newsbin.com

Running Ver 6.0 build 1019 and don't know what latest revision is.

(Hint: Have Newsbin downloading before starting Ver 559 conversion - conversion goes on for hours or days and stops Newsbin commands after starting)
When converting from Ver 559, first thing to do is Groups/PostStorage/ImportVer5xxxHeaders, then do Groups/DownloadSpecial/Download50,000 and then download latest groups update. I think Newsbin wants to download all headers instead of just latest.

Download display auto-imports entries, but consider deleting previous download entries and re-entering downloads since PAR2 files aren't auto-imported. And there is confusion since old files in download display don't show up in Groups display.


Ctrl+Shift+Y doesn't bypass filters. My most used command is "Add to Top, bypass filters".

In downloads, pausing individual items seems to not work sometimes, or I just not waiting long enough for pause indication.

When viewing individual items in a file, the tendency is to scoll down. Would be nice to exit individual file display without having to scroll back. "Home" or "PageUp" keys are useful but can be confusing.

Speed Limiter hard to set - my max DSL connection is only 1.0Mbps and using very low end of Speed Limiter.

I download many old files that AstraWeb/Newsbin says are complete. So I run out of PAR2s. When re-downloading files, Newsbin seems to abort a file download when the filename already exists. Somewhat confused here, I know I am trying to download duplicate files (bypass filters) and as I recall, the solution was to rename the existing file. Ver 6.0 will not download a PAR2 or RAR that is more than 1 block size and has an existing filename in that folder.

Retry Download tries to retry all displayed errors instead of only the one that I want to retry. Previous entries were already retried - with several servers each retried file three times each. Once incompletes are assembled, any error indication is gone and have to QuickPar to see errors.

Read Post Body now marks the file as Old and Downloaded.

Mark Post Old/New doesn't work once a file is marked Downloaded.

Clear Odometer doesn't appear to do anything. Is there an Odometer?


Not trying to pick a fight here, only documenting problems that I faced when going to Ver 6.0 and suggesting ways around problem.

Version 6 has been in beta for like 6 months. Would've been nice to hear from you during that time. We're looking into your list.

- Ctrl-Shift-Y's working here.

- Pausing individual items in a set can be over-ridden by autopar.

When viewing individual items in a file, the tendency is to scoll down. Would be nice to exit individual file display without having to scroll back. "Home" or "PageUp" keys are useful but can be confusing.

No clue what you mean here.

- Speed limiter isn't really designed for you any more I guess.

Retry Download tries to retry all displayed errors instead of only the one that I want to retry. Previous entries were already retried - with several servers each retried file three times each. Once incompletes are assembled, any error indication is gone and have to QuickPar to see errors.

It automatically retries too so, it's hard to know if you triggered the retry or it did the retry on it's own. You probably want to disable auto-assemble if you haven't all ready. That'll leave the files in the list while you try to make them download more chunks.

Read Post Body now marks the file as Old and Downloaded.
Mark Post Old/New doesn't work once a file is marked Downloaded.
Clear Odometer doesn't appear to do anything. Is there an Odometer

- Yes
- Downloaded overrides new.
- Might not be one. There is a per server odometer.

Quade wrote:

Read Post Body now marks the file as Old and Downloaded.
Mark Post Old/New doesn't work once a file is marked Downloaded.

- Yes
- Downloaded overrides new.

Unfortunately. Mighty annoying, too:-(
It's rather impossible to peek on the .nfo and save things for later in the current design.

- mho

Ctrl-R text files are all stored in "Read Posts" folder under the data folder.

Quade wrote:Ctrl-R text files are all stored in "Read Posts" folder under the data folder.

Sure, but that doesn't really help when I (a week later, or more) want to re-visit a post; check the .nfo and make a new decision if I want it, or not.

- mho

"Version 6 has been in beta for like 6 months."

I've only been using it for 2 hours. I can delete and come back in 6 months?

Status line Odometer reset after reboot/reload. Options/ClearOdometer does nothing in realtime.


I was not complaining.

But here is a complaint: Give me some way to force a download rergardless of filters, dupe checking, existing filename, and other reasons that I haven't figured out yet. I spend so much time trying to force downloads.

Cttl+Shift+Y is supposed to "Add to the Top of the Download List - Bypass Filters".

I have a bad Part001.rar (44.9 MB) and Cttl+Shift+Y does absolutely nothing.

Then I click on the .par2 file and it works every time.

I have a bad Part002.rar (44.9 MB) and Cttl+Shift+Y, every time, starts the download and aborts.

Changing the downloaded filename for Part002.rar and Cttl+Shift+Y now re-downloads properly.

Changing the downloaded filename for Part001.rar and Cttl+Shift+Y still does absolutely nothing.

NOTE: Part001.rar doesn't work at all. Part002.rar starts and aborts until I change the filename.

Again, what I want is a way to force a download. If something is not clear, I can explain it again.

If you made OLD/NEW work on "Downloaded" status, then I would have tried that too.

Do you have auto-rename disabled? That's what it sounds like.

Ctrl-Y/Ctrl-Shift-Y bypass filters. The rename stuff isn't a filter.

You can't add something to the download list that's already there. Don't know if that applies or not.

I'd exit, then edit the configuration file. In the

[SETTINGS]

section add

AutoAssembleTimer=20000

Then save and restart Newsbin.

This will prevent it from ever assembling incomplete files. You'll have to manually assemble using the right click menu. This might negate the need for you to re-download over and over again.

Options/FilenameOptions has "Auto Rename" checked (enabled), "Rename the file if it already exists on disk". And I've seen other non-par non-rar files with new name , example -(0001).nfo

These are not in the download list. They were deleted from the download list. Still have "Downloaded" status in Subject: list.

I tried "AutoAssembleTimer=50000" in "NewsbinData\NewsBin.nbi" file, but it either didn't take or rebooting reset it. I may have messed up. Either way, I do want AutoAssembleTimer to work in a timely fashion and not dosabled. Where is config file?

NOTE: Astraweb/Newsbin says some files are complete, but still download with errors. I wait a while and try download again. That is really what I am trying to do. It hurts bad to download a 1GB file and need one PAR2 block more to fix the file.

I suspect many power users rely on NewsBin too much to be beta testing it for you...

I know I only braved NewsBin 6 once it was labelled final (and was still being somewhat adventurous not waiting for a few iterations), and I'm seeing a few problems I'm likely to be reporting here once I've had some time to determine whether I just have to adjust to a new way of working for each issue.

That is really what I am trying to do. It hurts bad to download a 1GB file and need one PAR2 block more to fix the file.

Yeah, I don't have problems like that. I don't download from the edge of retention and have a backup server to fill in the missing parts. You could probably solve this the same way.

I can't reproduce your symptoms. If you "File/Save As". note the folder, then cancel, it'll show you where the NBI file is located.

If you left the files in the download list and simply retried the incompletes from time to time, assuming new records show up, the files would eventually become more complete. Automatic assembly and trying to squeak every last block of the download don't really go together. If it assembles incompletes while you're still trying to get more blocks, you'll just have to start the download over again. I'd never let them assemble until I had enough par and data blocks to actually complete the files (or give up).

Astra tells Newsbin the file is complete and maybe at some time it was. The server changes and unless you re-download headers, the changes aren't reflected in the headers. That's just usenet for you. What Newsbin shows you is the state when the headers were downloaded. Typically the older the files are, the staler the data becomes. That's partly why really old files become increasingly problematic.

Quade wrote:

Astra tells Newsbin the file is complete and maybe at some time it was.

I think the problem is often the opposite. All the headers are there (and will be, even if re-downloaded). The problem is that they have some holes in the article storage; this will (hopefully) be fixed and back-filled. So, what is needed, is to ask again, for (oldish) articles that were once not there, but may well be now/again. (The "edge of retention" isn't really an edge when random parts of article storage is temporarily offline)

- mho

Thanks for your input.

Yea, I use and abuse. This computer runs AMD 3.2Ghz XP 64bit Pro, 16 GB RAM, Three hard drives, 500, 1,000, 2,000 GB, two 1920x1200 LCDs. Maybe WinXP and Newsbin are bumping bones.

Only Newsbin Ver 6.0 Build 1019 oddities were noted. Meaning that Astraweb/Giganews and computer is the same and I am guessing that new poblems are the result of upgrading to Newsbin 6.0 Build 1019.

"Read Post Body" was handy when it didn't set the "Downloaded" status. Now I have to learn a new way of flagging actual downloads. Ver 6.0 is better at handling Subject and Download lists which was my main problem with Ver 559.

I'm with mho and Ribble on the Read Post Body thing. I'm not going to faff about trying to locate the missing file, which was *meant* to be read in the first place!