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A more in-depth guide to using Usenet/newsgroups


Steve

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Don't be put off by the length of this guide! I'm going to run through getting everything set up in plain English, including all the settings, but it doesn't take very long to get up and running. Once you've set everything up, that's it - you don't have to piss about with it again.

 

There are alternatives to the software and Usenet providers I'm talking about here, but I'm going to stick with what I know. If you want to use a different Usenet provider to the one I mentioned that's no problem as all you need is a username and password that they provide, but if you use a different Usenet client then obviously this guide will be less helpful.

 

Some basic terminology defined.....

 

Binaries = The term for the actual files that you download. Usenet was originally used as a kind of message board, then it evolved to allow attachments to messages and those attachments are referred to as binaries.

 

Retention = When a file is uploaded to Usenet, it will stay on the server for X amount of days. That time period is known as "retention", so if your Usenet provider has 365 days of retention, for example, if I upload a file today you would be able to download it any time in the next 365, then after that it would be deleted from the server. The longer the retention, the better.

 

NZB file = Without getting technical, an NZB file is basically the Usenet equivalent of a torrent file. It's what triggers your Usenet client and it tells it which files to download.

 

PAR file = PAR files contain data that can be used to fix broken binaries. Without getting technical, imagine that you download something and it's only 99% complete so it won't unzip. With PAR files, you can add in that last 1% and repair your file.

 

SSL = Again, without getting technical, SSL allows you to make a secure connection to the server for extra privacy/security.

 

Connections = When you sign up to a Usenet provider they may offer several tiers of service at different prices. One of the things they may mention is the number of connections you have to the server. If it's 20, for example, that means you can have up to 20 connections to the server at once. The more connections, the more chance there is of you maxing out your speed.

 

Client = The client is the software you'll use to do the downloading.

 

STEP 1 - Sign up to a Usenet provider

 

There's lots of them out there, but I like Giganews. They've been around for a long time, their service is excellent and they offer long retention of 1,456 days (currently - it goes up over time as they improve the service): -

 

http://www.giganews.com/

 

All of the Giganews tiers offer SSL. All offer 1,456 days of retention except the pearl tier, which offers 30 (which sucks). All offer at least 20 connections, which should be plenty. I would avoid the pearl tier and choose the one that gives you the monthly bandwidth you will need, so the bronze tier gives you 10GB per month, or you can go all the way up to the highest tiers that have unlimited bandwidth. Again, there is a free trial, so you can give all of those a go for a week or two and see how you get on without committing financially.

 

When you sign up to Giganews, you will be given a username and password. You'll need this later on when you configure your Usenet client for the first time.

 

STEP 2 - Download and install a Usenet client

 

I like NewsLeecher. it's not freeware though and costs $20 for a 1 year license. Once the license expires, you can continue using the version you have indefinitely, but you can no longer get updates. Still, $20 a year isn't a lot and it works really well, plus it does have a 14 day free trial.

 

You can download it here, then install it: -

 

https://newsleecher.com

 

STEP 3 - Configure your Usenet client

 

When you launch NewsLeecher for the first time, you'll see that it has various tabs going across the top, kind of like the tabs on a web browser. Click on the Manager tab and on the left hand side at the top you'll see the Add Server button. Click that and then fill out the info so it looks like this: -

 

1.jpg

 

In the username and password fields, enter in the username and password you got when you signed up to Giganews (or whoever you signed up with). The "Bots" number is the number of connections. I have 15 selected here as that lets me download at max speed, but I can still browse the web without it being slowed down too much. I would start high and work down though, so if your Usenet provider gives you 20 connections then start with that and lower it if you want/need to. Everything else on your screen should look as it does on mine.

 

The next step is to click the Toolbox button (top right) and go to Settings. I'll run through the settings you may need to configure: -

 

Adv. Nerdy Tweaks - Nothing needs to be changed here.

Connection - Put a check mark in the box next to "Auto Connect at Launch".

Download - Use the browse button here to select a folder where you want to save all of your files.

Leech Tweaks - Check all 3 boxes on this screen.

Speed Scheduler - You don't need to mess with anything here unless you want to limit download speeds at set times of the day.

Group Browsing - Nothing needs to be changed here.

Interface - Nothing needs to be changed here.

Highlighting - Nothing needs to be changed here.

NZB Files - Check the upper 4 boxes. Leave the lower 2 unchecked.

Posting - Nothing needs to be changed here.

Repair / Extract - Check the upper 2 boxes.

SuperSearch - Nothing needs to be changed here.

 

Once you've done all that, hit Apply then OK to close Settings.

 

Next, click the Repair & Extract tab. You'll see 4 check boxes in the upper-left of the screen - check them all.

 

At this stage, you're basically done, but we can cut down the number of tabs to just the ones you need. To the right of the tabs is a little + icon. Click that and get rid of every tab except Queue, Repair & Extract and SuperSearch (which you can't get rid of anyway).

 

Now you should be good to go!

 

STEP 4 - Finding and downloading things

 

This is usually always done through a Usenet search engine. Here's an example of a good free one: -

 

http://binsearch.info/

 

It works just like a regular search engine, although take note of the drop-down box at the top that says "Maximum age of post" as you want that to be set to "1100 days" (the highest it goes).

 

When you search for something, you'll obviously see the results. By default you will be searching the most popular newsgroups. On any search result page, you can also check a radio button at the top of the screen that says "search in other groups" to see if you get different results. You'll soon figure this out!

 

The next thing to do is to check the boxes to the left of the files you want to download. If there are 20 files in a row, a quick way to select them all is to check the box next to the top file, then hold down shift on your keyboard and check the box next to the bottom file - that will check the boxes next to all 20 files.

 

Once you've selected the files you want, hit the "Create NZB" button which will prompt you to save your NZB file. You can either hit open or you can save it somewhere and then double-click it. This will cause NewsLeecher to open and it will connect to Giganews and start downloading your files. It will automatically repair them if necessary and it will also unzip files for you automatically when the downloads are complete.

 

STEP 5 - Be careful!

 

Usenet is kinda the Wild West of downloading, as there's virtually nobody out there monitoring it. I would strongly advise against downloading software via Usenet, because you can't be sure where it came from or who uploaded it. I don't want to exaggerate the risks - and you can't be infected just by downloading something - it's only if you manually choose to run it, so use some common sense and don't take any risks. DV does not condone copyright infringement, so what you download is your business. ;)

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what kind of stuff is available to check out/download in this fashion?

 

Everything really - movies, TV shows, applications, games, books, music, porn.

 

aaand are there free services where I can look at ads instead of pay?

 

Not that I know of mate. Your best bet would be to try a trial for a couple of weeks and then decide if you think it's worth paying for. You could also take a punt on a Usenet provider other than Giganews, as there are some that are quite a bit cheaper - obviously I can't vouch for the level of service though.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I found a potentially good alternative to Giganews: -

 

http://www.supernews.com

 

They offer unlimited access for $11.99 per month, which is considerably cheaper than Giganews. You can set up billing via a card or PayPal and they offer a 3 day trial with a 10GB download limit.

 

I've just been testing it out and it seems great so far. I may end up switching from Giganews to this to save some cash.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Been using Newshosting as a provider since about 2005, and NZBMatrix as a index site for about the same time. Back then, I paid 5 quid for lifetime 'VIP' access to NZBMatrix, and I pretty much still use it on an almost daily basis. Binsearch.info is my second most used nzb site. I used to use Grabit as my client (freeware), but it was a bit of a resource hog, so I have recently switched to Binreader. Simple, lightweight program, but doesn't have quite the same bells and whistles as Grabit did.

 

One thing I'd like to get into more is the automated process using something like Sickbeard, RSS feeds and SABNZBD. I've tried it before, but it was all too clunky for me, plus I don't really like SABNZBD as a client. If anyone could upload an idiot-proof step-by-step guide, it would be much appreciated!

 

Newsgroups and NZBs all the way for me, I might use torrents once every 6 months nowadays. Retention for all the major providers is now getting into the realm of 1500days (ie 4+ years!). Only thing these days is DMCA takedowns of files, but that's also provider dependant (Astranews seems to suffer from these takedowns the most)

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