From Dowloading from 1 host to Waiting in Line Position 1, WTH?
 

I would just like a little insight into what is going on here. Many times, I will be downloading a file for many hours and then something very frustraing happens...I will go from downloading it to all of a sudden to waiting in line at position 1. Now this is screwed up because I know that it took me almost a whole day to try and download the file and now I am at position one which could mean at least a day of waiting for someone else to do it.

The real frustrating part comes when before I can get back into a postion of downloading the file, the message goes to "need mores sources" or "awaiting sources" and then I almost never get the chance to download the complete file again. Can someone provide me with some insgight into what may be going on?

trapspringer

Hopefully, the following will answer your questions and shed some light on what is going on.

Now the problems you have complained of have happened to me as well, in fact they are still happing to me.

Anyway, here we go:I have complained about this particular problem myself, my understanding is that some P2P software have the ability to bump you off your download and put you back in the the queue. I have asked if LW can have an "anti-bumping" facility incorporated into it, you can guess what the answer was.

Yes, I too have had this, it basically means that the person you are downloading from has probably switched off his PC.

With "need mores sources" there is a chance that the file you are after is available on some other PCs on the P2P network. However, with "awaiting sources" it means that the PC or PCs that have this file have been turned off.

Saying all that, I could be wrong but in the 2.5 years I have been using LW I think my observations have been accurate.




UK Bob

PS. I am assuming that you understand that the P2P network consists of thousands of PC, which you download from, and not a single owned source, such as a server.

Thanks, bobster.

Boy that sux. It is so hard to get a complete large file downloaded. I just have to step away for a bit because it is taking too much time and futile download babysitting to try to make sure the downloading is going okay.

Two other questions:


When I get the message "awaiting sources" or "need more sources," will Limewire automatically continue with the downloading of my incomplete file once the file comes back online into the P2P network?


Does it matter which PC/limewire member had the file or do I need the same PC to continue downloading it?

Follow up questions
 

Hi Trapspringer

I have just lost my reply to your supplementary questions and by dredging my poor old memory banks I am going to have to write it all again:)

Here we go: ;)With "awaiting sources" if the PC you are downloading from is switched on LW will continue the download. But be warned, this has only ever happened once for me, after umpteen times of trying and waiting.If you are downloading a file from several sources the faster and less problematic your file will be when you finally get it, so in this case it doesn't matter.

However, if you are downloading a rare file from one PC only and it gets switched off then a number of things could happen.

a) LW continues were it left off if that PC is switched on again.

b) LW may find another PC with that rare file if so LW will probably start the download from the beginning, i.e. 0%.

c) If the original PC is switched on again and is joined by another PC with that same rare file then LW can continue its download from where it left off.

I suppose there are other permutations but that's all I can think of at the moment.


Hope this helps



UK Bob

Same Problem...
 

I have been having the same problem. Only difference is that LW shows over 100 sources but I still get the Waiting in Line, and after waiting, get Need more Sources with still over 100??? DUHHHH!!!:(