Ins and Outs of Newsgroup File Formats

The Easiest Way to Make Sure The Data is All There

by Justin "Jackmeat" Whippo

It’s a daunting effort to figure out what some files are and if all the files are present when logging into a newsgroup, especially for a newbie. There will often be 100,000 if not millions of headers staring you in the face, and many times have extremely cryptic names making it impossible to tell what you are looking at. This guide should at least steer you in the right direction to figuring that out, checking for full posts, and being a happy downloader. We all want to be happy downloaders.

1. The likeliness you have already read some other guide that helped get you setup with your newsgroups, and what reader(s) to use, so I will skip that step entirely. I would like to begin with looking at these millions of headers, and finding what you want.
   The first thing you will notice is this LONG list of seemingless garbage, in no particular order. I suggest clicking on the subject header at the top of the column to get these headers grouped together in a more understandable way. By default, most readers will display them in order received (yuck).
2. Next let’s assume you know what you are looking for, such as an old Three Stooges TV episode. You know it was called Curly’s Castle. So you first want to scan the list for something that may contain either or both of those titles in them, moreso in the description, such as:
   
   REQ: Stooges-CurlyCastle by Jack>>>>>stoogecc.nfo
   
   This nfo file is extremely important in this step, and also in later steps when you can’t find the description so easily. If the nfo file is there, open it. If your reader requires you to download it first, do so. Save it in a temporary location and don’t forget where. Since some of you may be new to this, I will give you one more hint, when you go to open the nfo file, right click on it, and left click open with. When your list comes up, choose Notepad, and check the Always Use this Program for this File Type.
3. Let’s talk NFO files. These files will tell you what is in the rar files, how many you will need to complete the episode (film, music, whatever) and also show some exciting ascii art, along with who released it, and how you can help. Most of that you’ll disregard. So my rule of thumb, always check the NFO file. Since we are on the subject of NFO files, let me sidetrack and tell you often there will be a list of files and a NFO that just don’t make any sense. I use this website for searching the name and sometimes you can find out what it is http://nfo.ngindex.com/
4. Ok so you have now checked the NFO and found you need 20 rars. Well you notice 19 rars, but 5 par files…..what are these par files. These are called parity files and they are basically there to help fill the spaces where incomplete posts, or posts missing files altogether are. Just as much as I said the NFO is invaluable, the par is even more. These par files will fill any problems you have, one for one. You miss one rar file, the one par file will fix that spot, regardless of which file it is. Since this may not have been discussed yet, I’ll just let you know of the 3 Parity (par) programs I have used and give my opinion for ease of use:
   Quick Par , Smart Par, FS Raid

   Of the three I find that Quick Par is the easiest to use, and integrates into the shell very smoothly. But this choice is completely up to you, maybe talking to other friends or getting other opinions may help you make a different choice.

5. Before I explain the use of the Quick Par program and then a full walkthrough of my method, I’ll mention one other file you will see out there, the SFV. Now I do know what it does, which is basically count the files and tell you if you are missing any, if you use par files, it does the same thing, and fixes if there are problems. I generally skip them entirely, but that’s just preference, don’t hold me to that.
6. So let’s assume you have Winrar installed, Quick Par is installed, you’re newsgroup access is configured, and your reader is seeing our Stooges episode. Then let me walk you through my method of attack, step by step. Feel free to alter as your personal preference is always important!

Now you have your image and are ready to burn. That step is for another guide, and I’m sure you will find the info you need on how to do that. If not, check www.vcdhelp.com

(The preceding article was supplied by one of our customers. Opinions expressed in customer-supplied articles are those of the author.)