ukjammy Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hi Folks,My first post - and it's not even microtorrent related (which I now love btw!) but there seems to be some great expertise here so I thought I'd give it a try.I have recently been unable to download any .torrent metadata files on my laptop at home. It doesn't matter what bittorrent site I go to (and I have tried many). When I get to the file I wish to download, I click on "download torrent" - but nothing happens....eventually the page times out. I have never come across this before, but the suspicious thing is when I take my lap top to work I can visit the same pages and download the .torrent file no problem.Has anyone come across this? I can use microtorrent at home (speeds OK, haven't really tried optimising yet) but I have to actually download the .torrent metadata file at work.It seems like my ISP is somehow blocking me from downloading the .torrent file I need to start the file downloading.I hope that makes sense, I can download torrents fine, I just can no longer download the .torrent metadata file needed to start things going!ThanksJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenalin_ Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Yeah, i think it's technically possible for your ISP to block downloading of .torrent files..The only solution i see, is to to put somewhere(on some web hosting) a script what will download and will zip (archive) on the fly that torrent file, and your ISP filters will be unable to recognize the torrent file(because it will be archivated)..Or maybe to ask your tracker admin to put such a script(torrent zipper) on the site..Have you try to call your provider support to ask about that ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00 Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Maybe Tor will help?http://tor.eff.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukjammy Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Hi guys, thanks for the replies.Adrenalin: I've tried searching google and haven't come across this kind of blocking by an ISP before, maybe it's the start of something new. Thanks for the suggestion, that might be a good solution if other ISP's start blocking .torrent files like this. I can usually wait until I get to work to download the files I need. Have you try to call your provider support to ask about that?I sure will be doing! I am living in Malaysia, and I use a company called Penang Fibre Optic Networks. I know they have been batteling bittorrent traffic because I once emailed them to ask why the net work had been down and they said they had been trying to control some unautorised bittorent traffic (probably me!).I have an unlimited 2Mb/s down/upload broadband, recently with Shareaza I have been getting very good speeds of 250 KB/s for both downloads and uploads, so I will be asking them why they have started limiting my account!!!00: Thanks for the suggestion, I haven't seen that before but I will check it out and see if can help!I would be interested to hear if anyone else is being blocked from downloading the .torrent metafiles, I'm hoping to find other customers in my appartment block to see if its just my link that is blocked or all the ISP's customers!Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game90 Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 this is getting out of hand. BitTorrent have both legal and illegal uses, you cant kill them both just because of the bad effects.somewhat like copyright organisations trying to block betamax, VHS and disc burners. well, they are bound to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukjammy Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Maybe Tor will help?http://tor.eff.org/Thanks for that awesome little program 00! I've just installed it and it works a treat! I can now download the .torrent metadata files right under the noses of my ISP Plus, with the fiefox 'switch proxytool' extension I can switch back an forwards whenever I need to slip something past my oppressive ISP...Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splintax Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Game90: ISPs usually don't block P2P for legal reasons, it's because it has a big strain on their network.ukjammy: Did you try using another browser? It seems probable to me that somehow torrents are being autodownloaded to a certain folder without a visual cue (I have a similar config in Opera, it just passes .torrents to µT but nothing "appears" to happen).If other browsers don't work either, than could you tell us which ISP you're using..? Just so we can keep an eye out for any future problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukjammy Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Hi Splintax:It's definately my ISP, I've just re-checked by trying internet explorer and that does the same, it tries to load the page but can never download the .torrent. I've also tried using freedownloadmanager, that used to download.torrent files no problem but had also stopped now. None of the .torrents end up on my PC (I've searched).This only happened about 3 days ago, and I know my ISP has been working on its network.Like I mentioned, if I go to work and open the download page - no problem. If I go to starbucks and use their wifi - no problem. I have even just connected to my neighbours wifi (he has no idea about security!) and I can download .torrents with his ISP (he's with a different one).So I am definate that my ISP has blocked all .torrent files from being downloaded (or is it forwarded?) to my laptop. My ISP is PenangFON (Fibre Optic Networks), I'm an expat Uk guy living in Malaysia at the minute, the service is pretty good overall (2Mbs D/U speeds - for about US$15 per month). They have only just started operating and I know they have been trying to cut down on P2P traffic.I'm surprised that no-body in the US has come across this yet, if my Malaysian ISP is doing it I would expect it to spread to other ISP's, it's very rare for Malaysia to be the first to do anything ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splintax Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Ah, that sucks... I'd figured 'cos of the UK in your name that you were still living in the UK.µT's site designer, ignorantcow, is in Malaysia too.. maybe I'll let him know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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