Bitcomet Settings (updated)

The first thing you need to do is test the speed of your internet connection
Use one of these sites
dont have anything using the internet while doing a test
--Example--
--My ISP says i get a maximum 1536 Kb/s download and 384 Kb/s upload
--When i did a speed test it said that i only get 1472 Kb/s and 320 Kb/s
--Now change the results of the test from bits to Bytes
--1472 Kbps / 8 == 184 KB/s download
--320 Kbps / 8 == 40 KB/s upload
--These are the real world speeds that my ISP gives me

-Global Max Download Rate:
Normally leave this on "No Limit",
unless you max out your downloads and have problems browsing, then use ~80%
(for me 184*0.8= 147KB/s)
-Global Max Upload Rate: very important
Set this to ~80% of your tested upload speed
(for me 40*0.8= 32KB/s)
-Max Simultaneous Download Tasks:
Base this setting on your Global Max Upload Rate
try to have about 8 KB/s of upload bandwidth available for each task
(for me 32/8 = 4, but i chose 3 so each torrent i run gets 12 KB/s)
Listen Port:
In most cases you should pick any port that is within this range 49154 - 65534, these are reserved as private ports
whichever port # you choose it needs to be forwarded only if you connect through a router
If you just have a modem then you probably dont need to do portforwarding
If you do have a router you can get detailed help setting it up at Portforward.com
Also if you use a software firewall then make sure it is not blocking Bitcomet by always allowing access for both outgoing and incoming connections (AKA "server access")
--> To test whether your port is opened properly
--> first open Bitcomet, then go here and put in the port number you used
--> Another method is to look in the Peers tab in Bitcomet
--> if you see any "Remote" connections then dont worry about portforwarding
No Listening Mode:
This mode should only be used if you have no control over the router, I believe it makes use of UDP to bypass routers and establish connections so it will be slower.

Default Download Path: C:\Program Files\Bitcomet\Downloads
This is where you can find all the files you have downloaded. If you are running out of room and have a second drive, you might want to point your default location there instead (ex. D:\Shared). Changing the default location won't affect downloads currently in progress, nor will it move them for you. It will only affect new downloads. Also when you first start a new torrent if you want to save it somewhere other then the default path then change the location in the Task Properties under Save Location.
Allocate Disk Space Before Downloading:
When you choose this option, BitComet will "reserve" the full amount of disk space that the file will need as soon as you start the torrent. You might not want it to do that, especially if disk space is tight. If you disable the option, then BitComet will only allocate the space that it currently needs, and the file size will gradually grow to the full amount as the download progresses. This won't make the finished file take up less room, but you'll have plenty of time to move things around, burn completed downloads to CD or DVD, and generally manage your disk space to make enough room while the download is in progress. On the other hand, some prefer to be warned that they are running short of space ahead of time, and BitComet will refuse to start the torrent if it can't preallocate enough space.
Add .bc! Extension to Incomplete File:
When this option is enabled, BitComet will add ".bc!" to the end of the file extension. Instead of
MyDownload.rar
the filename will be changed to
MyDownload.rar.bc!
in the directory listing.
BitComet will change the extension back to normal when the download completes. This is useful because you can tell from a glance at the directory, which files are incomplete. It will also save you the mistake of trying to use an incomplete file.


Everything else should be self explanatory

Again things are self explanatory
as you will notice I dont browse the web at all through Bitcomet
(uncheck Show Welcome Page & Open URL inside Bitcomet)

Instead I use firefox and just bookmark all my favorite torrent sites

no need to explain anything here

this is where people's settings will vary

DHT Network: Checked
--you need to restart Bitcomet if you change this setting--
The DHT Network allows you to connect with other peers even if there is no working tracker. See here for more details
If you find that browsing is slow or your getting disconnected then you might have a bad router and should disable DHT,
read about how to keep your router from disconnecting here
Enable NAT/Firewall Configuration ICS/ICF (XP only): Depends on User
This will automatically configure the rules in the Windows ICF or Windows ICS for you.
I have the Windows XP firewall (ICF) disabled and I dont connect through another Windows XP computer (ICS);
so I have this option Unchecked.
I suggest you leave this Checked, since it doesnt hurt anything even if you dont need it.
Enable UPnP Port Mapping (XP only): Depends on User
Check this option if you want Bitcomet to automatically set up your router's portforwarding
(You must have UPnP enabled in your router and in Windows XP for it to work)
You must Uncheck this option if you manually configured the portforwarding in your router.
Remove Port on NAT/Firewall (XP only):
This will remove the portforwarding rules in the Windows firewall when you exit Bitcomet.
I suggest you leave this Checked, since it doesnt hurt anything even if you dont need it.
Max Connections per task: 50
Setting this too high can overwhelm your connection, 50 works good for me
but if you have faster connection try 80, or 100, or 150
If you use 150 try not to run too many torrents at once
Connections to keep per task: Auto
Global Max upload slots: 7
my upload cap (32 KB/s) divided into 7 peers means that I can upload ~4 KB/s to each peer
Try to set this so each peer gets at least 3 KB/s
Global Min upload slots: Auto
Max half-open TCP connections: 45
If you have XP-SP2 you must read this before changing the value
otherwise its best to leave this set at 8
NAT Traversal via UDP: Auto Detect
Allows two users blocked by NAT to connect to each other, it uses UDP packets to bypass the NAT.
This can help boost your speed if you arent able to configure your router.
Protocol Encryption: Auto Detect
if you know that your ISP blocks or throttles file-sharing then you should try "Always" mode

Enable reporting LAN IP to Tracker:
You should only enable this if you connect through a proxy server.

Instead of using an IP Filter, you should use PeerGuardian 2 to block the stupid MAFIAA

If you have a fast connection and some extra ram then you may want to increase the Max Disk Cache Size
i have plenty of available ram so i changed the max to 120MB
[s]but remember if Bitcomet somehow crashes I may lose ~120MB worth of downloads[/s]

Good luck and remember my settings are not the answer to everyones speed problems

Speed tips...
-Make sure all your hardware (routers/NICs/computers) have up to date firmware and are set up properly
-Also make sure your computing environment is clean (no bad drivers, conflicting software, virus, trojans, etc)
-Try to sign up or get invited to a private tracker and try to get torrents that have lots of seeds
-Avoid ISPs that block or throttle file-sharing (if you can)

before posting anything
If you have any individual questions look through these FAQs
Also have a read through this guide for more speed tips
For a good listing of torrent sites go here

If you still have a problem or question then make a new thread with a descriptive title and please include as much information as you can (ISP/speeds, hardware, software, and any other information you think will help)
This is the best way to receive any help from us volunteers.

Cheers

very true Taulin, sorry about that
I guess i meant if ur entire PC crashes??? (power outage most likely)

and ur right even 120MB doesnt take long to get back

You should also note that if people don't have a problem with running DHT they should leave it on. If a person's router can't handle it then they need a new router, and not a D-Link or Netgear.

Also, would it kill you to actually type the words your & you're instead of ur?

so sorry, im lazy
I made the changes as u suggested Dark Shroud (DHT, your/you're)

I think people can figure out u = you
(edit: I changed this too for translation purposes)

lol "u" doesn't bother me.

I live off DHT & PEX, since that tcp/ip patch didn't work right for me. I have XP Media Center fully updated. So letting BitComet use UDP connections to connect means less half open TCP/IP connections.

So a question about PEX.
Does it rely solely on UDP, or a combination of UDP and TCP???
Like if I connect to a source thru PEX and we are both connectable then will it use TCP (since u can get more throughput with TCP)

Another question, I can use PEX without using DHT right???