Step 3: How To Find Files
Now that you’ve signed up for Usenet and setup your newsreader, you’re ready to rumble! The question becomes how to find and download the files you want, and you’ll be taught exactly that on this page.
First off a little disclaimer: We are not promoting any kind of illegal downloading, meaning we trust you only to download what you’re allowed to. If in doubt, ask a lawyer. If you download any copyrighted material, always ask for permission first.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s begin with some basics. There are several terabytes (1 TB equals 1024 GB) of data on the Usenet with thousands of video files, games and programs, often in different versions such as Divx or DVD. To download them you need so called NZB files which tell your newsreader what to get for you which you can get at many forums or using search engines.
Be sure to read through the last part of this article in which we explain how to make sure you don’t get infected by any virus and how to avoid fake and password-protected files.
Method 1: Using A Search Engine
Sites such as Binsearch.info, MysterBin.com or NZB.cc allow you to search the Usenet for certain keywords and also to filter results in a way that displays you the most relevant results (see our reviews of all big NZB search engines here). Try it out right now: for this simple example we go to Binsearch.info and type in “Steal This Film”, the name of a well-known movie in the basic search box. Your results will look somehow like this:
Now if you never downloaded anything online this might look a bit confusing to you, one might notice that the subject lines are full of additional information but all you need is there, such as language (“NL meaning dutch, subs it being undertitled) and size which is important because it shows you which format the file is – Remember, there’re DVDs, Divx… you get the idea. Depending on how long you want to wait for your download or how much space you want to use on your hard drive you can choose freely.
Now simply check the box left to the file and hit the “Create NZB” button on the top of the results. Open the file in your newsclient and off you go!
Tip: You can sort out some spam files by checking if the size is what should be expected, and setting a filter to only show uploads with a certain minimum size.
This works fine for video files, but if you plan to download programs or games and are afraid of viruses you should consider…
Method 2: Using An NZB Forum
You can also use forums which are moderated by the respective team so that you can be more sure your download is safe. Over at http://usenetcompass.com/usenet-nzb-boards/usenet-nzb-board/ you can find a pretty good list. Some want money for access to their “premium” section however they also have a free section for regular users.
Method 3: Using An NZB Directory
There is also the possibility to use a site such as the now famous Newzbin.com which are updated by editors that search the Usenet for news files. They have more or less complete lists, we are currently working on reviews for these sites.
To actually download NZBs some of them require you to pay a fee.
But maybe you want to go on the hunt for files yourself using search engines? Then you absolutely HAVE to know how to protect yourself against viruses that are more and more also infecting video files. We have compiled a list of ways to be on the safe site. Click here to read the article (coming soon!)
