After uploading a torrent, can I delete it from my computer?

[MGStud7]

I'm new to uploading torrents, and I just uploaded clean/censored versions of the first 2 seasons of The Office. I don't really have much knowledge on how torrenting works, but from what I think I understand, you have to seed all your uploads in order for other people to download them. This makes it sound like other people will technically be downloading it straight from my computer, rather than from somewhere online. Does that mean I can never delete them from my computer? And do I have to keep seeding? Maybe I can stop seeding if other people seed?

[DreadWingKnight]

There's a distribution threshold where you can stop seeding for a while, but after that point you may need to reseed.

[MGStud7]

But can I delete the original files (in this case, The Office episodes) after uploading them?

[DreadWingKnight]

If you need to reseed later, you will need a way to get them back on your computer.

[MGStud7]

But it wont affect the uploaded files at all? I just wont be able to seed them?

[DreadWingKnight]

Once the torrent has gotten to self-sustaining the first time, it won't.

[admiral_smith]

I suggest grabbing what is called a seedbox.  In that way, you are always sharing on a third party service.  If you take your files down then it relies on the other people that are leeched from your master data.