April '03 Tools

While you may already be familiar with the basics of downloading, download managers can make the process easier, less time-consuming, and eliminate many frustrating aspects of the process.

Why use a download manager?

One of the most frustrating problems with downloading is having your file transfer interrupted, either by a disconnection on your end or by an unexpected problem with the server you're connected to. Even if there's no technical problem, you might have to stop a download yourself-to free up your phone line, for example. Either way, when you interrupt a download, you usually have to start over and download it again from the beginning.

If you download using a dial-up Internet connection, a download manager is an essential tool. Download managers integrate with your browser and will resume a download after it's been interrupted-which happens frequently with dial-up connections - especially with many of today's larger files and download times. They also help you keep track of multiple downloads more easily.

The main advantage of download managers is their ability to speed up the download process. They do this by automatically locating duplicate "mirror" sites for the download. The download manager will then determine what mix of these locations to use in order to make your download happen as quickly and reliably as possible. One this determination is made, it will open multiple connections to one or more servers simultaneously, grabbing different parts of the file through each connection, and reassembling the file on your computer.

Some files that you want to download can be large and downloading them while you're working on something else, or working online can make your system run at frustratingly slower pace. You can use a download manager to schedule that large download for a more convenient time - say while you're at lunch, or in a meeting and away from you computer, or even in the middle of the night.

Keeping track of downloaded files

If you are trying to conserve space on your computer, after you download a file and install the program, you can delete the program installation file.

Instead of deleting the program installation file, you might want to consider storing it on some form of removable media, like a CD, Zip disk, or external hard drive. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to reinstall the program, (like if your computer crashes) you won't have to download it all over again. Having all your downloads in one convenient of site place could be a real life saver.

If you do keep your downloaded files, you may want to rename them, as many downloads name their installation program with similarly ambiguous names like "setup.exe" that don't tell you a lot about what programs they install. You can give your downloaded files more useful, descriptive names. For example, that if the installation file for a program named Finance Wizard is named Setup.exe, you could rename it Finance Wiz Setup.exe. This won't affect the installation program, and it will make your life much easier. On Windows systems, if the file's name has a three-letter extension at the end (like .exe or .zip), make sure to include that extension in your new filename. Otherwise, Windows may display a warning message telling you that "the file may become unusable" if you rename it.