Managing large downloads in 10.4

Hi,

This is my 1st post.

I have just returned to Mac after a brief 18mths with Windows. My PC is in the repair shop completely trashed, so I treated myself with a brand new iMac G5!

Here's my question:


I just started using Software Update for the 1st time and some downloads will take longer than my allowed 4hr dial-up timelimit.

Other than changing to Broadband, what are my options for managing these large downloads using 10.4?

there is nothing you can do with the OS itself, that is all your internet connection. Try going to hotspots or cafe's if you need to d/l big files. They will have your broadband that you will need.

Since NanoBite is using a G5 iMac a cafe or a hot spot would not work for her/him. She/he could check an Apple Store to see if they would put the updates on CD/DVD. I would bring my own media or buy it there if they were willing to do it.

rman said:

Since NanoBite is using a G5 iMac a cafe or a hot spot would not work for her/him. She/he could check an Apple Store to see if they would put the updates on CD/DVD. I would bring my own media or buy it there if they were willing to do it.

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Many thanks for your replies..... :biohazard

I found a 3rd party I could try....

http://www.yazsoft.com/

NanoBite said:

Many thanks for your replies..... :biohazard

I found a 3rd party I could try....

http://www.yazsoft.com/

Click to expand...

I think you will probably find that it is a waste of money. These "speed up" things almost never work, and even if it does show a bit of an increase there is no way that it is going to allow you to download large files at broad band speeds over a dialup conection.

Your best bet is to check around and see if you can find someone close by that has broad band that will download it for you and put it on a cd or dvd. Offer them a couple of bucks to cover the disk cost and a pepsi or two.

James said:

I think you will probably find that it is a waste of money. These "speed up" things almost never work, and even if it does show a bit of an increase there is no way that it is going to allow you to download large files at broad band speeds over a dialup conection.

Your best bet is to check around and see if you can find someone close by that has broad band that will download it for you and put it on a cd or dvd. Offer them a couple of bucks to cover the disk cost and a pepsi or two.

Click to expand...

Thanks James....is there anyway that if a download is interrupted half-way through because your dial-up time is up that the next time you connect you can resume from where you left off without having to start over again?

I might want to start a download and the internet cuts off as the download is nearly finished?

I know broadband is the answer I just want to learn the capabilities of this Mac re: downloads.

You can resume a download if your browser supports the RESUME mode. Safari does support resume, however, i am not sure if it will resume later or not. If something happens while you are doing it, it will resume, but i don't know if it will resume the next day on a different call as i have never had it come up. Sorry maybe someone else can answer that one for you.

Ta James,

I checked out Safari Help and read about resuming downloads, y'now the funny part is that the help advice was incorrect.

It says:

To resume downloading a file, click the arrow next to file's name in the Downloads window. Safari continues downloading the file from where you stopped it.

In reality there is a refresh icon to the far right in the download window and if you click it once it pauses the download. If you click it again it resumes the download.

I'm conducting an experiment, I'm downloading a small file from my website and have paused it. I will see if I can resume the download the next time I dial-up.

:headphone

Well the resume download worked when my dial-up was disconnected then re-connected.

The same can't be said for Software Update. Some updated are quite large and require a few hours download time. It seems that Mac doesn't give you the option to even pause a large download let alone stop/resume it. This is a problem if the download is slowing down the computer and you need all the bandwidth for eBay for example.

Glad to hear it worked for you. I haven't used dial up for so many years i didn't know if it would. Not all sites will let you resume a stalled file, the site sending has to offer resume before it will work, but most places do anymore.

NanoBite said:

Well the resume download worked when my dial-up was disconnected then re-connected.

The same can't be said for Software Update. Some updated are quite large and require a few hours download time. It seems that Mac doesn't give you the option to even pause a large download let alone stop/resume it. This is a problem if the download is slowing down the computer and you need all the bandwidth for eBay for example.

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But you can download all software updates from apple's website as well as through software updater. The bad news is that the one's on apple's website are sometimes larger as they contain all updates, not only the ones you need.

Hi aptmunich...does that mean Safari's download window will open and I can pause/resume the download....if that's the case I should use that method instead of the Software Updater cos' my Dial-Up is always cutting out half way through a download unless I start the download as soon as I connect, but then other users complain about the computer going slow for them....I gotta please em all.

I have learnt something new!

I went to the Apple site to download the 10.4.3 update and now I can manage the update exactly how I'm used to!

I also learnt something else!

I accidently clicked on the clean up button in the downloads window to get rid of a completed download but it also cleaned up some paused downloads I wanted to keep!

Firstly I was mad at myself, then I double-clicked the .dmg file on my desktop that corresponded with the cleared download, and it resumed from where I had left off!

I know now that you shouldn't click clean up if you have a paused download.....

Yippee......:0] :headphone

Yeah, that's what I meant - glad to hear it worked out for you...

thanks Aptmunich....