Kazaa Lite K++ FAQ

Welcome to the Kazaa Lite K++ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Here you can find answers to many questions.
Kazaa Lite K++ is a P2P File Sharing application and provides sharing of all kinds of media and software.
Differences between Kazaa Lite K++ and Kazaa Media Desktop (KMD):
- No spyware
- No adware
- No popups
- No banners
- No bitrate limits for MP3 files
- Customized startup page (can be changed to anything you want)
- More times "Search more" is possible instead of just once
- Multi-source downloads now have more than 8 simultanious sources
- "Find more sources" is possible once every 1 minute per file (instead of 10)
- Participartion Level is set at a constant 1000 (can be disabled)
- People to which you upload can't cut in line anymore regardless of their Participation Level, this improves the number of completed uploads and takes away the advantage that cheaters have
- Options to completely disable the usage of port 1214
- Option to disable the possibility for other users to view a list of all your shared files
- Shared files are scanned every 5 minutes (instead of every 1 minute) to save system resources (this can be changed to any value)
- Search history can be cleaned automaticly when closing Kazaa Lite K++
- Systray icon can be hidden or replaced by a custom one
- Fixed Kazaa's error 1030 bug
- Kazaa Lite K++ can now be automaticly be started with Windows (disabled by default)
- Unreachable sources (local network IPs) are no longer stored in the .dat files
- No 3rd party DLL files loaded anymore (TopSearch and BullGuard)
- No more gold colored search results (Altnet Inc. and TopSearch)
- My Shared Folder is located on the system drive by default (usually C:\My Shared Folder) (this can be changed to another location)
- Shortcuts to My Shared Folder are now dynamic, they will always work, regardless of the location of your shared folder
- Build-in Auto Search More feature
- Build-in K++ Configuration tool
- Built-in Accelerator tool
- Advanced Pause and Resume functions
- Debugging options
- Network name can be changed
- Splash screen can be disabled
- Add-on tools can be started from within Kazaa Lite K++
- Option to start other programs from within Kazaa Lite K++
- Option to prevent people from being able to see a list of all of your shared files
- Option to hide the ad banner space
- Option to preview files in an external application
- Easy wizard for configuring the basic settings
- Sig2Dat quicklinks can be added directly to the download list, no need to restart Kazaa Lite K++
- Added keyboard shortcuts
- Includes the K-Dat tool
- Includes the K-Sig tool
- Includes the AVI Preview tool
- Includes the KaZuperNodes tool
- Includes the IP Blocker tool

Kazaa Lite K++ works on Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008 and Linux (using Wine).

Minimum system requirements: Internet Explorer 4, Windows Media Player 6.4, Visual Basic Runtime Files 6.

Installation instructions:
You can just install this on top of a current Kazaa Lite K++ installation. That way all your settings will be remembered. If you experience any problems, it is recommended to do a clean installation. You can change the location of "My Shared Folder" to whatever folder you want in the options menu.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is Kazaa Lite K++?
Kazaa Lite K++ (K-Lite K++) is a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File Sharing application. In fact, it is an improved version of Kazaa Media Desktop (KMD). Both programs are very similar, with almost identical features and appearance. The main difference is that Kazaa Lite K++ has been modified so that it does not have any of the so-called spyware and adware that comes with KMD.
Kazaa Lite K++ provides sharing of all kinds of media and software. It is a FastTrack Client, which means it connects to the FastTrack P2P network system, just like some other popular file sharing programs like KMD, Grokster and iMesh (and in the past also Morpheus, which now only connects to the Gnuttella network).
Kazaa Lite K++ can download single files from multiple users to ensure you get the most efficient use of your bandwidth and it also resumes broken downloads or downloads that were in progress when you shut down your computer. All-in-all, FastTrack is a very good, very powerful P2P system.
The authors of Kazaa Lite K++ were concerned about the fact that KMD contained unwanted third party software and wanted to be able to use it without that software. So a cleaned up version was made: Kazaa Lite!
What are the specific differences between Kazaa Lite and KMD?
The main difference is the way that they get installed onto your computer. When KMD is installed, it includes the CyDoor software which displays ads. Also some other unwanted programs may get installed. For example New.net, Bonzi Buddy, SaveNow, B3D Projector, Delfin and MediaLoads. All of these programs are unwanted and are sometimes labelled as spyware. Kazaa Lite will get installed without all these programs.
Besides the clean installation, Kazaa Lite also has some improved features. For example, Kazaa Lite has no bitrate limit for MP3 files. This means that you can download and share high quality MP3 files.
Newer versions of Kazaa Lite include K++, which adds some cool extra functionality. K++, made by Random Nut, is a loader for Kazaa Lite that improves some of the functionality of the program.
K++ loads Kazaa Lite into your computers memory. This is also done by Windows when you run a program. The difference in this case is that K++ modifies parts of the programs code while doing so. This way it was possible to change some of the internal functions used by Kazaa Lite.
The extra features that are added to Kazaa Lite by K++ are:
- More times "Search more" is possible instead of just once
- Multi-source downloads now have more than 8 simultanious sources
- "Find more sources" is possible once every 1 minute per file (instead of 10)
- Participartion Level is set at a constant 1000 (can be disabled)
- People to which you upload can't cut in line anymore regardless of their Participation Level, this improves the number of completed uploads and takes away the advantage that cheaters have
- Options to completely disable the usage of port 1214
- Option to disable the possibility for other users to view a list of all your shared files
- Shared files are scanned every 5 minutes (instead of every 1 minute) to save system resources (this can be changed to any value)
- Search history can be cleaned automaticly when closing Kazaa Lite
- Systray icon can be hidden or replaced by a custom one
- Fixed Kazaa's error 1030 bug
- Kazaa Lite K++ can now be automaticly be started with Windows (disabled by default)
- Unreachable sources (local network IPs) are no longer stored in the .dat files
- No 3rd party DLL files loaded anymore (TopSearch and BullGuard)
- No more gold colored search results (Altnet Inc. and TopSearch)
- Debugging options
- Network name can be changed
What is P2P File Sharing?
File sharing is the act of making certain files stored on your computer available for other people to download thus sharing them. Other users also share their files to make a huge online collection. You use a file-sharing client, such as Kazaa Lite K++ to search this collection for something you're interested in and can then download it directly from the other user(s) hard drive(s).
This idea was originally made popular by Napster, which has subsequently closed to develop a new version of their file sharing program. Unlike Napster, where file types were restricted to music files, Kazaa Lite K++ allows these shared files to be all sorts of different media: audio files, video clips, photos and even software applications. If you have a band, getting your tracks on the FastTrack network is a great way to get your music known and recognized. Budding filmmakers can have the same sort of exposure.
It's called P2P because of the way in which files are downloaded directly from hard drives of other users. Traditionally, when downloading files, you get them from a large server. Everyone connects to this server to download the files so it needs a lot of bandwidth. This structure is called a hierarchy, because all the users computers "look up" to the big servers. The FastTrack network has no servers every computer is on pretty much the same level. They communicate and transfer files between each other, which means no single machine requires lots of bandwidth. With Kazaa Lite K++, you can even download bit of the same file from different users to make the most efficient use of bandwidth.
The history of the FastTrack network
FastTrack has a long and convoluted history. Prior to Napster's collapse, OpenNap played host to a sub-community called MusicCity. On this network, nearly 20,000 individuals took part in one of the largest OpenNap communities. However, OpenNap's glory was short lived after the RIAA crushed this network in 2001. While OpenNap's story ended, at least temporarily, MusicCity's march toward P2P dominance was about to begin. On the other side of the globe, in the Netherlands, a small group of programmers were about to revolutionize P2P networking. At the time, decentralized P2P networking was still in its infancy, as Gnutella was the only network that had this feature. As you probably remember, Gnutella at the time was slow, inefficient and not very reliable. However, in March 2001, a new network was born, FastTrack. FastTrack took the decentralized nature of Gnutella and added the element of "SuperNodes". SuperNodes act as temporary indexing servers and help support the stability of the network. These SuperNodes stay outside the control of any company. Rather, the technology is incorporated into the P2P client program. If you're running a fast Internet connection coupled by a powerful computer, chances are you're running a SuperNode. This concept caught on quickly and the FastTrack userbase grew substantially. On April 20th, 2001, FastTrack's population was approximately 20,000 users. By June 6th, its population had grown past 150,000. The large boost in FastTrack's population can be partially attributed to the already impressive userbase of MusicCity. On April 20th, 2001, MusicCity users discovered that their OpenNap network had closed down, however had reincarnated into something else. MusicCity reinvented itself into a client named Morpheus. Like Kazaa, Morpheus connected to the FastTrack network. MusicCity had received a license from Kazaa to use their software, with minor cosmetic modifications. Things from there only got better. With the ability to search and download any file type, an incredible resume feature and multi-segmented downloading, the FastTrack network was well on its way to de-throning Napster as the top P2P network. Soon after FastTrack started to catch on, it did indeed overthrew Naspter. In late 2001, the total volume of files surpassed this once powerful network. While things looked rosy on the outside, trouble began to rear its head. FastTrack's growth became very evident and copyright holders didn't hesitate to take action. Kazaa was sued by the Dutch wing of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, and subsequently lost their court battle in November 2001. The court had ordered Kazaa to pay upwards of $40,000 a day if they didn't comply. Just when you thought things couldn't get any more dramatic... On January 21, 2002, the P2P world woke up to discover that Kazaa was no longer a resident of the Netherlands, rather they were now in the hands of a off-shore company. While shocking, this transfer saved Kazaa from the potential shut down it was facing in its home country. Things only got odder from there. On March 28, 2002, the Dutch court of appeals ruled that Kazaa was not responsible for for illegal file-sharing, rather its population was. This overturned the November ruling. Ok, things calmed down, right? Sorry, there's just one more twist to the FastTrack story. Around February 24th, 2002, Morpheus users discovered that they were no longer able to connect to the FastTrack network. The MusicCity camp claimed their software was attacked, however the explanation turned out to be quite simple, Morpheus failed to pay their bills. Hence, Kazaa terminated the agreement between the two companies and released version 1.5 which shut Morpheus out for good. Now the only remaining FastTrack clients are Kazaa and Grokster. The next turn in FastTrack's history is the rise of Kazaa Lite, perpetuated by Kazaa's inclusion of Brilliant Digital's stealth P2P network. The addition of this network, dubbed AltNet, led many to question Kazaa as a trustworthy client. When adware was incorporated into Kazaa and Grokster, it heightened the popularity of "Kazaa Lite" and a similar piece of software called "Clean Grokster". The ownership of FastTrack is spread among several firms. The Kazaa BV sold the software, however maintained control over the FastTrack protocol.
How do I perform a clean installation?
Download newest installer: The installation program for Kazaa Lite K++ is improved constantly. So make sure you have got the latest one.
Uninstall old clients: First things first, make sure you have uninstalled any previous FastTrack client that you may have installed. The best way to do this is with the standard Windows Add/Remove option in the Control Panel/Configuration. Now go to the directory of the FastTrack client. Delete all contents. Important note: If you have added descriptions to your shared files that you want to keep, you might want to keep the contents of the "db" folder, so you can copy it to the Kazaa Lite K++ db folder after installation. If you use the "My Shared Folder" to download to, you should not delete it, because any unfinished downloads will be put there after they are finished downloading.
Deleting spyware (optional):
Whether or not you have had a previous version of a FastTrack client installed, you should always check to make sure you don't have any spyware or adware on your system by downloading and installing Ad-Aware. Tell it to do a memory scan, a deep registry scan, and to scan your hard drive. This will take some time (especially if you have a big hard drive) but is the only way to ensure you have no spyware at all. Usually, you can delete anything that Ad-Aware finds as spyware but be careful: if you have other programs on your machine that use spyware (usually the ones with adverts built in to them) killing the spyware with Ad-Aware may stop those programs from functioning. An alternative spyware removal utility is Spybot Search & Destroy.
Installation:
Now go ahead and install Kazaa Lite K++. By default it goes in C:\Program Files\Kazaa Lite K++.
Download Folder configuration (highly recommended!):
If you set Kazaa Lite K++ to use the same download folder as KMD, it will quite happily finish off any incomplete downloads that you may have had left over. Alternatively, if you want to use a different folder (like the default My Shared Folder) you can move all the old .DAT files from the old folder to the new one and they will still download. Important Notes: This old partial downloads will be copied to your old download folder when they are finished downloading. So make sure that the old download folder is still present on your system. Also make sure that both the old and the new folders are on the SAME partition (for example both on C:). Otherwise your files may get deleted on completion. I would recommend you to create a new folder on your harddrive and set this as your download folder and use that to put in the files you want to share. For example C:\download.
Shared Folder configuration (optional):
You can add files/folders to your list of shared files, by going to Tools > Find Media to Share in the menubar. Important Note: Your download folder is automaticly shared, so you don't have to add that one to the list of shared folders.
Can I install Kazaa Lite K++ on top of KMD?
Not really. It won't install over it, it will install alongside it. You will end up with both of them and you will still have spyware on your machine. You should uninstall KMD and any spyware first.
Can I install a new version of Kazaa Lite K++ on top of an old version of Kazaa Lite K++, overwriting the old one?
Yes, that is possible. While installing you could choose if you want to keep your current settings (standard) or the default settings.
Does Kazaa Lite K++ work on Linux?
It is possible to run it in Wine (a Windows emulator for Linux).
Why does it say "Please re-run installation from the administrator account" when installing?
To install Kazaa Lite K++ you must have administrator or power user privileges. Basically, if you are on a school network or a work network where you have to logon you might not be able to install Kazaa Lite K++ properly.
I get error 1030: "You have uninstalled a part of Kazaa Lite that is needed to run"
Get the newest version of Kazaa Lite K++.
I get an error: "Can't load"
You should start the file "kpp.exe" and not "kazaa.exe".
If that doesn't help, it means your K++ settings are incorrect. Reinstall Kazaa Lite K++ to fix that.
Nothing happens when I start Kazaa Lite K++
Tiny Personal Firewall can cause this. Completely close the firewall (so no icon in the system tray either) and try again. Contact the makers of the firewall for a solution or get another firewall.
My Kazaa Lite K++ crashes after a while
Are you using Windows 95, 98 or ME? If so, those Operating Systems can only handle a limited number of simultanious connections to the internet. Each program that you have running that connects to the internet uses one or more of these connections. You have to reduce the amount of connections, so that your OS won't crash anymore. You can do that by closing down as many unneeded programs as possible. More importantly: Limit the number of simultanious downloads in Kazaa Lite K++. Also disable all tools that search for more sources. This will hopefully solve your problem.
Another possible reason for the instability can be a too low amount of available system resources and internal memory. Kazaa Lite K++ uses a lot of system resources. Specially when you edit file details. So whenever you have editted a lot of file details, it is a good idea to restart to free up the used resources. Also always minimize it to systray if you aren't using it. That will save resources too. Best is to put it on another window as the traffic view first. Restarting Kazaa Lite K++ once in a while can help much. If you have less than 128 MB internal memory, you might want to consider adding some extra internal memory. This will improve the speed and stability of some programs.
Kazaa Lite K++ has a very high (100%) CPU usage
If you have just added some new files to the list of shared files in Kazaa Lite K++, then it will be busy updating the database where it stores the information about your shared files. This can takes a couple of minutes. If that is not the case, then in most cases this problem seems te be caused by a bad partial download (see below).
Things to do when Kazaa Lite K++ crashes, freezes or has other stability problems
A corrupted partial download
It is possible that a partial download (.dat file) becomes corrupted. This can cause all kinds of stabilty problems.
Solution: Move all of the .dat files out of your shared folder. After that start Kazaa Lite K++ to see if the problem is gone. Now move back the .dat files one by one or a couple at a time. Restart Kazaa Lite K++ everytime after you have put back some files. When the problem is back again, then you know which .dat file caused the problem. Delete that file.
Corrupted database files
Kazaa Lite K++ stores information about your shared files in a couple of database files. These can get corrupted too, causing stabilty problems
Solution: Delete the database files. Kazaa Lite K++ will create new ones next time you start it. However, you will lose all file descriptions that you gave to your shared files.
Crashes are often hardware related (wrong/old drivers, incompatibilities between hardware). So make sure all your drivers are up-to-date. Also keep your software up-to-date. A stable Operating System such as Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista or 2008 can help a lot to prevent crashes.
Otherwise there is no other solution than making backups of big dat files once in a while, so that you don't have to start the download all over again.
Some downloads restart at 0 KB
Sometimes files with slightly different filesizes are grouped together as one file in the search results. They are grouped together because their filehash is the same (filehashes are used to distinguish files). The difference in filesize is usually caused by some extra data at the end of the file. This usually only happens with MP3 files.
The problem of downloads restarting at 0 KB is caused by the phenomenon described above. There is no solution for this. You can only try to avoid it. When you have a search result with multiple sources, click on it to view all the sources of that file. If you see slightly different filesizes, then you know that downloading that file can potentially (not always!) be a problem.
"The file you want to load..." error when starting Kazaa Lite K++
Go to the installation folder and run defuserset.exe
Apply the default settings and everything should work again.
All options explained
My Kazaa Lite K++
Username
The username that is used when you connect to the network. These are not unique, so you can choose any username that you like.
E-mail
Just fill in a fake e-mail address here.
Country
Select your country. This setting is not important, so you can just leave it at the default value.
Launch Kazaa Lite K++ automatically with Windows
This will start Kazaa Lite K++ every time when you start Windows.
Traffic
Shared Folder
All your downloads will be placed in this folder. All the partially downloaded files (.dat) are in here too. All completed files in this folder will be shared.
Limits
Here you can set the maximum number of active downloads and uploads. Active downloads are files that are not paused or queued.
Some general settings are:
Dial-up users should have between 2 and 6 downloads and 2 uploads.
Users with basic cable and ADSL variants should have between 4 and 8 downloads and between 3 and 6 uploads.
Users with fast cable and ADSL variants should have between 6 and 10 downloads and between 5 and 10 uploads.
Users a high speed connection (corporate LAN, university networks) should have between 10 and 16 downloads and between 10 and 16 uploads.
It is not a good idea to set the number of uploads to unlimited. This will result in many very slow uploads. It is better to set it at a value of for example 10.
Disable sharing of files with other users
It should be clear what this option does. The basic rule of filesharing is that everyone should share.
Advanced
Maximum number of search results
This is the maximum amount of search results returned for a single search. The value should be between 1 and 200 (default).
Do not function as a SuperNode
When you enable this options, you will never be a SuperNode. If you disable it (default), then you could be a SuperNode once in a while. That depends on a number of factors like OS, memory, CPU and connection type. A fast computer and a fast connection are required.
SuperNodes play a vital role in the network. They are responsible for indexing the shared files of the nodes that are connected to the SuperNode and they deliver the search results to the nodes. SuperNodes are connected to a couple other SuperNodes, forming a web of SuperNodes, which is the basis of the whole network. Usually a few hundred users are connected to a single SuperNode. There are thousands of SuperNodes all around the world.
The advantage of being a SuperNode is that your searches will be slightly faster. Also you help keeping the network up and running.
The disadvantages are that it will use a little bit of CPU power and memory and also a little bit of bandwidth.
Extra upload bandwidth when computer is idle.
When you enable this option, some extra bandwidth will be made available to the people that download from you, when you are not using your computer. It is like a screensaver. If you haven't moved your mouse or touched your keyboard for a while, then the max upload bandwidth setting will be temporarily increased. When you use your computer again, everything will be back to normal.
Filter
Family Filter
Here you can enable different filters that filter out the search results. The filters should be self-explanatory. You can optionally protect the filter setting with a password, so that other users on your computer can change the filter settings.
Filter file types that can potentially contain a virus
This will filter out ALL filetypes that could possibly contain a virus or other malicious software. If you enable this option, then you will NOT be able to download any software. If you want to be able to download software or games, then you should turn this filter off.
Filter out files that I cannot download due to firewalls
This will filter out files from the search results that are shared by people who are behind a firewall that is configured to block uploads. In most cases you can not download those files, so it is better to filter them out of the search results.
Filter bogus music and video files
This will filter out files that have a file-extension of a video or music file, but aren't actually real video or music files. This should be turned on too.
Blocklist
Here you can input keywords or strings that should be filtered out of the search results. They need to be comma seperated. Every file that contains one of these keywords or strings in it's filename or description will be filtered out of the search results.
Firewall
Socks5 proxy server & Authentication
For those who want to use a socks5 type proxy server, this should be self-explanatory. For normal usage this option should be turned off.
Incoming ports
Here you can select which port should be used for incoming connections.
Messages
When you enable 'ignore all incoming messages', all messages send by other users to you will be blocked and you won't see them. When this option is disabled you will be able to receive messages from other users, except from those who are on your ignore list.
Skins
Here you can select a skin that should be used. Note that you first have to install a skin. It is recommended to leave this setting on 'Classic (No Skin)'.
K++ Options
Start page
This is the url of the webpage that is loaded into the web tab when you start Kazaa Lite K++.
Default is a local webpage. The url of a local pagestarts with "file://". For example: file://C:\Program Files\Kazaa Lite K++\web\start.htm
You can fill in any url you like here.
If you want a blank page: about:blank
Network name
This is what will appear behind the @ after your username.
Constant PL 1,000
This will set your Participation Level at the highest possible value. Also known as the Participation Level cheat.
Other users can't cut in line
This will prevent people with a high PL from booting people with a lower PL out of your uploads. That way you will be uploading at a first come first serve basis. This will result in a higher amount of succesful uploads.
This option is automatically enabled when you have the constant PL 1,000 option enabled.
Block Bad IP Ranges
This will prevent a lot of IPs from making a connection. It mostly blocks organisations that try to monitor illegal filesharing activity or that try to spread fake files on the network.
Users can't get a list of all your shared files
This will prevent other people from being able to see a list with all of your shared files. This is a very powerful option in the battle against the organisations that try to monitor filesharing activity. It prevents them from acquiring any evidence. The only downside to this option is that it can make people think that your are not sharing any files.
Purge search history on exit
This will delete your search history automatically when you close Kazaa Lite K++.
Disable port 1214
This will disable Kazaa Lite K++ from listening at port 1214, which is the default port. This improves your privacy and security. Note that this option only works if you have set a different port as 1214 for incoming connections.
Now on the top menu bar, go to Tools > Find Media to Share. There will be a tab on the new window you opened called "folder list", click on it. To make sure your not sharing any other folders, click on "de-select all". Now click the plus sign next to C: drive. Then put a check in the box next to the shared folder that you created earlier. Now hit OK. Now make sure you move anything you want to share to people into the shared folder. Your download folder is automaticly shared, so don't select that one (otherwise your files will appear twice).
Now to setup where you files download. Remember once you pick a spot to download, the .dat files remember that folder. When the files are finished downloading, they will be put in the folder they remembered. So if you change your download location and have some unfinished downloads, move all of them to the new folder, but don't delete the old folder yet till all have finished downloading. To change the download location, on the top menu bar, go to Tools > Options. In the window that open up, there is a tab called Traffic, click on that tab. You will see "Folder for Downloading Files" and a white box next to it saying where your current download location is. Next to that box is a button with "..." in it. Click on that button and "browse for folder" window will open up. Select the folder that you created earlier on and click on OK. Now after you download something with Kazaa Lite K++, it should show up in that folder. Note: Remember that your download directory is automatically shared!
Setting up your options
Here are some examples of general settings you can use.
On the top menu bar, go to tools, then click on options.
The first tab called "User" should be open. Your user name should already be in there. You can change the username to whatever you want.There are two check boxes. The first one "Launch Automatically" should be unchecked. Next tab is "Traffic", click on that tab. The first part should already be configured by the steps above. The box for "Disable sharing of files with other Kazaa users" should be un-checked.
Next tab is "Advanced", click on that tab. The settings for "Maximum number of search results" should be set to 200. "Maximum bandwidth ... to be used for transferring file..." should be set to Unlimited. "Do not function as a SuperNode" should be checked. If you have a broadband internet connection, a fast computer and have Kazaa Lite K++ running most of the day, you could uncheck it. That way you help keeping the network up and running. What "Optimal Bandwidth use when computer is idle" does is ignores your Max uploads & Max upload bandwidth settings when your computer is idle, so uploads get a high priority when you are away from your computer.
Next tab is "Filter", click on that tab. The filter should be set to no filter. Under "Miscellaneous" check "Filter files I cannot download due to firewalls" and "Filter bogus audio and video files". Next tab is "Firewall", this tab should be fine how it is. If you have a proxy server this is where you put the settings of your proxy. Next tab is "Messages", click on this tab. The ignore list should be blank and the "Ignore all incoming messages" should be un-checked. Now go ahead and click ok at the bottom.
Do I have to share?
You do not have to share files, but it is greatly appreciated. If there were no people sharing files, then you would also not be able to download anything.
How many files should I share?
Depends on what sizes the files are. If you are sharing large files (over 100 MB) then sharing 10 or more is fine. If you are sharing smaller files then share more files, around 50 or more. These files won't take as long to upload so having more to share to keep you uploading. Note that this is just an indication for an average. You can share less or more if you want.
How does the Participation Level work?
Since version 2 there is a Participation Level feature. If you have a high Participation Level, you will get priority over people with a lower Participation Level when you download files. You can increase your participation Level by sharing files. Whenever you upload files, your Participation Level will rise. When you download it will go down. This only applies if you download from someone that also uses version 2. If you download from someone with an old version, there will be no difference in priority, it will just be first come first serve.
Facts:
- You can increase your Participation Level by uploading files.
- When you download files, your Participation Level will go down.
- The higher your Participation Level is, the more difficult it is to maintain that value. This means the ratio of bytes uploaded/downloaded must be higher to maintain your level.
- Old versions automaticly get a Participation Level value of Low (0). This value cannot be changed.
- K++ will give you the highest possible Participation Level (1000).
Will I still be able to download when my Participation Level is very low or even 0?
Yes, you will still be able to download. But downloading will be slower.
How can I remove my search history in Kazaa Lite K++?
Click on the "triangle" next to the field where you type your searches.
A list will pop up containing your search history. On the top of this list you will see "purge searches". Select that to clean your search history.
I want to download a file from a friend of mine, but I can't seem to find it?
When you are connected to the network, you are connected to only one SuperNode. When you do a search, it will only search through the list of files from the people that are connected to the same SuperNode. However there are thousands of SuperNodes all over the world. So the chance you and your friend are connected to the same piece of the network is very small. You can both use the KaZupernodes program to be able to connected to the same SuperNode. That should make it more easy to find each others files. If you want to exchange files, there are much better ways. Most Instant Message Programs have to ability to send/receive files. Another good way is IRC or FTP, but that requires some more computer experience.
Is it possible to add users to a list of favorites?
No, that is not possible. The main reason for this is that usernames are not unique. That means that there might be several people with the same username online. Using a Username and IP address combination also does not work, because most users have a dynamic IP, which means it changes everytime you reboot or dial-in. It is also not possible to change the system, so that usernames must be unique. The reason for this is that it would require a centralised login server to authenticate users. A centralised part of the network would make the network controlable and it thus can be shut down. This would eventually mean that the network will be forced to shut down by court.
Is it possible to search for a specific user?
No, thats not possible. The reason why is explained in the question above this one.
Kazaa Lite K++ won't connect, what could be wrong?
Check the following things:
- Are you running a firewall (Windows XP also has an build-in firewall)? Try disabling it.
- Are you on a school/university/work network? Port 1214 may be blocked. See above for possible solutions.
- Did you install Kazaa Lite K++ with Administrator/Power User privileges? Because the connection data is written to the Windows registry during installation. This probably fails when you are on a log-in account with limited privileges.
What firewall settings should I use?
Rule based firewalls should use these settings: Deny outbound TCP/UDP connection to IP: 217.116.227.249 (all ports) (to block AltNet search results), permit outbound TCP/UDP connections on all ports and permit inbound TCP/UDP connections on all ports.
I have a proxy server running and I can't connect
If you use a proxy server you might have forgot to input your proxy settings in Kazaa Lite K++. Go to options, firewall tab and fill in the settings.
How should ZoneAlarm Pro 3 be configured?
First of all make sure you have a recent version of ZoneAlarm Pro 3. There are two ways to setup up your firewall, either on high or medium. Kazaa Lite K++ should work with ZoneAlarm Pro 3, but not always. Either way, first start out by opening Kazaa Lite K++ up. You will get a message from ZoneAlarm Pro 3 saying "Do you want to allow Kazaa Lite K++ to access the Internet?" Put a check mark next to "Remember this answer the next time I use this program." Then click yes. Next it will ask "Do you want Kazaa Lite K++ to act as a server?" Put a check mark next to "Remember this answer the next time I use this program." Then click yes. Now close Kazaa Lite K++.
For setting up ZoneAlarm Pro 3 with your firewall on high:
Now click on the Firewall tab on the left side and you will see the Internet Zone Security that should be set on high. To the right of that is a button "Custom", go ahead an click on it. If you scroll down a little in that window, you should see just before you get to Medium Security Settings, four boxes in front of Allow incoming / outgoing UDP / TCP port. All four boxes should be checked and type in 1214 below where it says port for each one. Then hit OK. Then close ZoneAlarm Pro 3 window.
I have setup ZoneAlarm Pro 3 as above but I'm having problems uploading or downloading files
Some times Kazaa Lite K++ can be a real port hog and want to use all the ports. Firewalls can get in the way of this. The best option is to set ZoneAlarm Pro 3 on medium setting.
For setting up ZoneAlarm Pro 3 with your firewall on medium:
Open ZoneAlarm Pro 3 window up and click on the Firewall tab on the left side. You will see the Internet Zone Security that should be set on medium. To the right of that is a button "Custom", go ahead an click on it. If you scroll down a in that window, you should get to Medium Security Settings. In that area you should have all the boxes un-check except for four boxes. The four boxes you should have checked ar the two Block Net bios (Port 137-139), and Block incoming / outgoing ping (ICMP ping). Then hit ok. Then close ZoneAlarm Pro 3 window.
My download was completed, but I cannot find the file or my downloads disappear after completion or the downloaded file still appears as a .dat file or how can I resume my old partial downloads or all of my downloads say "Failed"?
All FastTrack clients can complete each others .dat files. If you start a download, a .dat file (partial download) is created. It's important to notice, that the path to the current download folder is coded into the .dat file, together with other information like the filename. When the file is finished with downloading it will be renamed and put into the folder that is stored inside the .dat file. So it is important that that folder is present. If not, the file will stay a .dat file or might even get deleted (when using different partitions).
If you change the download folder or use a different setting after reinstallation you can still use the uncompleted .dat files. But after completion, the client tries to copy the completed files to the original download folder. If this folder still exists, you may find the file there. If you have removed it, the .dat stays in your current download folder and cannot be copied. Do NOT rename it, because the download info is still attached to the end of the file. If you recreate the original folder, then the file will be copied to its final destiny. If you can't remember your original download folder, you can use the K-Dat tool to find it out.
Otherwise make sure that you have enough disk space to save your downloads.
Why are my downloads so slow, and how can I speed them up?
The download speed depends on the user(s) you are downloading from: your downloads cannot be faster than their upload bandwidth allows. Try right-clicking the file you're downloading and select "Find More Sources for Download", this will make Kazaa Lite K++ look for additional sources and may increase the download speed. The build-in tool automates.
How come my download was disrupted?
When you are downloading a file, you are downloading directly from another computer that can be anywhere in the world. If this computer disconnects from the Internet while you're downloading, your download will be disrupted. Kazaa Lite K++ uses intelligent downloads to periodically try and continue downloading your file from other users.
Why do so many uploads from my machine end up aborted?
Don't worry; this is due to uploads being taken from multiple sources. The user uploading from you probably finished the download using an alternative source. Or maybe that user just went offline.
What does the More sources needed status mean?
It means that all the users sharing the file you want went offline while you were downloading.
What does the option "use optimal bandwidth while computer is idle" do?
When this setting is turned on, all available bandwidth will be used to upload files (thus not download) whenever you do not actively use your computer (not moving your mouse for a couple of minutes).
Why is the maximum bandwidth on my search results only just [some value]?
This bandwidth value is calculated by how fast you have downloaded previously. So it is merely an indication of your bandwidth (or speed) which is based on the speeds of your previous downloads. So if you download fast once, you will see that the value has increased next time when you do a search. So don't worry. This bandwidth value DOES NOT have any affect on your ACTUAL maximum bandwidth (and download speed). Everytime you re-install, the value will be reset to it default value.
What are those red crosses on some of my search results?
That means that those files are shared by a user who is behind a firewall and that they probably can't be downloaded from that user.
It is better to filter out these results. That can be done in options, on the filter tab.
Why am I downloading from fewer sources than I found in the search?
There are lots of reasons for this:
- There is a maximum for the number of sources that is used simultaniously. This is 8 in old versions. With K++ you can change that value.
- Sources may have gone offline in the meanwhile.
- Speed: If you download from only a few people, but the speeds are good, then Kazaa Lite K++ won't try to add any additional sources. Only when the total speed is low, it tries to add some more sources to download from.
- When you start a download, a maximum of 30 sources is stored in the partial download. So having hundreds of sources in the results is pretty pointless. Once the download is started additional sources (upto 150) can be added.
- But the most important reason why you usually only download from one or two sources at a time is that the sources don't have a free upload slot available for you to use. A simple example:
Let's say that there are 100 people. On average they each have 5 upload slots. That means a maximum of 500 total uploads from these people. Now if each of these 100 people has 3 active downloads, then there would be 300 downloads. But with only 500 available upload slots you will see that the chances of downloading a file from multiple sources are pretty small. That is why most files only download from one or two sources at a time. Only with very popular files you are likely to be able to download from many people at once.
Best way to search for and download files
Sig2Dat
It is better to search for files, rather than using Sig2Dat hashes/quicklinks. If you do a search, you can see if the file is widely available or not. Also you start with sources to download from.
Sig2Dat hashes/quicklinks are still very usefull because you can use them to find the correct files. You can compare the sizes in the search results with the size that is in the Sig2Dat. Then it is easy to pick the correct file. Tip: click on the filesize column in the search results to sort on the results on filesize.
Searching
Start a search. A single search is enough if the file is popular. For more rare files do a couple of searches. Stop searching when you have 10 or more sources. The reason why you shouldn't search until you get a lot of results will follow shortly.
Now start the download.
After that continue searching for the same file. This time you can enable Auto Search More if you want. Search for another minute or less. Two minutes for rare files. Searching longer doesn't help much.
You will notice that the download speeds are much higher now.
But why didn't we initially search until we had hundreds of results? Well, only a maximum of 30 sources is stored in the .dat file when you start a download. But once the download is started, an additional sources can be added (upto 150). That's why we continued searching after starting the download.
Privacy protection
Are you afraid of the entertainment industry? Does your country have stupid copyright laws? You don't share because you are afraid you get caught for doing so? The newest version of Kazaa Lite K++ has got the solution for you! It is now possible to prevent other people from listing your shared files (find more from same user). There is just one little downside to this, because it may let people think that you are not sharing any files. But for some people privacy is what counts. Go to More Options. There you can enable the option to prevent people from listing your shared files. For older versions you have to create a .reg file (see below). Double click it to activate the privacy option. Change the 00000001 to 00000000 if you want to turn it off.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\K++]
"No.files"=dword:00000001
What is spyware?
Spyware is quite a general term that usually refers to a piece of software that watches what you do on your computer (not necessarily everything, but some things) and then reports that information back to someone.
The most common use for spyware is in the advertisements you often see in free software programs. For this reason, spyware is sometimes called adware. These advertisement systems keep track of what advertisements you click on and send back statistics to their marketers. This allows them to send you more advertisements that (supposedly) interest you.
Some spyware has the ability to gather information that is more specific on you. Not necessarily personally identifiable info (like your name and address) but demographic information such as age range, you gender and perhaps what country you live in. This kind of information, when coupled with data on what advertisement you are interested in (and even, potentially, what you search in KMD) is very useful to companies as it provides them with information about peoples habits and interests, coupled with general information about what kind of person they are.
Are women aged 18-25 interested in football merchandise? Maybe, maybe not, maybe you don't care, but spyware can tell the people that do care. The people behind spyware sell the information they gather to marketing companies and pass on some of the profit to the software that contains the spyware.
The main concern about spyware is that no one can really know exactly what information it is gathering about you. You have to beleave the creators and most people don't want to do that. Any software running on your computer can potentially know about anything you do. For example which sites you visit or what software you use. It could even gather personal information about you specifically, provided you give it permission. But think about it: when was the last time you read the licence agreement you're about to agree to?
Kazaa Lite K++ contains none of this, but be aware that it will not uninstall spyware that is already on your system. See the question on removing spyware below.
How does Kazaa Lite K++ get around spyware?
It gets around it, quite simply, by not installing it.
Will Kazaa Lite K++ remove any spyware on my machine?
No. It is important to remember that Kazaa Lite K++ gets around spyware by not installing it. If it is already there, it will stay there unless you remove it. Kazaa Lite K++ will not use any spyware components that are present on your system.
What is the best way to remove spyware?
To get rid of any spyware you may have on your PC (including some you probably didn't know about!) the best tool to use is Ad-Aware. An alternative spyware removal utility is Spybot Search & Destroy.
How do I block ads and pop-ups?
By using a simple trick (called Supertrick). By editing a file called HOSTS you can competely block access to certain websites. Using this trick you can block websites that serve ads or onces that might compromize your privacy and security. This trick also speeds up the loading time of websites, because the ads don't have to be downloaded.
How exactly does the HOSTS file work?
The short answer is that the HOSTS file is like an address book. When you type an address into your browser, the HOSTS file is consulted to see if you have the IP address, or "telephone number" for that site. If you do, then your computer will "call it" and the site will open. If not, your computer will ask your ISP's (internet service provider) computer for the phone number before it can "call" that site. Most of the time, you do not have addresses in your "address book", because you have not put any there. Therefore, most of the time your computer asks for the IP address from your ISP to find sites.
If you put ad server names into your HOSTS file with your own computer's IP address (Localhost: 127.0.0.1), your computer will never be able to contact the ad server. It will try to, but it will be simply calling itself and get sort of a "busy signal". Your computer will then give up calling the ad server and no ads will be loaded, nor will any tracking take place. Your choices for blocking sites are not just limited to blocking ad servers. You may block sites that serve advertisements, sites that serve objectionable content, or any other site that you choose to block. Also would it be possible to redirect a website to another website by using that website's IP adress in stead of your computers IP adress.