...did I mention that I have the version, loaded correctly, that this thread recommends? Everything works, other than the above mentioned problem...

Copy down that SHA1 number, go to the Library and find which file has that exact same number.
It's just under a different name you aren't expecting to find, and is probably a spam file.

I have no useful information for you except that you would be wise to listen to Aaron and follow his directions. I believe he has a copy of the BETA version of BearShare and BearStart. He's been extremely helpful in the past.
Good luck.
itsbrkn

Not only does he have the copies you mentioned but so do 1,000s and 1,000s of others thanks to his placing download links in the very first post of this thread !!!

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When you find someone you can relate to and is so helpful and that you feel you can trust, you don't lose their name.

itsbrkn

I'm not sure you understanding exactly what is going on, Aaron. I am unable to dload the file with the most sources (the optimum file, as it were), because its appearing to have been already dloaded. I'm not sure what a SHA1 is, but the file I am trying to dload comes up in the search as already having been dloaded, so I can't copy anything down cuz there isn't a dload for that file on my computer.

For example, when I left-click the supposed already-dloaded file (I just did after searching u2 + twilight, and it came up with a file, in green, with 238 sources) and then click "Browse Hosts", most of the hosts (but not all!) only have that particular file in question listed. In other words, something is smelly here.

Is that a bit more clearer?

I understand perfectly, having used and helped to develop the program almost
since it was first compiled.

It showed up in green. You do have the file. That's the way it works. Period.

Since BearShare uses the SHA1hash to identify it you will be able to quickly find it
on your system by making the SHA1 column visible. Note the first few characters
of it and then go to the library, sort by that column and scroll down to find it.

As I said before, right-click in the column headings to show a list of columns you
can enable.

So its best to use the version that Aaron has sugested in the very 1st post then,
the expired beta 5.1.0b25 and the BearStart utility.

So the expired beta is the actual bear share program just that its expired, but what is the actual bearstart utility? how dose it work.
Obviously its to do with starting up bear share, is it needed because of the bearshare being expierd?

Cheers for the help.once some one tells me this info ill get on to downloading and installing it too my xp laptop.

One lsat thing. What can you download using this version? as i did have one of the newst, well i downloaded it like 2006 -07 i think, but all u cud dl was music and video clips. and yet the person who told me about bearshare said that the older version he had you cud dl games, apps, music , films etc,

Cheers.
jme.

The "newer" ones are deliberately crippled and the "v6" software is not even BearShare at all and
doesn't even connect to the real gnutella network. The "older" one isn't crippled in any way and
in fact is still more advanced than the "v6" counterfeit even after three years.

I would tend to be suspect when someone makes absolute statements -- experience has taught me that when I make statements like that, I more than likely will be wrong.

I. Did. Not. Download. That. File. Period. Now, taking that statement by face value, if there is anything in your experience that matches what I have said in past postings? If not, please let others try to answer the question.

Here it is, again, for anyone else: Taken as a given that I have dloaded and configured BS as suggested at the beginning of the thread. I put in a search request ([edit] for example). Take it also for granted that I HAVE NEVER DLOADED ANY TYPE OF FILE THAT EVEN COMES CLOSE TO THE VALUE STATED ABOVE, i.e., no "[edit]" and no "[edit]" The search returns with a lot of files, of course -- popular band, popular song. The experience I am seeing, over and over again with almost all file requests, is the file with the most sources, either immediately or very shortly, becomes green indicating it has already been downloaded. When clicked on anyway (as if I wanted to dload it), it sometimes WILL say its been dloaded, but to a different directory and a file name not in existance.

Aaron suggests looking for this supposedly already dloaded file by its SHA1 hash. Excellent suggestion! Unfortunately, I cannot find a way for Windows to identify files by SHA1 hashes, and when I try to get BS to look at the library, it blows out the prog and I have to restart.

I see the problem as having to do either with something the owners are developing to hamper users, or people putting files up that are erroneous. I find the latter to be suspect, simply because of the amount of sources that BS is reporting -- hundreds in some file searches.

If Aaron is still with us at this point, I would welcome a stab at a cause that does NOT reflect me "forgetting" (apparently) that I already downloaded the file in question. Its an understandable assumption, but please, believe me when I tell you, unequivocably, that this is not the case.

- Ol BS User