-
Step 1
Download and install eMule on your hard drive. Be sure to download the newest release of the software from the official eMule website. See the links section below. The current version is v0.49c. If a different version is downloaded, the basic setup is the same but there might be some minor differences in the interface.
-
Step 2
Run the eMule wizard. Upon first opening the program, the eMule First Runtime Wizard window pops up and will guide you through the first steps. Click "Next" to begin. Enter a user name and check the boxes if you wish to have eMule run when you start Windows or connect at startup. Click "Next."
-
Step 3
Set the ports and connections. This can be difficult if you have limited computer and Internet connection experience. eMule requires two ports to be opened on the user's router and/or firewall to receive or send files. Click "Test Ports" on the right-hand side of the window to test the ports on your router or firewall. They already be set up. If the test comes back negative, the ports shown need to be forwarded, which means they need to be opened on the your router or firewall. You'll need to find out how to forward the ports using their own specific equipment and settings. Your ISP Web site should help, or you can try the online resources listed below. Click "Test Ports" again once the port forwarding has been done. If it still does not work, custom port numbers may be entered into the window boxes. If that doesn't work, click the disable button next to the ports on the window and click "Use UPnP to Setup Ports" for the eMule wizard and the user's router or firewall to use plug-and-play, which should automatically search for and set up forwarding on existing ports. Click "Test Ports" again. Click "Next" once the port test comes back positive.
-
Step 4
Set up the eMule download/upload priority settings. Keep the boxes checked to allow eMule to manage the user's download and upload priorities. The settings force files that are rare or have few sources to be downloaded before more popular files with more sources. These are good settings because often rare files disappear after the source users leave or stop sharing the files. It's a good idea to get those files before the sources dry up. These options only affect future files, so nothing that exists on your computer will utilize these settings. Click "Next."
-
Step 5
Enable "Protocol Obfuscation" if your ISP blocks eMule's access to the Internet. This setting allows eMule to circumvent these restrictions. Click "Next."
-
Step 6
Choose the server networks and complete the wizard. Keep the boxes checked for the default networks, which include eD2k and Kad. Keep the "Safe Connect" box unchecked because it will allow eMule to connect to the servers faster. Enable it if a lot of false connects occur while using eMule because of bad connections that limit the number of connections to the outside network servers. Click "Next." Complete the wizard by clicking "Finish."
-
Step 7
Enter custom specifics: your operating system, the number of concurrent downloads (more than one file may be downloaded at one time, which slows down each file's download speed) and connection type (Internet connection speed such as DSL or cable). If you don't know the connection type, highlight the unknown option. Custom settings allow the actual Internet settings to be entered into the boxes at the bottom. Click "Apply" once the options are set. eMule is ready to go. Click the "Connect" button on the right-hand side to connect to servers and start downloading files.
-
Step 8
Set "Preferences" on the "Options" menu. Although the wizard sets up the basic important settings, there are many more settings for advanced users on the "Options" menu. Click the "Options" button on the top right of the main menu bar. The most important settings to look at are under the "Connection" and "Server" tabs. Go to the "Connections" tab to limit the download/upload limits and change the connection settings previously set by the wizard. Go to the "Server" tab to change the way eMule lists the servers that it connects to. Go to the "Directories" tab if the default incoming and temporary file folders (where the downloaded files are stored on the your hard drive) need to be changed. Go to the "Security" tab and change various security settings and filters.
