the file with 1 source or 10. Sometimes it will take hundreds, especially with larger files like videos.

Popularity also is a factor. Consider a few types of files.

• Popular Files. Popular files typically have several sources always available on the network. It's generally just a matter of time to download the file.
  
  
• Other Files. Other files may have a few sources available on the network at any given time. You may accumulate dozens of sources over the course of a month with occasional use. Fully downloading the file is a matter of luck. Sometimes you will, sometimes you won't.
  
  
• Rare Files. Many files are typically NOT available at any given time. In fact there may just be one person in the entire network with that exact file. You likely will never be able to download the file.

The likelihood of downloading a file decreases over time for files that are not popular. Users with the file no longer share the file, may stop using file sharing software, or move to a different network. Different versions of the file may become popular and the version you have becomes rare. In these cases the file become 'stale'. We recommend that you periodically delete old files with few sources.

Because of this unpredictability, TrustyFiles will automatically and continually seek additional sources for files in your Downloads list, as well as try to download from already known sources.

In summary, to increase your chances of downloading a file:

• Stay in public sharing mode.
• Stay online as long as possible.
• Stay connected to the network.
• Download multiple versions of the file on multiple networks
• Occasionally run searches to find more versions of the file.