Essential security guide for P2P users Block bad uploaders, avoid fake files and feel safe..

here are the essential tools that you will need:
PeerGuardian 2 -

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Anyone using any version of Windows (including x64 bit), Linux and OSX can use it!
If you downloaded PeerGuardian a while ago and remember that it used a lot of CPU and RAM, well, the developers fixed all the issues and now PeerGuardian barely registers on the Windows Task Manager!
For Azureus users only:
SafePeer -

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VERY important -> Common sense! <- VERY important

Ok. First of all, install PeerGuardian and, if you have Azureus, SafePeer.

Lets start with SafePeer. Its the easiest to configure. Ready to start? Ok Well that wasnt hard, was it? You dont need to configure it in any way, just make sure you installed it properly. If you see this on the bottom of the main window -> {date goes here, time goes here} IPs OVER 100,000 number here number/number/number <- then you are fine.
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SafePeer shares its database with PeerGuardian, so its main job (if you have PeerGuardian running) is to block any peers that upload damaged pieces. Basically, it will eliminates this scenario -> download 400 MB on a 50 MB torrent.


Onto PeerGuardian. This is a great piece of software that has millions of IPs that belong to everyone that try to monitor what you are doing. After you install it, you need to make sure HTTP is allowed. Without that option enabled you wont be able to view any websites. On the main page just click Allow HTTP on the top right. Then, click Check Updates. If something fails to download, try a second and a third time. It normally connects on the third try.

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Now go to the Settings tab. Make sure the first page looks like this:

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Second page:

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We are done. Well. almost. Check the next section for the last tweak. As for now, PeerGuardian will start with your operating system, and will run hidden while protecting your system. SafePeer will catch anyone that slips through.

1 small inconvenience in PeerGuardian:

I like PeerGuardian, but it has 1 small flaw in it. The log history can get pretty big. Mine was over 1.32 GB!! Of course, I ran it for 6 month, but still � 1.32 GB!!! Here is how you can check if you are losing space to the log file.
Go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Files/PeerGuardian 2 . There, you should see this:

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ight now, my log file is 53 MB Yours could be much bigger.DO NOT DELETE THE LOG FILE!!! First, you need to check how your PeerGuardian handles the missing log. Turn off PeerGuardian make sure its not just minimized. Then, rename the log file to history.old

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Then, restart PeerGuardian. It should create a new, small history file. If it does, delete the history.old file. You just recovered a lot of space on your drive! If PeerGuardian crashes, you must reinstall it. After you uninstall it, go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Files and delete the PeerGuardian 2 folder. Then install again.

DELETE THE LOG AUTOMATICALLY
Just set the setting for History just like it shows here:

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Now, lets work on avoiding fake files and viruses.
Here is where common sense comes in.

How to spot fakes.
1 - The files inside torrents are .zip (95% of .zip files are fakes, 5% are uploaded by newbies)
2 - Torrent has .rar files, and no .nfo or .sfv files.
3 - The TV episode is not yet released. Wait for about 30 minutes for most downloaded shows to appear (Family Guy, etc.), 3 hours to a few days for shows like Law and Order. Check

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for all TV shows' air dates.

4 - The TV torrent doesnt have a release group name in it. For new episodes, always look for [eztv]/[VTV] in the torrent name AND in the file name. Also, most of the time, their torrents are showing seeders and leechers (they don�t use public trackers that are overloaded)

5 - If you want to know if a movie, game or software that is uploaded matches a real release, check out two websites:

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Lists recent software, video and game releases in the warez scene

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Offers up-to-date .NFO files and reviews on the latest pirate software releases
Please keep in mind that if the torrent is not listed on these websites it doesn�t mean that it is fake. Also keep in mind that it will take time to get to private sites

6 - BEST METHOD. Wait for at least a few thousand people to download. If it hasn�t been taken off, chances are its good. Please keep in mind that this is not a foolproof method. A lot of people dont report fake torrents if they find one.