A home from home for your favourites

All those web shortcuts can soon mount up and get out of control, and since your browser has to process them every time you open a new window, this can dramatically slow it down. If you remove them from your favourites folder altogether and place them elsewhere, you will find that since far less processing power is required to run your browser it will suddenly become much more nimble. Once your favourites have been rehoused in a new folder you can begin categorising them using subfolders making them easier to navigate and manage.

Now if you right click on the taskbar and select 'tool bars' followed by 'new tool bar' you can transform your new shortcuts folder into a structured, self-expanding menu system which can be dragged anywhere on the screen. You could even have it hidden on your desktop so that when you hover your mouse pointer over it, it will magically spring into action.

Once you have your new shortcut folder all fired up and raring to go, you could also use 'Bookmark Wizard' to automatically generate an HTML page from it. This cunning widget will neatly arrange all your shortcuts under separate headings on a single web page which can then be set as your home page. You can download this handy labour-saving device from www.moonsoftware.com and you'll be pleased to know that it's completely free.

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Houston, we have a (file transfer) problem

Common wisdom and research conducted by the Bureau of Made-up Statistics suggests that the best way to introduce a web tutorial is to impart a well-meaning, but overly patronizing metaphor. Let's give it a whirl then shall we. How's this? The internet can be thought of as a giant, digital take-away. It's brimming with tasty dishes for you to consume, but sampling them isn't quite as straightforward as dialling a phone number and getting the delivery man to bring them to your door.

As already noted in my 'essential applications' tutorial, the most efficient way to get your 'orders' from A to B is to employ a download manager. But which one to choose? If you're a PC user I'd recommend Flashget, while Mac people would be well-advised to use Folx.

With either of these applications installed, whenever you click on a file, the browser integration gizmo will kick into action and a download window will appear stating the file size, file location and estimated transfer rate of your chosen download. If everything goes according to plan you should simply be able to click on the 'download now' button and your download manager will take care of the rest.

This process can be repeated for a well-nigh infinite number of transfers - you do not have to wait for one file to finish downloading before clicking on the next one you wish to transfer. Each new file will be added to your download queue and transferred sequentially in the order they were clicked - unless of course you choose to rearrange them in order of priority. Once your download manager commences transferring a series of files you can close the web page where you found them and take your metaphorical surf board elsewhere. No more internet babysitting, hoorah!

It's all gone Pete Tong

At this stage there are oodles of snivelling error messages you may be confronted with. In determining the reason for the inaccessibility of a particular file some download managers are more informative than others. If yours ambiguously concludes that if a file cannot be downloaded it must simply be 'busy', it's time to switch to a more insightful application. Below you will find a list of some of the most commonly experienced file transfer errors, and possible workarounds for the non-fatal ones...

~ "File not found" - The file has either been deleted from the server, moved or was incorrectly linked from the outset by the webmaster. It could also be that the web space provider has zapped the file because its presence infringes copyright regulations as detailed in their terms and agreements of use tome. If you're confronted with this message it is probably best to look elsewhere for the same file - perhaps by prompting your download manager to search a variety of mirror servers or by manually scouring File Mirrors.

~ "Unable to connect to..." - You are most likely to see this message if the file you are attempting to download is stored on an FTP site. The explanation - FTPs are actually people's hard drives, which you can access only when their owners are connected to the internet. If you cannot get the file first time, just try again later. If this is happening frequently, the IP address may have been a temporary one and no longer refers to the location where the desired file resides (some ISPs will assign you with a new number each time you log on). The moral of this story is to download goodies from these sites as quickly as possible because they often have a short shelf life.

~ "Too many users - try again later" - Exactly what it says on the tin. The number of simultaneous connections permitted by many FTP sites is limited to a pre-determined maximum to keep download speeds to a reasonable level. Whenever this happens you will have to learn to be patient until it's your turn to connect. Do not 'hammer' the site (repeatedly try to access it) as this can annoy the owner who can then ban you from using it.

Another handy hint: if you've been banned, you will be abruptly disconnected from the FTP site without explanation whenever you try to log on - if you do not have a static IP address you can circumvent this dilemma by disconnecting from the internet and re-dialling. When you re-connect you will be allocated with a new IP address which will mimic the appearance of a new user the next time you try to access the FTP site.

To make sure this doesn't happen again, open your FTP client's options menu and extend the retry intervals to match the level deemed acceptable by the FTP sys op; anything above 20-ish seconds is reasonable. A better idea perhaps would be to schedule your downloads for a time when fewer users are likely to be accessing the FTP site - early in the morning (UK time) for example, when all the net-hogging American's are fast asleep.

~ "Incorrect password/username/access denied" - The owner is fed up with having hundreds of people clogging up his or her FTP site and has changed the password to prevent you from gaining access. This is very common where 'banner FTP sites' are concerned - those requiring you to click on various banners and hunt for keywords, which form the username and password necessary to access the server. Unsurprisingly this is another money making scheme - these sites are more likely to stay active as the owner has more to gain from keeping them up and running.

~ "Insufficient credits" - You are likely to see a message like this if you are accessing a 'ratio site' - one which requires you to upload a certain quantity of bytes before permitting you to download any of the hosted material. To solve this problem you can instruct your FTP client to begin uploading files whenever you are approaching the designated data transfer limit. This can be arranged simply by placing the files you wish to upload at the bottom of the list of currently downloading files. When you run out of credits they will automatically be uploaded. Alternatively have two FTP sessions open at once - use one to upload and the other to download simultaneously (some sites will limit your access to one connection per IP address so this method will work only when multiple connections are permitted).

~ Servers running Windows NT 4.0 and below do not provide support for the resume function. If you are downloading a file from an unresumable server and the connection is reset you will have to start transferring the file again from scratch. It is best to avoid such files like the plague, especially if they are quite large, but if this isn't feasible, download them one at a time and make sure you do not surf the web simultaneously if you have a slow connection. This will allow you to maximise the bandwidth allocated to your currently downloading file whilst minimising the likelihood of any interference which could result in transfer interruptions.

~ If when you click on a link it appears as a 'cgi' or 'php' file in the transfer window, the file is either being protected by an anti-leech system or is subject to a file tracking setup (usually just for statistical purposes), making it very awkward to transfer using a download manager. The best way around this complication is to temporarily disable your download manager by holding down the shift button whilst you click on the file and wait to be redirected to the actual target file you wish to download (keep in mind that this will deny you the use of the resume function in many cases).

Similarly if you attempt to download a file expecting it to occupy 300mb and it appears in your download directory in a matter of seconds, you can safely assume that you've downloaded the code responsible for redirecting you to the download rather the download itself. There are ways of convincing your download manager to cooperate in downloading these files, but again, in most cases it is quicker and simpler to use the method described above. Some sites simply do not like download managers. Call it a personality clash if you like, but don't waste any more time trying to make the two 'talk' to each other.

~ Note that many more of the errors you will come across while attempting to access FTP sites will not be reported in plain English. In contrast to those listed above, the only clue as to the cause of the problem may be presented in the form of a three digit code, which must first be deciphered before you can attempt to remedy the problem.

Below you will find a comprehensive list of these error codes along with their explanations. Note that not all of these codes should be a cause for concern. Many of them will appear simply to keep you informed of the commands currently being executed to facilitate the transfer process.

100 - The requested action is being initiated, expect another reply before proceeding with a new command.
110 - Restart marker reply.
120 - Service ready in x minutes.
125 - Data connection already open, transfer starting.
150 - File status okay, about to open data connection.
200 - The requested action has been successfully completed.
200 - Command okay.
202 - Command not implemented, superfluous at this site.
211 - System status, or system help reply.
212 - Directory status.
213 - File status.
214 - Help message.
215 - Name system type. (Where name is an official system name from the list in the Assigned Numbers document.)
220 - Service ready for new user.
221 - Service closing control connection. Logged out if appropriate.
225 - Data connection open; no transfer in progress.
226 - Closing data connection. Requested file action successful.
227 - Entering Passive Mode.
230 - User logged in, proceed.
250 - Requested file action okay, completed.
257 - Pathname created.
300 - The command has been accepted, but the requested action is being held in abeyance, pending receipt of further information.
331 - User name okay, need password.
332 - Need account for login.
350 - Requested file action pending further information.
400 - The command was not accepted and the requested action did not take place, but the error condition is temporary and the action may be requested again.
421 - Service not available, closing control connection. This may be a reply to any command if the service knows it must shut down.
425 - Can't open data connection.
426 - Connection closed; transfer aborted.
450 - Requested file action not taken. File unavailable.
451 - Requested action aborted: local error in processing.
452 - Requested action not taken. Insufficient storage space in system.
500 - Series Codes: The command was not accepted and the requested action did not take place.
500 - Syntax error, command unrecognised. This may include errors such as command line too long. 501 - Syntax error in parameters or arguments.
502 - Command not implemented.
503 - Bad sequence of commands.
504 - Command not implemented for that parameter.
530 - Not logged in.
532 - Need account for storing files.
550 - Requested action not taken. File unavailable.
552 - Requested file action aborted. Exceeded storage allocation (for current directory or data set). 553 - Requested action not taken. File name not allowed.

Even double Dutch makes sense with a double Dutch to English translator!

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What's the deal with all those pay as your surf programs?

Well, for those of you who have been living on the planet Zog for the last few years, pay as you surf companies offer you the opportunity to earn money simply for viewing adverts displayed in an 'adbar'. The premise is that these banner ads will captivate your attention to such an extent that you will feel compelled to visit various web sites and buy whatever unmissable offer is available at the time. Nevertheless, it isn't compulsory that you purchase anything at all if you don't want to.

Since many people do visit and spend money at these sites, all sorts of people are willing to pay companies such as Valuepay and Cash Surfers in order to have their adverts displayed. A small chunk of the income generated from affiliated advertisers is shared with the members as a reward for keeping the adbar visible on their desktop.

In addition to being paid for the hours that you surf, you also have the opportunity to refer other people to sign up using your ID reference so that you can earn money while they surf.

...Or at least this is how the pay as you surf system used to work before the bottom fell out of the internet advertising model and the dot com bubble burst. These days you'd be lucky to see a single penny in return for the time you invest in these programs. If you want my advice, give them a wide berth; they're not worth the hassle.

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Why do some sites hide the URLs of their files or pages?

If you hover your mouse pointer over one of the text links on this page you will notice that the name of the page or file linked to and its location will be displayed in the bottom left corner of your browser. Some webmasters choose to insert javascript code into their pages in order to mask this information. This may be done to display important information or for misguided aesthetic reasons, but can also be used to conceal links to dangerous files or pages designed to redirect you to the site's sponsor or malevolently coded web sites.

If you are in any doubt you can right-click on a link, select 'properties' and assess the URL for authenticity. If it contains a CGI or PHP reference with an ID code you should be wary of rushing into clicking on it. This is generally a good rule of thumb, however, there are some exceptions that you should be aware of - when the site is using an anti-leech system, for instance, to prevent people from harvesting the entire contents of the site using an automated download tool.

Firefox users can prevent web sites from tampering with the status bar like so: open up the 'preferences' menu, select the 'web features' tab and click on the 'advanced' button adjacent to the 'enable javascript' check box. Now untick the (allow scripts to) 'hide the status bar' and 'change status bar text' check boxes and click 'OK'.

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Common movie/audio encoding formats defined

ASF is yet another video format to receive the MPEG4 codec treatment. It stands for Advanced Streaming Format because it was designed to be watched while being transferred from the internet (or to be 'streamed' if you want to use the correct lingo). The quality is nowhere near as good as MPG, DivX or VCD, but is still acceptable for most purposes while maintaining a comparatively favourable size to quality ratio.

AVI is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave. Technically it is a container rather than an encoding format in its own right in that it specifies how audio and video data is structured within the file. The DivX codec is one notable example of an encoding format which makes use of the AVI wrapper.
AVI files contain a four-digit code which is recognised by movie playback tools such as Media Player or VLC, allowing them to determine how to decode the movie.

DivX is the name of the encoding process used to convert DVD, VHS etc movies into a very high-quality AVI video format. This is carried out using a combination of the MP3 format for audio compression and a hacked version of Microsoft's MPEG4 codec for video compression.
A typical DivX movie will fill a standard 650mb CD-R and can be played back using nothing more than Microsoft's trusty (ha!) Media Player providing you have the DivX codec installed (see my movie links page).

The MPEG format was devised by the Motion Picture Experts Group, hence the abbreviation and its variations (MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and so on) form the basis for many other formats (see previous definitions). It combines very high-quality video playback with large file sizes.
Once again keep the VLC Media Player handy.

Musepack is a lossy audio compression format much like MP3 though distinguished by its .mpc extension. The most notable benefits of the MPC format are:- - Superior quality audio at medium to high bit rates - Very fast encoding and decoding - 100% transparency i.e. MPC music tracks sound identical to their CD counterparts Despite the high-quality audio output rendered by Musepack, the format is not widely used because most media players do not support it natively i.e. a plugin is required. Currently the only media player which can handle MPC files 'out of the box' is Foobar.

Also to it's detriment, very few hardware audio players make provisions for MPC playback. In effect, to listen to MPC music on the go, the files first have to be converted. As this entails switching from one lossy format to another, inevitably the quality will deteriorate in the process. Ideally, if you wish to use MPC files in such a way, you would be best advised to re-encode them directly to the destination format, though if this isn't possible you might like to let either the Alive MP3 Wav Converter or 4U WMA MP3 Converter go to work on them.

Burning MPC files directly to CD enabling you to play them in the usual manner is less problematic. To do this using Nero you will need to install Mausau's MPC plugin. Alternatively, you could use the freeware audio CD writing tool, Burrrn, which supports the MPC format by default.

More detailed information relating to the Musepack audio compression format can be found at the official home page.

nAVI is a non-streamable hybrid of the ASF format, which boasts better quality playback due to its adoption of much-improved frame rates.

Ogg Vorbis is a completely free, streamable, open-source audio encoding format. Compared to the more widely known MP3 format, Ogg Vorbis files provide superior sound quality and smaller file size. Since the format is patent-free, software vendors do not need to pay licensing fees to implement the encoding of Ogg Vorbis files into their software. Effectively this means that a greater variety of encoding software will be available for the Ogg Vorbis format.

QuickTime format was conceived by Apple and therefore it is not surprising that these type of movies first appeared on Macintosh computers before being ported to the PC. They comprise high-quality playback and the ability to be streamed over the internet. Many Mac-friendly web sites favour this encoding method, largely due to its association with Apple I don't doubt.

What is most annoying about proprietary codecs is that the authors will have you believe you need to use a specialist tool to play them back - in this case, Apple's QuickTime Player (who'd have thunk it?). A waste of perfectly good hard disk space if you ask me! Use VLC instead.

Real Media is a proprietary, MPEG-2 based streamable format used to encode audio and video data. Small file sizes mean you won't have long to wait for content to begin streaming, or finish downloading if you are transferring the complete .ra or .rm files before attempting to play them back, but quality can leave a lot to be desired. Real Media movies and audio can be played back using Real Network's free RealPlayer application or Real Alternative. Real Media movie clips are very common on mainstream news sites that don't know any better, bless 'em.

VCD stands for Video Compact Disc. These are CD-Roms containing full-motion video encoded using the MPEG1 codec. Because they consist of high-quality stereo sound coupled with reasonable quality video playback (equivalent to the VHS format) you will often find that they occupy two CDs.
VCDs can be played back with Microsoft's Media Player, amongst a host of other more specialist programs simply by locating and opening their '.dat' files.

WMA is an acronym of Windows Media Audio; Microsoft's propriety audio format. WMA files provide CD-quality sound and are slightly more compact than their MP3 equivalents. Like MP3 files they are streamable.

WMV is an acronym of Windows Media Video; again one of Microsoft's propriety formats. WMV is used to encode movie data, which can contain both video and audio streams. Such files offer near broadcast-quality video, and as an added bonus, can be streamed over the internet.

The observant readers among you may have noticed that XviD spells DivX backwards. I would imagine this reflects the wish of its authors to highlight the similarities between the two codecs. Both are MPEG-4 based and are derived from source code written under Project Mayo.

The principal fork in the path can be traced back to their respective software licenses; DivX is commercial and closed source, whereas XviD is open source and released under the GPL license.
It's difficult to definitively answer the question, "which codec is better?" because there are so many factors which can affect the performance and quality of movies encoded using either codec. See www.xvid.org for downloads and further information.

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