Pieces Downloading for Skipped Files that used to be set to Download

[homeLost]

So, I'm downloading a torrent. Let's say it's 100 files of 350MB, with 4MB pieces, and I set it to download only files 50 through 75 (Everything else is skipped at the Add Dialog), with High Priority on 50 to 60, Normal on 60-65, and Low on 65-75.

Time passes, and it eventually finishes files 50 to 65, it's at 98.8% of file 66, and various other percentages of files 67-75. File 66 is 346MB of 350MB downloaded, and with 4MB pieces, that leaves one piece to be downloaded.

I go to the Pieces tab, and compare Piece numbers to Starting Piece, and find the piece that's left of file 66. It's 255 of 256 blocks downloaded. So i figure it won't take long to finish, but just in case, I set File 66 to High priority, leaving 67 to 75 on Low.

I come back ten minutes later, and that piece is still sitting at 255 of 256, but the other files have had pieces downloaded and new pieces added and downloaded. So I set files 67-75 to Skip, leaving only file 66 to download.

So, i come back another ten minutes later, and that piece of file 66 is STILL 255 of 256, and there are STILL pieces of the Skipped files still being downloaded. I also notice that even that all files that are set to download (50-65) except 66 are 100%, and 66 is at 4MB left, the Remaining column in the torrent list says something like 30 or 35MB left, which I assume accounts for all the pieces being download.

I'm left sitting here wondering, Why is it that even though I set those files to not be downloaded, the pieces are still finishing off?

I'm not sure how It would hurt the swarm by just stopping the download of unneeded pieces? It's not like I'm blocking/stopping the upload of any pieces (except maybe by cause/affect of those few pieces I canceled, so they couldn't be shared when they finished) I'm allowing my peers to use their upstream to send needed pieces to peers who need them, and not pieces to me that I don't want.

So, my question/s is this: Is is supposed to do this? or is it a bug? Is there any way around it?

Thank you for reading this long post, and if I posted in the wrong section, I apologize.

[homeLost]

Oh, and I'm using µTorrent 1.5 Stable.

[DreadWingKnight]

You may need to stop the torrent, set all files to download, force a re-check, then restart the torrent.

Selective downloading on its own causes a lot of problems, and they aren't easy to work around.

[Firon]

It's done by design. Hence, to feature requests we go.

[homeLost]

Right well, new section. So since this is now the feature request board ...

How about looking into making µTorrent stop downloading pieces to files that are told to be skipped? Saves bandwidth, not just for the user, but also whomever you're downloading from as well. (It'll also fix the Remaining value, perhaps)

[Stone]

Actualy I like it as it is, what would happen if you wanted to download those pieces later? Well at least they should be saved to partfile, but NOT dropped.

If this is implemented it should be optional maybe (partfile thing, or even this all request).

[Firon]

Well, it would save you a little bandwidth, but waste the other person's bandwidth. In any case, it's better to just finish it, at least you can upload it back that way.

[Stone]

I think so too. Let's say you download 3,9MB of 4Mb piece and then choose not to download that piece, so it's already 3,9MB you've downloaded and won't be able to seed it back, and that's only one piece, µTorrent usualy starts much more(!). If you want to do selective downloading, do it from the very beginning so you don't need to worry about pieces.

And about bandwidth wasting... if you select what files not to download from the very beginning you won't lose any. However if you still do it, take the same example: if you finish pieces you've started you will be able to seed it back, so i don't think that's a big loss.

And finaly you can get rid of started pieces by forcing a recheck, but i don't recommend doing that, because that hurts the swarm™.

[DreadWingKnight]

Selective downloading has a VERY negative impact on swarm piece distribution.

[homeLost]

Ok, maybe any way to change how it prioritizes pieces? And change how it calculates ETA and Remaining Size in the columns.

cause like i said in my original post, despite my File 66 being set to High among only Low files, the LAST block of the LAST piece of the file just wouldn't download. It waited until nearly all of 10+ pieces finished downloading, before the important piece wanted to finish ... I've seen this happen a few different times with files that were at one piece left that I wanted to just finish downloading first. I had to wait nearly 30-40 minutes just so ONE 16Kilobyte block of data would download.

Merged double post:

Maybe have it stop dowloading pieces under a certain %, say 50%. That way pieces that just started, and only have (in my example) 50 to 100Kbytes will stop, and not try to download over 3MB more. while pieces that are coming close to done can finish downloading and not waste the bandwidth already used?

[Stone]

I'll repeat myself: If you want to do selective downloading, do it from the very beginning.

Prioritizing files also hurts the swarm™ so I don't think changing the way how it prioritizes pieces (to even more "swarm hurting™ way) will happen.