How To Detect Fake Files

[jankam]

Some of you may already know this but for those who don't.

The symptom.
When you do a search on a file for example lord of the rings, you'll get back a list of files matching your name.
Now you have downloaded 700 MB of file just to find out that the file is the movie Road Trip.
This is very annoying and time consuming.

The solution
Using winmx hash you can find out if this is the real file or if someone renamed a different file.

How do I check?
Once the file is in your download list, right click on the file and "Search for alternates", on the search window you'll get a list of files that their hash code matches the file you are trying to download. If you'll get a different file name than the one you're downloading than you are downloading a fake file. For example. When you do a "Search for alternates" on the lord of the rings - two towers you'll get Road Trip as the files that are matching.

How does it work?
For each file winmx calculates it's Hash code, which is a unique number, so it does not matter whether you change the file name, it will always have the same Hash code. When you search for alternates, winmx searches for the same hash code, this way you'll get the exact file that matches your file regardless of the file name.
Note: This method only works in winmx peer network and not in the open nap servers.

Another suggestion
If you are already tricked and downloaded a fake file please rename the file and prefix FAKE so others can see that this is fake.

[adrian15]

There's a topic called "Generate Winmx hashes" about how to generate Winmx hashes. I've tried to help him but I don't know if I was right.

So, could you please help him? I'm also interested in knowing how to generate Winmx hashes.

[jankam]

Sorry I don't know how winmx generates the hash code

[Zargon]

To 'generate' a hash code:

1. This is easy. Just click FIND ALTERNATES... and it shows you the hash code.

(For the noob: In Winmx, do a search, find the confirmed good file, click it to begin to download it, go to Transfers screen, right click it and pick Find Alternates..., it takes you back to the search screen and the hash code is in the 2nd lower search field now.)

Copy it, paste it, save it, sniff it, or whatever you want to do with it.


2. To find hash codes that are already confirmed good, go to http://winmxhelp.dns2go.com and click the [MOVIES] button. There's hundreds. Take a hash code, put it in winmx search, and go d/l your known good stuff already. Enjoy...


-Zargon


----
Do yourself a favor, use winmx's opennap feature. Go read:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.bucha...x/opennap.html