Getting started with eMule

All you need to get files from the eDonkey network is an appropriate client. For beginners, we recommend installing the 'official' eMule client from here.

On installation, a Wizard will guide you through the basic setup. You'll be asked to provide a username (generally not a good idea to use your real name) change the default port numbers (for your firewall settings), set your upload and download speeds and set a few other parameters. For now, we recommend keeping the default settings. The first screen that will appear will be the servers screen. eMule comes with a list of servers, and new ones will be added once you connect to the network for the first time. Servers with eMule work a little like BitTorrent trackers - they keep track of who is connected to the network, and who is sharing what. When you do a search for a file, the eMule client will ask the server who has the file. It generally doesn't matter which server you connect to, since the servers talk amongst each other - so when you're connected to one server, you're effectively connected to them all.

To connect to a server, simply click connect at the top right hand corner of the screen. The display at the bottom right of the screen will tell you when you have connected, and if you have a HighID (which is good, indicating that you have no firewall problems). Now you can search for a file. Click on the 'Search' button at the top of the window.

Under the name field, type the text of the file you want to search for. It's a text comparison with the file names, and doesn't have to be complete or exact. For instance, if you were looking to download a Linux distribution, you could type 'linux distribution' in the box and press enter. There's also a field you can change called method. By default, it's set to server, which means that it only asks the server you're connected to for search results. You can also set it to Global (server), which means that it asks every eMule server for the file. It takes longer but is more comprehensive. In the bottom pane a list of matches for your search term will appear. Double click on any and all you want to download. The number in the 'Avail' column tells you how many people are sharing that file. The higher the number, the more quickly you're likely to be able to get that file. Now lets go to the 'Transfers' tab by clicking the button at the top of the window. This screen shows the status of all your current downloads, including a graphical bar that shows you which chunks of a given file you have along with the total number of sources for the file (and also how many of those sources you have connected to). This screen also tells you where you are in other people's download queues (which we will delve more into next month). You can cancel a given download by right clicking on its and selecting 'Cancel'.

On its default setting, eMule saves completed files to a subdirectory in your eMule directory called 'Incoming'. Before they're complete, files are stored in a subdirectory called 'Temp'. Both of these directories can be changed in the Preferences screen, by clicking the gear icon at the top of the window. It's also worth noting that your chosen download directory will automatically be shared with other eMule users. Anything in that directory will be available to other users on the network (so be careful what you put in it). You will also be forced to upload any files that you are currently downloading.