How to navigate in Newsgroup with Grabit

This chapter is about using Grabit to download in newsgroup network.

First, you need to subscribe to a news server. We recommand Giganews to begin and to benefit of 14 trial free days.
You can visit our compare page of news server here.

Next to your subscription, your news server will send you a news server, a login and a password.

Configure news server

Launch Grabit.

Right click on 'My GrabIt' then 'Add server' :

The following configuration window opens, just fill in with informations you got :

Here you can configure number of simultaneous connections (3 by default), depending to the news server you choose.
It's about the number of download launched simultaneous (called thread). Each connections is limited to a max download speed (about 250 ko), that is why you should inscrease that number depending to your server properties and your subscription to benefit your high speed connection.

Here it is, your news server is now well configured in Grabit.

Retrieving newsgroup list

Once news server is set, you have to retrieve newsgroup list available on the server you set up.

Right click on the server, then click on 'Full update groups'. Newsgroup list will be downloaded and will be displayed on your right.

Retrieving data header

Now, you can choose the group that interests you. How do you know which one ? The name indicated you the category, and the number of articles indicates the content. Some websites help you and identify content of groups (like BinNews). Then you know which group to choose. Better is to use NZB Files. If you don't know it, you should visit our chapter NZB Files next you finish reading this one.

Interesting groups are for instance :
alt.binaries.cd.image
alt.binaries.dvd.image
alt.binaries.boneless
alt.binaries.movies.french
...

There's classment depending to the catogory of datas. Music, Films, Softwares...

Once you chose your group, right click on it and click on 'Subscribe' :

You notice that this group has been added under your server, on the left.
Right click on it, then click on 'Full update' to retrieve all headers and see the content of the group.

Time of retrieving depends ont the number of articles (files) in the group.
Then on 'Articles' tab you can see all headers.

An explanation of tabs in Grabit :

Articles : to see files in newsgroup selected
Batch : actual download or state of fixing, extraction, retrieving headers, retrieving newsgroup...
All groups : dislpay all available groups on news server
Grabit Usenet Search : Grabit search tool. Limited to 2 research per day

Downloading datas

Here we are.

To download a DVD for instance, several files are necessary :

NZB File: Visit chapter NZB Files
Fichier NFO : Text file containing informations on content and where do the datas come from
Fichiers PAR2 : Integrity control files. Visit chapter Fixing for more informations
Fichiers RAR : Fedora DVD final is composed of 19 files of 54mo each

Necessary files are RAR and PAR2. NFO files can sometimes contain interesting informations like passwords, serials...

Select files you want to download, right click on your selection and click on 'Grab Selected Article' !

 

Searching datas to download

Finally, it's not so easy to find what you want through this way, especially files that don't have explicit name. Grabit proposes a research system but limited to 2 searchs per day.

You have two others better solutions :

1. Use NZB Files (visit chapter Fichiers NZB)
2. Use directories that references uploaded datas on newsgroup servers, as BinNews. It propose a complete research tool and informations to get real content of the archives, not necessary the same as the name of the archives. A chapter will be soon built on Binnews et NZB Files.

Have a nice time on Newsgroup !