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Why Are People Throwing The Word Health Around,
And Is My Torrent Contagious?

The word health can encompass many things when dealing with a torrent.

Before You Download The Torrent, Health Means...

It shows the last known health from the tracker of the torrent, although this isn't always reliable.

While You're Downloading or Uploading the Torrent, It Means...

The health shows how many are uploading, downloading, and how many peers have the files you need.

  1. How to Pick a Good, if not Great, Torrent On...

    The very first thing you need to look at is the health summary of the torrent – how many peers it has, how many seeds, etc. You should also look at the date it was submitted, the queried time, and any extra information that your favorite website will give you.

  2. User Comments – Read and Learn!

    The greatest thing about most torrent sites is that they allow comments, so read the darn things! Check if people thing the quality is good, how many complaints there were, if people are happy with it, just read them to better know what you're putting on your computer!

  3. What's In The File?

    Make sure the size and extension match – if it's a two hour movie in DVD-R format, but only a few hundred MBs, steer clear. But be careful not to get the file extensions confused!

  4. Get To Know Those Who're Sharing The Same Files...

    Look at the names of those submitting the files, and the tracker. Have you downloaded from either before? Do you usually like them?

    Getting to know that information is key if you're planning on downloading more then twice. If you can find a tracker you like, or a submitter who has great torrents, you'll be happier for it.

Bookmark To Remember

Before you start downloading your torrent, bookmark it. There are too many different torrents of the same file out there, so don't rely on memory.

The reason to do this is if you have any problems while downloading, you can easily return to it and look at the comments, and you never know if you're going to need important installation information. It's also easier to leave a comment, good or bad, so you can tell other users who are considering downloading it what it's about.