Manage Your Downloads Better With This Free Version of JDownloader - ellenburgimithe67

At a Glance

Expert's Valuation

Pros

• Automatically extracts downloads
• Support for numerous file hosts
• Timed downloads can begin neglected

Cons

• Stock installer hijacks homepage and strange things
• Installer sets up incorrect shortcut in Start menu

Our Verdict

JDownloader is a powerful and free Java-founded download manager.

Most people use their World Wide Web browsers for downloading files, but a browser isn't always the best tool around for the business. If you are difficult to download a YouTube video, or a very large file that may take hours, an external download director might do a better job than your browser. JDownloader is one so much download managing director, and since it is Java-based, information technology works across Windows, Mac and Linux.

JDownloader does a very good job of parsing webpages for downloadable material.

In JDownloader's case, I essential split the review into two parts: The installation experience, which is horrible by default (but better with the installer that vendor AppWork created for PCWorld), and the actualized use of the application, which is quite nice. Let's start with the installing: On its official website, JDownloader offers a WebInstaller, which is a compact installer that downloads the files needful for a complete installation. Ab initio, stepping through the installer seemed similar a trivial next-close-next thing. Fortunately, when the installer asked whether I want a "quick" or "custom" installation, I stopped to read. I then observed that the "quick" installation hijacks the browser home page, new tab Sri Frederick Handley Page, and default search engines, pointing them at a site called Facemoods.com. This is one of the lowest forms of monetization, preying on users who suffice non bother to read the installer. I unchecked the offending options, and completed the installation. I then contacted AppWork concerning this issue, and they prepared a clean installer for PCWorld readers, which you keister download exclusively from PCWorld. This installer does non hijack some browser defaults or gratuitously modify other system settings. IT does just what it should do, which is set up JDownloader then quit.

Once installed, JDownloader added a crosscut to the Windows 7 list of applications on the "outside" of the Begin menu. Clicking the shortcut, however, plainly ran an update public utility–not JDownloader. I time-tested this doubly, and the update utility ran both multiplication, launching JDownloader only erstwhile it finished slowly checking for updates. To launch JDownloader directly, I had to unrestricted All Programs and hunt the JDownloader crosscut thither. Erstwhile I clicked that, JDownload ran correctly.

This concludes the evil part of the user experience. Erst you'atomic number 75 in JDownloader, you have one of the world's most sophisticated download managers at your disposition. JDownloader can make up used atomic number 3 any general-purpose download manager, and it also supports dozens of file hosts such Eastern Samoa RapidShare and others. It rump admonisher the clipboard and parse any URL you copy into it to assure if it contains files that could exist downloaded. If you feed information technology with a YouTube nexus, it lets you download the video in any resolution offered along the page.

JDownloader is built from the soil up to trade with register hosts that do non let you interruption downloads; that's why its "pause" functionality doesn't actually pause the download altogether, but slows IT to a cringe, letting you consumption your bandwidth pro re nata. It likewise has a built-in extension system, and extensions can be installed from within JDownloader itself (much like jEdit, a Java-supported text editor in chief). There are extensions for unzipping downloads automatically, scheduling downloads to begin at certain multiplication, and more.

While I love JDownloader and I appreciate the fact that developer AppWork moldiness somehow make money, I really can't get behind the installer changing the homepage, default on virgin tabloid page, and default seek provider. Such maneuver are traditionally reserved for the lowest of the low, which JDownloader is sure not. I'm not saying you shouldn't install information technology: IT is one of the best download managers available today, and at a price that can't be beat. But you should make a point you get the PCWorld installer, non the one from the JDownloader website. If you do try it and like it, count donating to the developer…and letting them know how much you appreciate the installer that installs JDownloader alone.

–Erez Zukerman

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/473894/jdownloader.html

Posted by: ellenburgimithe67.blogspot.com

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