Even if you have broadband, downloading the big files can take a long time. Users with slower Internet access have to wait even longer. Fortunately there's a way to speed up downloads simply by changing the way you download. Internet Download Manager splits files into pieces and downloads each piece simultaneously to get the completed file to you much faster.
Even if download speeds aren't an issue for you, Internet Download Manager lets you schedule downloads for low traffic periods, restart interrupted downloads (like those broken during a power outage, for example), and it works with almost any Web browser.
Still not ready to hit Download Now? Then let Jason Parker try to convince you in this First Look at Internet Download Manager.
The tech community's love affair with the Mozilla Firefox browser shows no signs of waning, but the fact is, most people still use Internet Explorer. If it's such a terrible browser, why does it remain so popular? Part of the reason may be that it's so tightly integrated with Windows: It takes an effort to download Firefox or another alternative browser, while the little blue "e" icon is omnipresent on the desktop, start menu, quick launch toolbar, and elsewhere in Windows.
Never in a million years would I try to talk you out of using IE, but I will do my best to convince IE users to download the free IE7Pro add-in (download) that adds a spell checker, ad blocker, and other useful features to Microsoft's preeminent browser.
Enable scripts in the IE7Pro add-on for Internet Explorer to take advantage of user-created browser enhancements.
IE7Pro benefits from a community of developers who write scripts for the program, similar to the folks who offer add-ins for Firefox. You'll find bunches of these scripts at IEscripts.org. The one I've been fiddling with lately adds a Download Video link to YouTube videos. Unfortunately, you have to convert the file to .flv to save it, and the MiniDM download manager in IE7Pro 2.0 doesn't give you that option. The workaround I found is to copy the video's URL, browse to YouTubeLoader.com, paste the URL into the link box, click Download, right-click the resulting link, choose Save Target As, rename the file in the Save As dialog box (be sure to give it the .flv extension), and click Save.
Rename the video file you're downloading and give it the .flv extension to save it to your PC.
Before you can view the video on your local system, you have to install a player for .flv files. I use the free FLV Player from Martijn de Visser.
Tomorrow: Change your default save-as folder in Windows.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Anybody who downloads software knows that the size of the file is going to effect the time it takes to download. The bigger the file the longer you wait, right? For those of you who are on a dial-up connection (I know you're still out there), the size of the file can be the difference between downloading and moving on to something else. Even with a fast connection, some of the popular game demos and larger software apps can mean an all-night download party for your computer--particularly when that download is in high demand.... Read more
BitComet is one of the most popular BitTorrent applications on CNET Download.com, but did you also know that it can also work as a regular download manager. Rich DeMuro shows you how to drag, drop, and download with the P2P file-sharing app.
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