SuperNZB
The Newsgroup NZB Downloader

The Check-Files Window

This window can be opened via the Check button on the Downloader.
This feature was added in version 3.1.0 of SuperNZB.

The purpose of this feature is to make sure that all the files listed in the NZB are actually present on your news server(s) before you spend time downloading. It is very dis-heartening to download a lot of files only to hit a wall because some are missing.

Read these pages to learn why files may be missing, or why the NZB may have gone "stale".

When you click SuperNZB's "Check" button, it will use the server connections you have set up on the Downloader window and send a "HEAD" command to the server(s) for each post comprising the files in the NZB. If a server has the post, it will return the smallish header information. If not, it will return an error. You can experiment by finding the oldest NZB file that you can, and then plugging it into SuperNZB.

Note: SuperNZB will ask each server if it has the file. As soon as one reports that it does, SuperNZB stops asking the other servers. So, if a file shows as being present, it may only be present on one server, which is not a problem. If the files shows as missing, then it is missing on all servers.

If the Check Files window reports that all the files are present, close it and start downloading. However, keep in mind that older files can expire off the server at any time without warning.

If the Check Files window reports that a few posts are missing, that doesn't mean you should not download the file.

Sometimes a server will report a post missing due to various technical glitches. The Downloader will keep requesting a post over-and-over until it gets it, but the Check Files window only tries once.

Most NZBs include PAR files that can magically re-create missing files. This will work if only a few files are missing.

It is a pain, but as a last resort, you can use our free NewzToolz program to glue together any left over part files in SuperNZB's parts folder. In most cases, the resulting file will be able to contribute some useful data to the unPARing process.

The best approach to avoid this problem is to follow these two principles:

  • Select recently-created NZB files, as opposed to older files.
  • Have access to at least two news servers. Perhaps your ISP's free server, and ours.