[JudieKaren]

Can anyone recommend a good download manager that will *RESUME* interrupted downloads? Preferably FREE?

Do you have experience with Speed Download using a slow dial-up connection? Does it really *SPEED* things up? I tried it out once and didn't notice much difference, but I may not have configured it correctly. But, my free trial period is up so I can't *play* with it to check it out.

I'm running Panther 10.3.4 on a FP iMac 800 mhz w/768 MB RAM.

Thanks for any help!

[iNeusch]

I have Speed Download installed because I used to have a very slow connection at school.
It works pretty well and I kept it even with my DSL.

Maybe you should just try it... it's not too expensive and has a lot of features

[thePurpleGiant]

I use a program called 'Download Wizard'. It's free, and it work very well! Before you start a download, it will be able to tell you if the server supports resuming also! (90% do, but some don't). Allows pausing of downloads and is very easy to use. Think I found it on MacUpdate.

[macintologist]

Originally posted by thePurpleGiant:
I use a program called 'Download Wizard'. It's free, and it work very well! Before you start a download, it will be able to tell you if the server supports resuming also! (90% do, but some don't). Allows pausing of downloads and is very easy to use. Think I found it on MacUpdate.

Yea. Download Wizard is awesome. Pure Cocoa and its feature-ware. It's free, but if you want Safari integration and some other things, you pay a shareware fee.

[JudieKaren]

(Update on my search for a *download manager*)

I found one called "DAP" and it just flat didn't work for me. Perhaps DAP isn't ready for Panther 10.3.4., which is what I'm now running on my iMac FP.

I went ahead and downloaded Speed Download again, and it is allowing me a new 15 day trial period. I used it to download the new Mac OS X 10.3.4 Combo Update which is 89MB. My ISP disconnected me at about the 50% part of the download. I signed back on and Speed Download automatically resumed where it left off and I now have a successful download. It took 6 hours and 11 minutes. I'm not sure the *speed* was any faster than it was without Speed Download, but at least I got my download, and I was never able to download these huge downloads before Speed Download.

I have a 56k internal modem and a dial-up connection. My ISP is CompuServe which is exactly like AOL and is, in fact, owned by AOL. I use it because it's only $9.95 per month, unlimited use. I don't need all the bells and whistles, so what the heck? Once I'm online I use Safari anyway. I am the sole user of this Mac and I'm not on a network.

I gave these details because I'm wondering if anyone out there with a similar setup knows if Speed Download is actually faster than without it. And perhaps has any tips or suggestions for *configuring* Speed Download for my situation. I guess I have to decide if it's worth the $20 to me to just be able to get the huge downloads at all, no matter whether I save any time. I guess I'm tired of being *$20erd to death* for these sharewares. I think that if I knew I was getting faster downloads, I wouldn't mind so much cuz it isn't often that I have to download huge stuff, but if the daily downloads were quicker, then I'd get my money's worth. (Am I making any sense?)

Thanks for any tips you offer. Have a safe and fun Memorial weekend!

[wataru]

My personal favorite is DeepVacuum. It's a GUI frontend for wget. It's free.

[Fonzie]

about DAP - i'm almost sure that it's an Windows-tool!? Never heard of in on the mac :S

JudieKaren, how expensive is an dsl/cable connection where you live ? I'm not saying you should consider it but it is well worth the effort(or something-can you tell i'm danish - LOL) I was in heaven after having used 56k for quite some time and then switch to just a 256/64 connection which is not all that bad for surfing and all your lost connection problems should be gone if your ISP is stable

Have a good day.

[JudieKaren]

Originally posted by Fonzie:
about DAP - i'm almost sure that it's an Windows-tool!? Never heard of in on the mac :S

JudieKaren, how expensive is an dsl/cable connection where you live ? I'm not saying you should consider it but it is well worth the effort(or something-can you tell i'm danish - LOL) I was in heaven after having used 56k for quite some time and then switch to just a 256/64 connection which is not all that bad for surfing and all your lost connection problems should be gone if your ISP is stable

Have a good day.

Hi Fonzie

I guess DAP (Download Accelerator Plus) is something new for Mac. http://www.speedbit.com/mac/ (The free trial period expires on August 15th.) The website doesn't say what the price will be after that, but I suppose it will be in the $20 range, to compete with Speed Download, so I'll probably stick with Speed Download 2. At least I know it works now. I wish I knew how to temporarily disable it (without uninstalling) so I could experiment with downloads and compare download times with and without Speed Download. (Now that it's installed ALL downloads are directed to Speed Download.)

We *fulltime RV* (travel North America and Mexico year 'round in a motorhome), so I don't have a *permanent* phone connection. I need something *portable* so it will work with whatever phone connection I wind up with. (I don't have a satellite set-up for my Macs yet, just for our TVs. Friends that have tried it are not that pleased with satellite for computers.)

No Fonzie�I could NOT tell you are Danish. Your English is PERFECT!!! (I hope that is a compliment in your country, 'cuz it is meant to be a compliment. The way the *world* feels about America these days, one never knows.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to offer help. Very kind of you!

Edited to Add: I discovered you can temporarily disable Speed Download by right-clicking on the link you want to download and selecting *Download link to�*. Then your link will download via Safari. Download times on the same file were pretty much the same, so no *speed* increase using Speed Download on a 248KB file. Oh well�

[King Bob On The Cob]

Originally posted by JudieKaren:
Hi Fonzie

I guess DAP (Download Accelerator Plus) is something new for Mac. http://www.speedbit.com/mac/ (The free trial period expires on August 15th.) The website doesn't say what the price will be after that, but I suppose it will be in the $20 range, to compete with Speed Download, so I'll probably stick with Speed Download 2. At least I know it works now. I wish I knew how to temporarily disable it (without uninstalling) so I could experiment with downloads and compare download times with and without Speed Download. (Now that it's installed ALL downloads are directed to Speed Download.)

We *fulltime RV* (travel North America and Mexico year 'round in a motorhome), so I don't have a *permanent* phone connection. I need something *portable* so it will work with whatever phone connection I wind up with. (I don't have a satellite set-up for my Macs yet, just for our TVs. Friends that have tried it are not that pleased with satellite for computers.)

No Fonzie�I could NOT tell you are Danish. Your English is PERFECT!!! (I hope that is a compliment in your country, 'cuz it is meant to be a compliment. The way the *world* feels about America these days, one never knows.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to offer help. Very kind of you!

Edited to Add: I discovered you can temporarily disable Speed Download by right-clicking on the link you want to download and selecting *Download link to�*. Then your link will download via Safari. Download times on the same file were pretty much the same, so no *speed* increase using Speed Download on a 248KB file. Oh well�

Speed Download only helps people who have connections larger than the server's upload limit. Say I'm on a T3 connection, downloading from a server that only allows 10kbps uploads, so Speed Download opens more connections (I think it's set for up to 16
), and downloads the file in parts at 160kbps and you get the file 16x faster. It only works in this scenario and it can cause problems for server owners that limit the number of connections (because speed download will use alot of them)

[Randman]

If you're on a T3, you have no connection problems. I have broadband and Speed Download 2. I don't know if that's much faster but I enjoy the extras and ability to customize it.

[wataru]

Originally posted by Randman:
If you're on a T3, you have no connection problems.

Wrong. Read what he actually said. In some cases the remote server caps transfer speeds. In that case, to get the file faster you have to open multiple connections, which is what Speed Download does.

[Person Man]

Originally posted by wataru:
Wrong. Read what he actually said. In some cases the remote server caps transfer speeds. In that case, to get the file faster you have to open multiple connections, which is what Speed Download does.

It's also the reason that most server owners HATE download accelerators.