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SimpleDownload FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is SimpleDownload?
General Questions
Troubleshooting

1 - What is SimpleDownload?

SimpleDownload is an easy to use internet file download tool. As well as greatly increasing your download speeds SimpleDownload allows you to automatically organise internet file downloads into separate download folders, resume downloads with broken connections, shutdown your computer and resume downloads next time you log on.

2.1 - The little window with the stars is getting in my way, how do I turn it off?

You can use the drop window button in SimpleDownload or you can just click on the taskbar icon to turn it off and on as necessary.

2.2 - What happens if I exit SimpleDownload or turn off my computer?

SimpleDownload constantly tracks the state of all downloads and regularly saves the information to disk. As a result, you can exit SimpleDownload any time you like or shut down your computer any time you like. The next time you run SimpleDownload, it will pick up where it left off.

2.3 - What happens if I download two files with the same name?

If you download two files with the same name and they go to the same download folder then SimpleDownload will rename them with a '-1' to '-N' after the name. You will see this renaming in the download entry in SimpleDonwload.

2.4 - How can I tell where a download entry is being downloaded from?

If you want to know the full URL (internet address) of where a file is coming from, hover your mouse over the name of the download entry you're interested in. After a second or two, a tooltip window will appear with the full URL for that download.

2.5 - What are these '.sdownload' files?

The .sdownload files are where SimpleDownload stores all necessary information about a particular file download. SimpleDownload will clear these files away when a download finishes or when it is cancelled. (You should ignore them).

2.6 - What are the 'atomicfout.tmp' files?

These are temporary files that SimpleDownload uses to store data in. In some cases these may not be cleaned up properly. It is safe to delete these files.

2.7 - What are the 'atomicfout.tmp' files?

These are temporary files that SimpleDownload uses to store data in. In some cases these may not be cleaned up properly. It is safe to delete these files.

2.8 - How do I get SimpleDownload to use an HTTP proxy?

You can specify an HTTP proxy in the configuration area. Just click the 'config' button.

2.9 - What is the 'max simultaneous connections' thing in the config area?

SimpleDownload allows you to control the number of connections you use per file but it enforces a limit per server. This is because it is almost never the case that your download will speed up by adding further connections to this one server and all that adding further connections would do is place unnecessary stress on the server. This allows you to change the connection limit per server.

2.10 - What is the 'max consecutive failures before quit' thing in the config area?

If a download connection breaks SimpleDownload will automatically restart that connection and continue to fetch the file. However, it may be that the file is no longer available for some reason. In such a case SimpleDownload must decide that after N consecutive failed attempts to fetch the file it must give up. The default setting is generally a good measure but if you find that SimpleDownload gives up on files which are available then you can increase this value to make it try harder.

3.1 - I added a new download but nothing happened?

If you add a download but the download address or link is invalid then SimpleDownload will not add a download entry.

3.2 - I added a new download but instead of the file I got 'download.php' (or similar)?

Usually when this happens SimpleDownload has been redirected to a download page rather than the download itself. You should click on the download link in the browser and look for a direct link to the file.

3.3 - I clicked the cancel/pause button but the download isn't being cancelled?

If you cancel a download, it will not take effect immediately. SimpleDownload will attempt to sever all connections to the server before marking the download as cancelled

3.4 - I added more connections but they aren't doing anything?

If you add more connection threads then depending on how heavily loaded the server is they may take a while to actually make a connection to the server and start downloading the file.

3.5 - I added more connections but the download got slower or stayed the same?

There will always be a limit where SimpleDownload will be spending more time managing multiple connections than is gained by having the extra connection. This limit will vary for different servers. To get the best speed possible, set the connections to one and then add connections until the speed of the download starts to degrade.

It is also possible that the server you are downloading from does not support multiple connections or resumed downloads. In this case the file must be downloaded in one go and adding multiple connections will make no difference.

This is sometimes the case with older versions of HTTP servers.

3.6 - I added a folder thing but my downloads don't go into it?

First of all you should check the SimpleDownload tutorial and make sure you understand how to match download files. If you think you have set up the folder correctly then you should check the ordering of all your folders to make sure the files aren't being matched by an earlier folder. If this is confusing you can use the 'Auto-Sort' button in the folder configuration window.