How to Debug Utorrent

A computer affected by bugs won't function properly.

UTorrent is a BitTorrent client used both on Windows and Mac computers for downloading free movies, music, programs and more via torrent files. It labels itself as "a powerhouse with a tiny appetite." As with any computer program, debugging is a necessary task which is quite easy to perform. Debugging is basically used to find bugs or defects in computer programs and reducing them to avoid further problems. Programs such as UTorrent regularly update their program versions to remove certain bugs that cause computer problems.

Instructions

1. Open UTorrent on your computer by clicking on it twice unless the program opens automatically on start-up.

2. Check if you have the updated version of the program. The program version should be next to UTorrent on the top and bottom tabs of the program window. If you are unsure of the current version, go to "Help" and "Check for Updates." It is important to have the latest version, since bugs are continuously fixed in newer versions. You might also get a pop-up window stating that a newer version of UTorrent is available for download.

3. Download the latest version of UTorrent if necessary after checking for updates or clicking on the pop-up window and follow the on-screen steps.

4. Locate the info pane on the main window of UTorrent. Right-click anywhere on the info pane ntil you get a list of options to choose from to add to the pane.

5. Find "Debug" in those options. Click on it and make sure a check appears next to it. When you go back to the pane, the "Debug" column should appear with any necessary information regarding debugging for each file added to UTorrent.

6. Click on any file added in UTorrent until information about the file appears in the section on the bottom of the window. Right-lick on the info pane and select "Debug" to add this option to the pane. Information regarding debugging will appear in this column as well.

7. Check the "Logger" tab in the same lower pane. It displays important information in log form regarding debugging.

8. Go into "Options" and "Preferences" in the main menu of UTorrent. Click on "Advanced" in the left column to access the advanced options. You can modify these advanced settings for debugging purposes. Scroll down to bt.set._sockbuf, which is a debugging option allowing UTorrent to automatically detect the buffer size of TCP/IP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is used to connect your computer to the Internet via data transmission. Monitoring buffer size is important because programs such as UTorrent overload your computers' TCP/IP server, especially when downloading large files, and if there is no buffer space available, the computer may eventually crash, thus creating a bug. You can select "true" to activate this, but this is optional.

9. Change the command line options for debugging purposes. Close UTorrent and go to your computer desktop. You will need a shortcut for UTorrent, so locate it either on the desktop or under your programs list, which can be found either under "Start" or in "My Computer." Right-click on the UTorrent program icon and select "Properties."

10. Find the "Shortcut" tab and locate the space next to "Target." There, you will find a shortcut name ending in .exe in parentheses. Click on the space right after the closing parentheses. Add a space, and then type in Caps /BIGDUMP, so that the end of the target name looks like this ....exe" /BIGDUMP, and hit "Apply." This option tells UTorrent to create a large memory dump rather than normal mini dumps it creates when it crashes. This will result in sufficient information in case of a crash, instead of the insufficient information mini dumps create, which lead you to nowhere. According to a UTorrent Administrator, when UTorrent does crash with this option on, you do not have to submit the dump but rather compress it (instructions will be given upon crash) and upload it on mediafire.com. You will receive a link and this link can be emailed to a UTorrent administrator who will identify the bug and fix the problem. Mini dumps make it more difficult, if not impossible, to identify the bug or problem. This debugging option will be applied immediately and effective upon start-up of UTorrent. UTorrent is now debugged.

Tips & Warnings

• Use UTorrent's "Help" section when the program is open to access this and any other relevant information. You can easily search for topics you need help with.

References

• UTorrent: A (Very) Tiny BitTorrent Client
• WordIQ.com: Debugging- Definition
• UTorrent: Documentation - UTorrent- A (Very) Tiny BitTorrent Client
• Tor: TheOnionRouter/WindowsBufferProblems- Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki
• Webopedia: What is TCP/IP?- A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer Dictionary
• UTorrent: UTorrent 3.0 "Falcon" Alpha 22329 (Page 21) / Announcements/ forum.utorrent.com