The Guide - Quick Guide

Quick Guide

• How Peer-To-Peer (P2P) and Kazaa Work
• Downloading and Installing Kazaa Media Desktop
• Sharing, Searching and Downloading Files
• Using your files
• New Features in Kazaa v

Kazaa uses peer-to-peer technology. This means that individual users connect to each other directly, without need for a central point of management.

All you need to do is install Kazaa and it will connect you to other Kazaa users.

For example Peter downloads Kazaa and installs it onto his computer. Mary also has Kazaa installed on her computer. Peter uses Kazaa to search for a file he is looking for. Kazaa finds the file on Mary’s computer. Peter can now download the file directly from Mary.

Kazaa allows you to:

• Search and download content that is shared by premium content providers or by other Kazaa users.
• ‘Kreate’ your own files and distribute them using Kazaa and Magnet Links. Find out more about how to ‘Kreate’ and share your own files.

The P2P searches occur through users with fast connections, called Supernodes. Once located, the file is sourced for downloading directly from the user who has it. Find out more about Supernodes.

To install Kazaa you will need to download the install file. Once you have downloaded the file, double click on it to kick off the installation program. Read the instructions carefully and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Once the installation is complete, you can start using Kazaa straight away.

For detailed information on how to install Kazaa go to Installing Kazaa

Learn how to set up and personalize Kazaa.

Sharing
Responsible, active sharing is the key to useful peer-to-peer experiences. In order for everyone to benefit from the collaboration, users need to share appropriate files in accordance with the end user license agreement. Successful peer-to-peer is a two way street.

To start sharing, carefully select the files you would like to share. Use Windows Explorer to copy each of the files into your ‘My Shared Folder’. Find out more about sharing.

Searching
To start searching for files, click on the ‘Search’ view button (located in the top tool bar between ‘Theater’ and ‘Traffic’ in the default ‘Classic’ skin). The ‘Search’ view will open.

For a Quick Search, just type the keyword you are looking for in the 'Search for:' box and click the 'Search' button. This will start a search and the results will be displayed on the right side of the screen.

To do a new search, just change the keywords in the 'Search for:' box and click the 'Search' button again.

Each search result is marked with either a Gold or Blue Icon. Find out how to conduct an Advanced Search.

Downloading
To download a file that has been located through a search, click the 'Download' button or double click on the file. Alternatively, you can click the 'Download' button on the toolbar or you can click the right mouse button and select download.

The file icon will change from the standard file icon to an icon indicating that the file is being downloaded.

You can monitor the progress of a downloading file by clicking the 'Traffic' button in toolbar. The ‘Traffic’ view shows two windows. The top window shows downloading files (coming to you from another user) and the bottom window shows uploading files (going from you to another user).

The key things to note are the Progress bar, which indicates how much of the file has been downloaded, and the 'Status' which indicates what is currently happening to the file. Find out what the different statuses mean.

Once the file status is 'Completed' then the file has been fully downloaded and is ready to use.

Most common file types can be played/viewed/used within Kazaa. The best way to use a file is to click on 'My Kazaa' in the top toolbar and find your file in the folder of its media type (e.g. music will be in Audio, games will be in Software, etc.).

Double clicking on files in 'My Kazaa' view will start them as appropriate. You can also right mouse click on a file to get more options.

Find about more on opening files in Kazaa.

Below is a short guide to the new features in Kazaa v .

Not using Kazaa ? Get it now.

Search Agent – Schedule your searches

Can’t find that file? You can instruct Kazaa v ’s new Search Agent to search every 30 minutes for up to 24 hours.

As long as the user sharing the file is still online when you return, you will be able to download the found file.

How to schedule a search:

Open Search Agent by selecting the 'Search Agent' tab to the right of 'Advanced' search, in ‘Search’ view.

Type keywords into the 'Search for:' text box, then click the 'Save & Run' button.

A dialog box will appear. To run the Search Agent press the 'Yes' button.

A search tab will appear at the top of the Search Results screen with your keyword in the tab. You can perform other searches and return to the Search Agent tab later. You’ll know that the Search Agent is still running, as there will be a circular blue icon in it.

A search can be stopped by either: clicking on the 'X' on the search tab, or selecting the keyword of the search in the 'Search Agent' search screen, and then clicking the 'Stop' button.

Running an Advanced search with Search Agent

An Advanced Search Agent search can be performed from the 'Advanced' tab. Fill out the fields of the Advanced search you wish to perform.

At the bottom of the 'Advanced' search tab is a 'Search Agent' box. Enter a name for your Search Agent and click ‘Save and Run’ to start the search. You can edit your search by selecting the search keyword in Search Agent’s search screen, and then clicking the 'Edit' button. This will display the 'Advanced' search options, and allow you to modify your search.

You can clear the 'Quick' or 'Advanced' search tab by clicking the 'New P2P Search' button in the top toolbar.

Password protect your family filter

Kazaa v includes an updated filter tool that enables you to select age appropriate limitations to ensure you have the best possible peer to peer experience. You’ll be prompted to set up a family filter password when you install Kazaa v , ensuring your settings can only be changed by you.

It’s strongly recommended that you set a password to protect the Family Filter if you share your computer.

The Family Filter options are:

• No filter
  All search results are displayed.
• Offensive content
  Filters search results where the file’s descriptive data (meta data) includes keywords which could potentially be used to describe offensive material.
• Adult content (default)
  Filters search results where the file’s descriptive data (meta data) includes keywords which could potentially be used to describe adult material, plus all keywords from the ‘Offensive content’ setting.
• Images and Video
  Does not show any search results that are standard image or video format.

You can change your password at any time. To do this, go to Tools> Options> Filter and click the ‘Change Password’ button.

Promote your blog or website

Promote your blog or website to other users via Kazaa, and find other user’s promoted blogs and sites. If you register your blog / site URL, it will be displayed as a link in search results and within the Kazaa traffic view when a file you’re sharing is displayed in another user’s search results.

How to do it:

To add your site, go to Tools > Options > Personal Website

Enter your URL (has to be a http://, https:// or ftp:// page) in the ‘Your Web Address’ field and ‘OK’. You can change or remove the URL any time.

If you’re new to Kazaa, you’ll get the chance to enter this information when you first set up Kazaa.

There are two ways to check out other user’s URLs and for them to view yours:

1. In search results, you can click on the user’s name if it’s a link. If you mouse over any of these links, the URL will appear in your (link) status bar.
2. Right click on a file in your search results and select “View User’s Personal Website”. You’ll then be taken to web view, to that site in ‘Web’ view.

You can include Magnet links on your site. Magnet links allow visitors to download files that you elect to publish on your blog or site via Kazaa, saving you bandwidth.

As always, you must have the right to publish any site you make available through your blog. Read more about Responsible sharing.

Kazaa veterans please note: This new feature replaces the ‘Send message to this user’ option.

Customize your toolbar

Kazaa v now features fully customizable toolbars, that you can make as streamlined or feature-packed as you want.

You can choose to display or hide the following tool bars:

Main toolbar: At the very top of your screen. An easy way to access the core Kazaa functions.

Secondary toolbar: Found at top of screen, with Back, Forward, Stop, Refresh and Home Options.

Address bar: Found at top of screen and functions in the same way as standard browser address bars.

Channel Bar: The channel directory is found at the top right of your screen and if you have installed channels, you’ll find them to the right of the directory.

Status Bar: Displayed at bottom of screen, displaying your Participation level and number of files you’re currently sharing.

To display or hide a toolbar, go to View >Toolbars and click on the toolbar. A tick beside indicates that the toolbar will be displayed. Your settings will remain the same for your future sessions, until you decide to change them, or until you upgrade to a new version of Kazaa.

Enhancements

Improved setup screen
Better Kazaa startup
Enhanced web view function
Improved status bar and connection information
New Media Player interface
Bug fixes
XP SP2 compatible