downloading from rapidshare

In version 5.0 we introduced a site rules manager that can restrict connections and splits for various servers.

We have added a site rule for Rapidshare, so only 1 connection is used, as non premium (free account) users may not download concurrently, or with multiple splits on rapidshare.

As you are a premium user you can turn this site rule off. This will allow you to download using the maximum possible speed.

I have included some more information about this from our FAQ.

How do I download files from RapidShare?

Download fully supports both free and premium RapidShare and most other file sharing web sites.

In most cases, the download URLs from these sites just display a download page in your web browser and then you must wait and enter details before downloading. So, if you try to download one of these download URLs using a download manager (such as DownloadStudio), then you will just download this download html page and not the file you want. If you have a premium account with the file sharing site, then most of these sites permit direct downloading and in this case download managers like DownloadStudio will work. See the notes below for direct downloading from RapidShare.

Also, many of these file sharing sites do not allow multiple connections. Downloads may fail if you try to download with multiple splits or try to download many files at the same time.

If you are a RapidShare Premium user:

As a premium RapidShare Account holder, you can use DownloadStudio to download files successfully.

If you wish to add RapidShare download URLs directly into DownloadStudio as a download job, then you need to turn on "Direct-Downloads" in your RapidShare premium account details. If you don't turn this option on, DownloadStudio will download a redirect page to a html file and not the intended file.

To turn on direct downloading for your RapidShare premium account:

1. Go to the RapidShare website enter the "premium zone".

2. Click on the “option” button.

3. Make sure the "Direct-Downloads:" check box is checked and save your settings.

4. You can now download RapidShare download URLs directly from DownloadStudio, either by clicking on a RapidShare download URL in your web browser, or by adding the RapidShare download URL as a new download job in DownloadStudio.

Note: The RapidShare cookie in your web browser may expire from time to time. If you find that your RapidShare downloads are no longer working in DownloadStudio, then the cookie may have expired. To fix this, just log into your RapidShare account using your web browser to create a new cookie.

If you are not a RapidShare Premium user:

DownloadStudio downloads files from RapidShare free accounts. Start your web browser and go to the RapidShare download URL. Wait until the download is ready and click on the download link. DownloadStudio will catch the download link and take over the download.

Tips for better downloading from RapidShare, Megaupload, FileFront, YouSendIt and more

DownloadStudio can download from all popular file hosting sites such as RapidShare, Megaupload, FileFront, YouSendIt and more. Simply click on the download link in your web browser and DownloadStudio will take over the download.

These file hosting sites do have restrictions that you should be aware of in order to have trouble-free downloading.

Tips for Non-Premium Users

If you a non-Premium user of your file hosting site, then typically you are restricted from downloading using splits and are restricted to download only one file at a time (i.e. one connection). Read the FAQs for your file hosting site to see what are the restrictions for non-Premium users.

DownloadStudio uses Site Rules to set how many splits and how many connections to use for a site.

Upon installing DownloadStudio, a set of Site Rules were created for popular file hosting sites like RapidShare and Megaupload. You can view and edit these Site Rules any time using the Options (Site Rules) dialog box. Make sure the Site Rule for your site matches the restrictions for the site.

If your preferred file hosting site is not listed, then you can create a new Site Rule using the Options (Site Rules) dialog box.

Tips for Premium Users

If you a Premium user of your file hosting site, then typically many of the restrictions of non-Premium users are removed. You may be able to download using splits and may be able to download many one files at a time (i.e. have many connections). Read the FAQs for your file hosting site to see if there are any restrictions for Premium users.

Upon installing DownloadStudio, a set of Site Rules were created for popular file hosting sites like RapidShare and Megaupload. These Site Rules are very useful for non-Premium users. If you are a Premium user, then you should view and edit these Site Rules using the Options (Site Rules) dialog box and see if they apply to your Premium account. If your file hosting site that has no restrictions for Premium users, then you should delete the Site Rule. This will give you maximum downloading performance with DownloadStudio.

Tips for specifying your Download Settings

File hosting sites often check all the settings for a download job and if they are not set correctly, the download job will either fail or just download a HTML page. If your download is failing or just returning a HTML page, one reason could be that your download job's download settings may not be correct. You can view and edit all download settings for a download job by clicking the Download Settings button in the Add Job dialog.

You must make sure the download job adheres to the file hosting site's restrictions:

Splits: Make sure you have set the number of splits to the maximum allowable. Typically, for non-Premium users, this is 1 split and for Premium users this may be 4 or 5 splits.
Connections: Make sure you have set the number of connections to the maximum allowable. Typically, for non-Premium users, this is 1 connection and for Premium users this may be 4 or 5 connections.

You must make sure the download job uses the same settings as the web browser that you used to click on the download link:

User Agent: Make sure the user agent is set to the same as your web browser's user agent.
Referer: Make sure the referer is set to the web page address that contains the download link.

Time-To-Live (TTL) for Download Links

Once you click on a download link and start downloading the file, many of the file hosting sites will only let you use the download link URL for a very short time (for example, 30-60 seconds). After a short period of time, the download link URL becomes expired and you can no longer use it.

If you try to download the file again using the download link URL and the download link URL has expired, then a HTML page will be downloaded instead of the desired file. In this case, you need to go to your web browser and click on the download link again to generate a new download link URL.

Resuming Download Links

Some file hosting sites will not allow you to resume a broken or stopped download link. The download will either start again from the beginning, or a HTML page will be downloaded. In this case, you need to go to your web browser and click on the download link again to generate a new download link URL.