Steps to download a file

Torrent programs aren't just downloadable tools that work from your desktop. You can also download torrents through your web browser so that you can access the files anywhere and sometimes even stream media files without downloading them. Once you understand torrent swarming and have the right torrent software or online service necessary for using the torrent data, it's time to find the right pointer files that will get you the files you're after.

Nearly all torrent sites are easy enough to use because you can search through their database pretty quickly or browse relevant categories, though some might be littered with advertisements. Other torrent sites are much cleaner private communities that closely guard their catalog of torrents.

Sadly, there are vandals, thieves and scammers out there who use phony torrent files to put malware on your computer. By disguising their nasty software as attractive movies and music downloads, these scammers seek to deceive you into installing their stuff.

Another is by renaming a file from something seemingly harmless like videofile. Instead of an MP4 video, this particular file is an EXE file that can cause serious damage to your computer. Sometimes you may need to transfer files over a network to several computers. An FTP server would also be possible, but it would not work well when several computers were downloading from it at the same time. When you are using a lot of computers with large files, BitTorrent works best.

Of course, you may not want to use a public tracker. Luckily, uTorrent has the option to act as a tracker.

This Instructable only covers operating this on a LAN, but you can use port forwarding if you wish to share the files with people on the Internet. This is not covered in this instructable though. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to select a file. Browse to the location where your file is stored, select it, then click the Open button. Afterward, a progress bar tracking the upload process will appear on the page. Some sites support a drag-and-drop interface.

For example, when logged in to Dropbox you can drag the files from a folder on your computer and drop them into the browser window.

Many other upload utilities have similar features. A more detailed example of uploading a file is available in our Google Drive tutorial. Basic Computer Skills: Downloading and Uploading. Files you've downloaded are automatically saved in the Downloads folder. You can always move downloads from the Downloads folder to other places on your PC. To view files you've downloaded while using Internet Explorer, open Internet Explorer, select the Tools button, and then select View downloads.

You'll be able to see what you've downloaded from the web, where these items are stored on your PC, and choose actions to take on your downloads. Open Internet Explorer, select the Tools button, and then select View downloads.

In the View Downloads dialog box, select Options in the lower-left. Choose a different default download location by selecting Browse and then selecting OK when you're done. Internet Explorer uses add-ons such as Adobe Reader to view some files in the browser. If a file that needs an add-on won't open, you might have an older version of the add-on, which needs to be updated. When you download a file, Internet Explorer checks for clues that the download is malicious or potentially harmful to your PC.

If Internet Explorer identifies a download as suspicious, you'll be notified so you can decide whether or not to save, run, or open the file.

Not all files you're warned about are malicious, but it's important to make sure you trust the site you're downloading from, and that you really want to download the file. If you see a security warning that tells you the publisher of this program couldn't be verified, this means that Internet Explorer doesn't recognize the site or organization asking you to download the file. Make sure you recognize and trust the publisher before you save or open the download. There are always risks to downloading files from the web.

Here are some precautions you can take to help protect your PC when you download files:. If the file has a digital signature, make sure that the signature is valid and the file is from a trusted location.

To see the digital signature, select the publisher link in the security warning dialog box that opens when you first download the file.