For years now I've been using torrents. This is great for some releases which have high seeders but I'm starting to get tired of being speed throttled during the daytime. I'm now starting to see the appeal of newsgroups but the problem is that some of the guides on google are fairly outdated and just confuses me so any good recent guides?
Another question I have is that when I go to some NZB search sites, some of the things I want to download after a long time from a couple of months ago require a premium usenet provider such as giganews. So in theory, does this mean any recent releases can still be downloaded for free with the right software or is this absolutely wrong?
Once again, I'm sorry for being such a newbie about this.
Software has nothing to do with how old the posts you can get are. Whether you can download something or not is determined by the news server. Some isps provide them and just4today.net provides a free one, but generally the retention (how long files are available) on these is limited compared to the premium providers, which is why it has that message.
Guides, don't think there are any recent ones/more in depth ones around. Is there something specific you are having trouble with? Really not that difficult to setup, so can probably just sort it here.
Grab newsreader, I like alt.binz (http://www.altbinz.net/), last free version is 0.25, but still fine, but there are others, free and paid. Put server details into it (in your case probably the just4today ones as I don't think any uk isps have a server). Feed it an NZB, I guess you know how to get them considering you mention them. Let it connect and if the files still exsist on your server it should download.
Par2 files that come with most stuff are for repairing damaged files, a lot of the newsreaders can repair for you or you can use multipar and do it yourself http://hp.vector.co....thors/VA021385/
Do check to see if your ISP has a good hookup- BT has a lower end giganews hookup for some of the connections (unlimited download as far as I can tell, speeds just shy of 200 kilobytes a second although one should note that is assured from the start to the finish and a retention lower than regular giganews but still around the 500 days mark at least)- http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm and although many top ones are there most are not binaries beyond a few days.
Also I should mention that you do have a choice between paying a sum every month and paying for a block of space (usually in the hundreds of gigabytes)- http://www.newsgroupreviews.com/usenet-providers.html has a pretty good overview
http://www.binsearch.info/index.php?q=&m=&max=250&adv_g=&adv_age=999&adv_sort=date&minsize=&maxsize=&font=&postdate= is my chosen usenet search engine although I also wind in some greasemonkey scripts http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/95746 to that site and sites like imdb but this is not piracy 101 so I will leave it at that.
Can i stick my oar in and ask why people recommend two accounts for Usenet? (as in a subscription and a block account) Something was said about using the alternate for filling in downloads but i didn't quite follow.
There are a lot to talk about newsgroups.
I'll try to resume, but a real tutorial would be better.
(I'll probably post it on the Faq and Guide section when finished).
The network
What is the newsgroup?
The Newsgroup network is very old (older than Internet, 1979). You could already see it named "Discussion forum" instead of newsgroup, as it was and are still used to send messages (like emails), sorted and classified in groups and subjects.
It's the ancestor of the Forums like you know them now, like the GBAtemp forum.
The network is sorted in groups (based on the discussion subject), which can me anything : cars, medical, technology, video games, etc.
There are around 200 000 groups.
There are also binary groups accepting attachment files (binary) along the text messages, like on this forum or like when you send an emails.
The access to the network require a Service Provider, like your Internet Service Provider which allows you to access internet.
How is working the network?
The network is decentralized and inter-connected between many servers owned by few companies.
When a user posts a file on the network, it's first transfered on the physical server used by your provider.
The file is then automatically duplicated (propagated) on all the other existing servers in the world.
You usually don't need a specific Usenet Provider to access a file, it will be available from any provider whether the file has originally been uploaded on their servers or not.
Of course, like you will see on the next chapter, some Providers can limit the access to specific subject or post type. So binary files are not propagated to text-only based providers.
What are the advantage to use the newsgroup?
- The download is done on a direct connection between your computer and the server.
- There is no sharing with other users (not a p2p), no upload ratio (unlike torrent), no wait time (unlike emule) to download a file.
- It's using your maximum bandwidth speed.
- It's secure (SSL) and anonymous.
- Unlimited download
Is there any disadvantage?
- The files are stored a specific amount of time on the servers (few days to few years).
- You can't delete a post or file you uploaded. You need to wait years until it will be deleted.
- If your provider is not keeping the files long enough you can't download them anymore (even if they are still present using another provider).
- You can't delete a post or file you uploaded. You need to wait years until it will be deleted.
- Good providers require a paid subscription.
The providers
There are two different type of providers:
- The Back-end Usenet Providers : These providers owns theirs servers, and provide users access to it, but they can also rent their storage space to other providers.
- The Virtual Usenet Providers : Also known as Usenet Resellers. These providers are renting access and storage capacity from the Back-end providers to provide an access to their users. For example your Internet Service Provider may grant you free usenet access, but they don't own the newsgroup servers, they are only renting or sub-renting them for their users.
There are around 10 Back-end Usenet Providers, which 3 are well known providers.
All other providers are renting access and spaces.
[Title:Short list of Usenet providers] back-end providers:
giganews.com
usenetserver.com (bought by highwinds)
newshosting.com (bought by highwinds)
easynews.com (bought by highwinds)
supernews.com
astraweb.com
nntpserver.com (closed)
newsfeeds.com (closed)
highwinds.com (not for end users, only for resellers)
readnews.com (not for end users, only for resellers)
etc.
Usenet resellers:
ngroups.net (highwinds)
newsgroups.com
newsgroupdirect.com (highwinds)
powerusenet.com (giganews)
usenet-news.net (readnews)
newsdemon.com (highwinds)
just4today.net (very low retention, new login/password everyday, no SSL, but free access).
etc.
recommended:
giganews
usenetserver or newshosting
astraweb
newsdemon
Usenet-News (seems nice with their pay-per-downloaded data, owned by readnews which seems a good provider).
List taken from this French website: http://www.usenetforyou.com/usenetpedia.html
What is available on the newsgroup network?
Some providers will grant you only text access, while other providers will accept some binary content downloading and/or posting but with restricted access to specific subjects or groups. On the contrary, some providers will grant you unlimited access to all existing groups and will make everything to add newly created groups if you ask them.
Due to the limited available space on the servers (especially on the virtual providers which are only renting a part of the servers), there is a limited amount of time the files are stored. This is what is called the Retention, which is usually from few days to few years.
The Text-only messages are stored many years (can be 10 or 20 years), while binary posts (message posted on the network with an attachment, like an email with an attached file) are stored 10 days to 2-3 years depending on the provider.
Some Websites are providing search and access for Text-base posts in read only without any registration, using your Internet browser. (No newsreader needed).
For example Google group reader.
About privacy
- Is it secure?
- Are they spying what I download or upload?
The answer is YES, it's secure and (almost) anonymous.
It is a direct connexion with the server, you are not sharing the download with other users, nobody can see what you are downloading, except your Internet Service Provider if you are not using a secure connection.
• The transfered data, download and upload, should be anonymous.
Check your Provider's privacy page to see if they are logging your transfered data or if they only log the amount of data transfered.
Good providers are not filtering what you download or upload, they should only log your connexion time (to combat SPAMers) and monitor the amount of data you downloaded to manage your account ratio if you are not using an unlimited plan.
• The posted messages on the network are also anonymous.
Each message posted on the newsgroup require a username and email address.
You can define anything as username and email, as long as you provide a correctly formed email ([email protected]).
When posting a binary file, the user informations usually stored in the message header are replaced by static informations provided by the provider.
NNTP-posting-host : Contains your IP address -> it's replaced by the Provider's address.
X-TRACE : This header informations is encoded by the providers.
Since 2007, the majority of providers allow access to usenet using an SSL 256bit encrypted connection.
All the data transfered between your computer and the Usenet Provider is encrypted, your ISP can't see which data you are exchanging with the server.
You can add an additional security layer by using a VPN (some Usenet Providers directly include them in your subscription).
By using a VPN, you will have an encrypted connection between your computer and the VPN, and the usenet server will see the VPN IP instead of your IP.
Remember that it doesn't provide 100% anonymity. It's only security and privacy to an extend.
Only Astraweb still use the term of "anonymity", while other providers now use the word "privacy".
Almost all countries have laws to force providers, VPN servers, or your own ISP to provide user's personal details and logs if asked by the justice.
Choosing a provider
To choose a Usenet provider, you have to take few things in account:
Is your ISP already providing access or not
Free or paid service?
Retention (The time the provider keep the file available on the servers)
Amount of data you can download (unlimited or limited GB transfer per month/plan)
number of Simultaneous Connexion (multithread download, or as much files you can download at the same time)
Secure connection (SSL/VPN) available?
Completion (file integrity, is there often missing files? all providers will lie and say 99% anyway)
Account duration, account type, auto-renew, etc.
1. Is my ISP already allow me to connect to the newsgroup?
If you read the first chapter, you saw there are some Internet Providers which are renting Usenet server's space for their users.
This access is free, but they are often limited to Text-based groups only (You can't download any binary files), or are limited to few groups access (they are filtering content, piracy, 18+, etc.)
Check your ISP to see if they can provide you an access, and which restriction it comes with. With some chances you will have Binary access for free!
2. Free or paid service?
The free providers doesn't have a lot of retention time and they are also not secure (no SSL connection).
You can try http://just4today.net, it has a lot of groups, and a decent amount of retentions (few days).
If you want a temporary solution or just a quick access for one file every now and then, this is a good choice.
But if you want a good and efficient solution for every day use, you should make the step and select a provider with good subscription options.
Some providers even have very short access for users without a lot of needs, like usenetserver's "3$ for 3 days" plan.
3. The Retention time
The retention is one of the most important point in choosing a provider.
It determines how long a file will be available on their servers.
It's server's capacity dependent: The more server's space they have, the more they can keep the files.
When a user upload a file to the network, he knows that file will be available for few months or even few years now (providers always increase their retention time regularly).
There's no purpose to upload the same file every day or week just because there are some users registered on bad providers with bad retention. it's up to you to choose a good providers.
Renting providers should also provide a good amount of retention time.
4. How much I can download? Is it limited?
Some providers have unlimited access, while others let you choose different subscription plans.
Usenetserver have two different plans :
- 3$ for 3 days: Unlimited GB, 10 connections. Good if you want a specific file without a monthly subscription.
- Unlimited: Unlimited GB, 10 or 20 simultaneous connections, SSL.
Giganews have three different plans:
- Limited access: 5GB and 30 day retention only, SSL
- Limited access: 10GB or 50GB, SSL
- Unlimited: unlimited GB, 20 or 50 simultaneous connections, SSL and VPN.
Astraweb have different plans, base both on speed and amount of data:
- Limited access : 25 or 180GB, SSL
- Unlimited: cap to 5Mbps, SSL
- unlimited: no speed limit, SSL
5. number of Simultaneous Connexion
It determines how much concurrent connections you can activate.
Each connection will take a thread and perform an action (download/upload/update the groups)
Some providers or maybe your usenet connexion may have some speed limit per thread. Enabling more threads allow you to reach your maximum bandwidth capacity.
It also allows you to download different files, from different groups, while updating another group all at the same time.
This option is (for me) not very important.
I have a very low speed ISP, so I don't see any differences
I'm always using 5 connections at a time, but one or two are enough for 1024kpbs (128KB/s) ADSL connection.
Some providers allow a lot of connection, I think it's generally used for Usenet-resellers, so they can resell account to different clients with few connections each.
6. Secure connection
Since 2007, the providers allow SSL encryption. Either as a choice or plan dependent, either for free or not.
The SSL is used to fully encrypt the transmitted data between your computer and the server.
It's using a 256bits encryption and if anyone intercept the packets (ISP, neighbor, etc.), they can't tell what is transmitted.
Some providers allow an additional security layer by using a VPN (included in the subscription).
A VPN is a server acting as intermediate between you and the newsgroup server. It's using a secure connection between your computer and the VPN server, which will hide all activity to your ISP (it can't tell which server you visit, what file you download, as everything you do is connect to the same server and exchange encrypted data).
The VPN server then connect to the Newsgroup server at your place, so the Server will always see the VPN IP instead of yours.
7. Completion
It's usually stating "99% completion rate" on all providers, so this value is not very interesting.
You just need to know what it referred to.
When a file is posted on a server, it is propagated to all the servers around the world. The files are duplicated automatically and are not stored or owned only by the providers you are using as the newsgroup is a decentralized network (the messages and binary files are available from everywhere). The providers are only providing you an access to the content of their servers, but all the servers from all providers are inter-connected and form the Newsgroup network.
When the message or the file is propagated from one server to another, it may happen that they are wrongly duplicated or sometime fully missing.
It's also depended to the size of the servers used by your provider. If they need space, they can delete older files to make room which result in an incomplete binary file.
The providers assure that they are providing 99% of all the available files on the network. If a file exists on a server, it "should" exist on all servers.
If you encounter such a missing file, it could be either:
- The message/file wasn't propagated correctly.
- The group is not available on the server (not propagated at all)
- The provider deleted the file (following a USA DMCA complaints, they removed infringing files, especially on USA based network like usenetserver.com)
In case of missing or corrupt files, you can fix the download by using PAR2 files.
The PAR2 format is explained at the bottom of the guide.
8. Account duration and account type
There are four type of accounts:
Unlimited Usenet Newsgroup: No restriction, you can download as much you want. There's no speed or time limit.
Block Usenet newsgroup: You pay for a specific amount of data in GB (5GB, 10GB, 50GB etc.), There's no time limit to spend them.
Limited Usenet newsgroup: You pay for a maximum amount of data per month. Some providers are reporting the unused amount the next month. Some providers are blocking the access if you spent all your amount of data, while other providers just let you start a new month subscription starting this day.
Speedcapped Usenet newsgroup: The price is speed dependent. It's useful if you have a slow ISP.
The accounts are generally set as auto-renew.
Once you subscribe, it's renewed automatically after the amount of time or amount of data you subscribed for.
If you are using a block-type account, you pay for the amount GB. There's no limit in time to spend them.
If you are using an unlimited monthly-type account, it will be renewed every month (or every three month).
If you are using a Limited-type account (set amount of GB per month), you can choose how to renew your account : either every month whether you have GB left or not, or at the end of the first encountered event.
For example:
- You subscribe for a 10GB per month on February 1st
- On February 20th, you used all your 10GB
- You can choose to either suspend your account until March 1st, or start a new month subscription which will now renew every 20th each month.
Price and options comparison
The average price range is between 10US$ and 13US$ per month for unlimited access.
Each providers can allow different subscription options, so you should compare what you really need before deciding which provider and which plan you need.
You can check comparators website, like this website (en) or this one (fr) to compare the services.
If you have other comparators, let me know I'll add them here.
Blocknews is a back-end provider based on Block account type only (pay per GB usage).
You can of course compare back-end and Reseller's subscription options.
Maybe they are better for your use, resellers are not bad, they just don't do the network maintenance themselves, they are only providing selling and account management.
Choosing a Reader
There are different kind of reader:
Web based readers: These ones are connecting to the servers using your usual internet browser (IE/Firefox/safari/opera/etc.)
It's usually for text-based groups only. Some web readers let you download binary too.
Text based readers: These one are software made specifically for reading text-based groups. For example Outlook, Thunderbird! yes, you mail client can do it! They are just like emails sent on a server.
Binary reader: These software can download the binary files posted on the newsgroup network. This is what you want
So I will only cover the binary readers.
Here is a list of available readers: Free readers: Grabit : Very easy to use. For Windows. <== Start with this one if this is your first time NiouzFire: French/English. For Windows. NZBoMatic : No auto-check with PAR2 files. For Windows. AltBinz : Windows and Linux Mimo : Free for Giganews users with Diamond account only. For Windows and Mac. SabNZBd : For Windows, Linux and Mac
Non free: Newsleecher : 20$/year or 30$/year with search engine. For Windows. Newsbin : 20$ one time. For windows BinTube : 60$ one time, or free for bintube usenet users (10$/month). For Windows. Newsrover : 30$ one time. Free for some newsgroup provider's users. For Windows. Ultraleecher : 20$ one time. For Windows. NewsManPro : 30$ one time. For Windows and Linux. EasyNews : 10$/month. Both software or Web-base access. No auto-check with PAR2 files. For Windows, Linux and Mac (and anything with an Internet browser). Unison 2 : 29$ one time. For Mac.
If you are new, prefer a free reader, like Grabit.
I will make the guide based on Grabit, it will be easier for you to follow if you use it too.
You can change readers later once you understand how the network is working.
Newsgroup reader Configuration
So, we will see how it's working with grabit.
Sorry for Linux or Mac users, you will need to update it a little to match your program.
- I will update and continue later, sorry !
I need to make some screenshots
Next chapters to be written:
Downloading
- Checking groups
- Using NZB files
Posting
- text (replying/posting new messages)
- binary
Repairing corrupted or missing files
If your newsreader doesn't include a download integrity checker, of if you want a separate program to check your files manually, you can install a PAR checker (I'm using QuickPar, but there are other you can use).
The PAR2 files will verify the integrity of all the downloaded files and let you know if you need some repair.
You usually have two different PAR2 files :
Filename.par2 : This one include only the hash information of all files. It's the only one you should download to test your files.
But if this one is missing, do not worry, any par2 file is working to check the file's integrity. This one is just shorter in size.
Filename.vol000+01.par2
Filename.vol001+02.par2
Filename.vol003+04.par2
etc.
These one include repair data which will let you repair your damaged files.
Once you test the files, it will tell you "You need 3 blocks" for example.
Don't download all the par2 files, you need ONLY 3 repair blocks.
The blocks are written after the + symbol : +01 +02 +04 etc.
If you need 3 repair block, only download +01 and +02
If you need 5 repair block, only download +04 and +01
Download the required amount of block, place everything in the same folder and select Repair to fix your files.
Can i stick my oar in and ask why people recommend two accounts for Usenet? (as in a subscription and a block account) Something was said about using the alternate for filling in downloads but i didn't quite follow.
Sometimes files don't propagate between servers properly, so you end up with files being incomplete or sometimes just missing completely with not enough par2 files to repair. So having two servers means you can normally fill the missing files in or get enough to repair. Normally people will use the block account to get the minimum they need to save on usage. So if you had 4 broken files and enough par2 to only fix 2, then they will grab two of the files from the block account, then perform a repair, rather than grab all 4.
Cyan's tutorial is really good so far Just a few thoughts of my own -
You should pay a provider, you get much better speed, retention, etc. ISP plans are always limited in some way. I use Astraweb, 11$/mo for unlimited downloads, no speed cap, 1000 days retention. Supports SSL for a secure connection for better privacy.
Search wise, I also use binsearch but use the secure version (https://binsearch.info/) just in case the isp is looking.
Reader wise, I've been using Grabit for years and really like it. I tried AltBinz but I find it less user friendly.
I used usenetserver.com for few years (USA Back-end Usenet Providers), they provided good speed (for me, as I have only a 1024kbps ASDL connexion), not a lot of retention but good enough (300 days). You could select the peering route to use between cogent and french ISP.
But, little by little, they increased the Retention, but the server lost his stability and his completion rate.
The retention increased to 1000+ day, but I guess to be able to store all that data they had to delete other files, there were a lot of corrupted or incomplete files
It ended as uploaded files were available ONLY few hours.
24 hours later the files I wanted wasn't available anymore on their servers
I changed for giganews last year and I don't have any problems now.
I never used Astraweb, but I heard only good things.
I'm using https://binsearch.info/ for almost everything.
Sometime I'm using the integrated search engine in my newsreader.
I used grabit first, but I switched to newsleecher. It required a year subscription but it's affordable.
I like the fact that it automate the PAR2 files, it download them only if required according to missing block, check and can auto-extract the files in specific folders according to filters.
On the subject of readers I am also an altbinz (free version) fan. I have grabit for when I need to deal with headers and used it for a long time at first but realistically those are not necessary these days and I also have quickpar installed (not necessary when you have the likes of altbinz but occasionally nice to have).
I have toyed with sabnzbd+ but I can not get there and web browser management... well I have a VNC that works on just about every connection I come across so that is less interesting. Using a web browser to manage things is far more common these days (even on the likes of high end virtualisation management) and some people quite like it so do consider it if you like that sort of thing.
What I would say though is unzbin might be worth a look- http://www.unzbin.com/ they originally started intending to make the usenet equivalent of utorrent and did fairly well (although the project has stalled for over a year now the same could be said of most binary newsreaders). There are a couple of little things I do not like compared to altbinz but I sense this is one of those "I am used to/expect ?" situations so give it a spin if you want.
What I am searching for though is a good portable binary newsreader I can stick on a USB drive and just fire it an NZB- I have most other internet related stuff sorted usually thanks to portableapps but I am struggling to get usenet sorted. It is usually not a problem to install a newsreader but it feels like bad form.
As for the multiple hosts- I only have giganews and do not tend to suggest people get both. Being able to piece together things from multiple providers is nice but as long as you have a good one (giganews is quite expensive but ones about as good like astraweb are quite affordable when you think about it) it is usually OK. I will say the usenext people you might see advertising around the place have a very bad rep so going with them is not advised.
Well, after taking the plunge, I figured I'd post what I did just in case someone was following this post.
Downloaded Grabit and installed
Went to Giganews and paid up for the silver option with Paypal
Opened up to Gigabit, typed in the username and password that I set up
Went to Binsearch, typed in (random Wii game) and created the NZB
Opened the NZB in Gigabit and now I'm waiting for it to download and finish.
So far, my first impression of this is quite good and it does download at the highest speed possible on my line. Is is really this easy or is there something else I should be aware of? Thanks again for all the suggestions and help so far as well.
The only problem you may encouter is if some files are incomplete or corrupted.
Install a PAR checker (I'm using QuickPar, but there are other you can use).
The PAR2 files will verify the integrity of all the downloaded files and let you know if you need some repair.
You usually have two different PAR2 files :
Filename.par2 : This one include only the hash information of all files. It's the only one you should download to test your files.
But if this one is missing, do not worry, any par2 file is working to check the file's integrity. This one is just shorter in size.
Filename.vol000+01.par2
Filename.vol001+02.par2
Filename.vol003+04.par2
etc.
These one include repair data wich will let you repair your damaged files.
Once you test the files, it will tell you "You need 3 blocks" for example.
Don't download all the par2 files, you need ONLY 3 repair blocks.
The blocks are written after the + symbol : +01 +02 +04 etc.
If you need 3 repair block, only download +01 and +02
If you need 5 repair block, only download +04 and +01
The only problem you may encouter is if some files are incomplete or corrupted.
Install a PAR checker (I'm using QuickPar, but there are other you can use).
The PAR2 files will verify the integrity of all the downloaded files and let you know if you need some repair.
You usually have two different PAR2 files :
Filename.par2 : This one include only the hash information of all files. It's the only one you should download to test your files.
But if this one is missing, do not worry, any par2 file is working to check the file's integrity. This one is just shorter in size.
Filename.vol000+01.par2
Filename.vol001+02.par2
Filename.vol003+04.par2
etc.
These one include repair data wich will let you repair your damaged files.
Once you test the files, it will tell you "You need 3 blocks" for example.
Don't download all the par2 files, you need ONLY 3 repair blocks.
The blocks are written after the + symbol : +01 +02 +04 etc.
If you need 3 repair block, only download +01 and +02
If you need 5 repair block, only download +04 and +01
Wouldn't say its a common occurance with a decent provider, but not once in a blue moon either. Probably some where inbetween. Just something that goes along with usenet, which is why most uploads have them.
Thanks again. Now for a slightly different offtopic question. Has anyone paid for Giganew's VPN service? The idea of using torrents during the daytime without getting speed throttled as well as encryption sounds good but I can't help but worry if this is just going to make my ISP wonder what the heck's going on.
I never use VPN service.
I'm always using SSL though.
On giganews, you only need to set the port to 563 or 443 to use the SSL (instead of 119)
On usenetserver, you need another server adress secure.usenetserver.com and the changed port (3 or 4 available)
each providers have their own rules to set ssl.
By using VPN, I guess your ISP won't see that you connect to a newsgroup server, it will only see the VPN protocol and server IP. I think the newsgroup protocol is encrypted in the VPN tunnel. (I don't know a lot about VPN, maybe someone can confirm).
Without VPN, the ISP can see the server's IP and the protocol, even if using SSL.
Some ISP are even filtering and capping the speed when downloading on newsgroup by checking the protocol.
Using the VPN could fix that limit.
Now on my second day playing with newgroups and I'm finding out that the program is great to download the latest ISOs but the problem starts when I try to build up my Gamecube collection and searching through the NZB search engine keeps throwing up RAR files of only a few MB and even then , some of it is just filled with EXEs.
It's all starting to look like the days of limewire but am I going about this the wrong way? Not sure if even asking this question is against the rules so I'll apologise in advance just in case.
Most search engines will allow you to refine by size (stick a minimum of 100 megs in or something),limit to a given group, tell you if they think a file is passworded* and see who posted it (hint- click on the good posters to change their colour in your browser). Equally much of the virus spam is identical between groups/posted in the same three groups so you can filter that.
*some uploaders passworded their stuff for various reasons- download the smallest rar file (usually one of the last ones) and extract it/view it in 7zip or something. Obviously it will not extract properly but if it contains another rar file or asks for a password you have lost what 50 megs.
I find you eventually learn to filter out the spam (think how you click view new content on the forums and just pick out what you want to look at almost without thinking) but in the meantime the above should help a bit.
Bonus hint- most of the time (but not always) spammers are slow off the mark so the first to get there is usually good.
It's the first Nintendo Switch firmware update of 2024. Made available as of today is system software version 18.0.0, marking a new milestone. According to the patch...
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Today, April 8th, 2024, at 4PM PT, marks the day in which Nintendo permanently ends support for both the 3DS and the Wii U online services, which include co-op play...
Hello, GBAtemp members! After a prolonged absence, I am delighted to announce my return and upgraded form to you today...
Introducing tempBOT AI 🤖
As the embodiment...
Yet another casualty goes down in the never-ending battle of copyright enforcement, and this time, it hit a big website which was the host for many fangames based and...
With Apple having recently updated their guidelines for the App Store, iOS users have been left to speculate on specific wording and whether retro emulators as we...
The highly popular and accurate FPGA hardware, MisterFGPA, has received today a brand new update with a long-awaited feature, or rather, a new core for hardcore...
The time has finally come, and after many, many years (if not decades) of Apple users having to side load emulator apps into their iOS devices through unofficial...
The romhacking community is always a source for new ways to play retro games, from completely new levels or stages, characters, quality of life improvements, to flat...
Retro handheld manufacturer Anbernic is releasing a refreshed model of its RG35XX handheld line. This new model, named RG35XX 2024 Edition, features the same...
It's the first Nintendo Switch firmware update of 2024. Made available as of today is system software version 18.0.0, marking a new milestone. According to the patch...
Today, April 8th, 2024, at 4PM PT, marks the day in which Nintendo permanently ends support for both the 3DS and the Wii U online services, which include co-op play...
Hello, GBAtemp members! After a prolonged absence, I am delighted to announce my return and upgraded form to you today...
Introducing tempBOT AI 🤖
As the embodiment...
After a couple days of Nintendo releasing their 18.0.0 firmware update, @SciresM releases a brand new update to his Atmosphere NX custom firmware for the Nintendo...
With Apple having recently updated their guidelines for the App Store, iOS users have been left to speculate on specific wording and whether retro emulators as we...
The time has finally come, and after many, many years (if not decades) of Apple users having to side load emulator apps into their iOS devices through unofficial...
Yet another casualty goes down in the never-ending battle of copyright enforcement, and this time, it hit a big website which was the host for many fangames based and...
A new Nintendo Switch firmware update is here. System software version 18.0.1 has been released. This update offers the typical stability features as all other...
The highly popular and accurate FPGA hardware, MisterFGPA, has received today a brand new update with a long-awaited feature, or rather, a new core for hardcore...
Nintendo has recently announced through their social media accounts that a new Indie World stream will be airing tomorrow, scheduled for April 17th, 2024 at 7 a.m. PT...
