As previously mentioned, Transmission works for downloading torrents on your Mac. But lately, at least for me, it’s been slow and unreliable — so I’ve set out to find a new solution.
While browsing forums for ideas, I found a post mentioning uTorrent. A few hours later, I was downloading torrents VERY quickly and reliably using a streamlined process: downloaded torrent file, torrent automatically opens in uTorrent (in Fusion/XP), torrent downloads very quickly, once completed the file is moved back to my Mac.
Keep reading for instructions on setting up this streamlined process…
Requirements:
• Intel Mac
• VMware Fusion with XP SP2 or higher and VMware Tools installed (probably works with Vista, but not tested)
• Knowledge of static IP addresses and port forwarding
Setup “Bridged” Network in Fusion (so you can have a static IP address and port forward):
1) In VMware Fusion, go to “Virtual Machine” then “Settings”
2) Make sure “Connected” is checked and then select “Connect directly to the physical network (Bridged)”
Setup Static IP Address in XP:
• Open Control Panel –> Network Connections
• Right-click on your LAN or High-Speed Internet connection and click “Properties”
• Under “General” double-click “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”
• Enter a static IP address and DNS server
Forward Torrent Port On Router:
• If you don’t know how, use these instructions – BUT, instead of port 51952 as instructed, use port 32772 — it’s uTorrent’s default.
Setup XP Torrent Folders:
• Create two folders in XP; “Torrent Downloads” (for temporary storage of downloading torrents) and “Torrents” (for newly downloaded .torrent files)
• Right-click “Torrents” –> Properties –> Sharing –> “Share This Folder”
• Set permissions to allow everyone
Setup Shared Mac Folder:
• Create a folder on your Mac called “New Torrents” (this is where downloaded torrents will eventually end up)
• In Fusion –> Virtual Machine –> Settings –> Sharing –> Click “Share folders on your Mac” and add “New Torrent” folder
(In the above picture, my folder is called “_New” instead of “New Torrents”)
Setup uTorrent:
• Download & install uTorrent in XP
• Run the “Speed Guide” and check to make sure torrent port is open
• In main uTorrent window, click “Options” –> “Preferences” –> “Directories”
• Check “Put new downloads in” and select your “Torrent Downloads” folder
• Check “Move completed downloads to:” and select your “New Torrents” folder on your Mac (for me it’s located in My ComputerShared Folders on “.host” (z:)New Torrents)
• Check “Automatically load .torrents from” and select the “Torrents” folder
• Check “delete loaded .torrents”
Now, to finish the uTorrent setup, we need to add it to your Applications folder.:
• In Finder, right-click your VMware XP image file (probably in Documents –> Virtual Machines)
• Click “show package contents” then go into the “Applications” directory
• Create an alias of “µTorrent — Windows XP Professional” (very bottom of list) and drag to your Application’s folder
Firefox Setup (preferred over Safari for downloading torrents):
• Open Firefox –> Preferences –> Applications
• Find “TORRENT file” and select the uTorrent alias in the Applications folder that you just created
Safari Setup:
• In Finder, press Apple+K, enter “smb://static-ip-of-xp” and mount “Torrents” folder
• If your username/password doesn’t work, make sure you’ve setup a password for your XP account in Control Panel –> User Accounts –> Change an Account –> Create a Password
• Drag “Torrents” folder to left Finder sidebar under “Devices”
• Open Safari –> Peferences and set default “Downloads” folder to “Torrents”
Keep in mind, all downloads will go to this folder, which for me is fine since just about all I download on my computer is torrents. It’s for this reason that Firefox is preferred.
Setup .torrents to automatically open in uTorrent when double-clicked:
• In a Finder window or on the Desktop, Apple+I on a .torrent file
• Click the drop down box under “open with” and choose “other”
• Select uTorrent alias in Applications folder and click “Always Open With” – click Add
• Click “Change All…”
* If you’re using TVShows, be sure to change the “Save torrents in:” folder to “Torrents” and select “Automatically open torrent with default client” just to be safe.
* For other questions about torrents in general, including where to download them, how to avoid fake torrents, and other tips, be sure to read my Mac Torrent Tutorial.
