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 P2P is short for peer-to-peer and is the name of a comparably recent development in computer networking. More traditional client-server based networks organize users around one central system that hosts a large catalogue of files. In a P2P structure the software program connects users and creates a network of all the different hard drives. Users are able to access files from each other’s computers and offer the contents of their shared folders in a network of peers. In a peer-to-peer network users can upload and download files as long as they are connected to the Internet. The structure of a P2P network that relies only on a shared software application makes the sites hard to monitor and control. One such site, WinMX, used a central server for organization and facilitation, and was officially shut down under legal and financial pressure from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) but re-opened days later as a user organized and operated network. The site still allows illegal downloads, but there is now no central authority to hold responsible.

The general community of people uploading and downloading a particular file is called the ‘swarm’. In the swarm, those uploading files for other users are called seeds, and those who are downloading are called leeches. The more seeds there are uploading a file, the faster the file can be downloaded.

There are numerous benefits of P2P networks. Users can access a wealth of information and data and are they are able to exchange files freely and without restriction.

The most popular P2P sites today include Rhapsody and iTunes, which both offer monthly memberships and a variety of options and are legal sites that charge a fee for downloads. Other popular sites like LimeWire and Kazaa allow users to share files without fees and are not legal. Another kind of P2P site that is very popular uses BitTorrent technology that works the same way as P2P networking, only it breaks large files like movies and albums into smaller chunks so that they can be uploaded and downloaded faster.

There are also drawbacks to P2P sites that offer illegal downloads. There are ethical and legal issues to consider when using these sites. Since the files are covered by copyright laws and since they are protected by property laws, unless the site is paying royalties to the artist or the recording studio, downloading them is not legal. It is difficult to enforce these laws, but the American government has arrested and charged several people for “distribution” of files without copyright permission.

I have WinMX fileshare and every file I try to download comes up as “timed out” if there is an available connection. If I am in queue it will stay in queue for days, but as soon as it is my turn it will say “timed out”. I have cable and tried both a primary and secondary connection and the same thing happens. Is there a setting in WinMX that will fix this? Should I uninstall and reinstall? Help.

WinMX problems are unique situations. Since the official WinMX website and file server were dismantled in 2005 the program has been kept alive by devoted users. While this has enabled the ongoing use of the service, it has been fundamentally altered.

There is no central organization or authority and different user groups offer different versions of programs and connections. This makes WinMX difficult to troubleshoot, since there is no way of determining the specific program or connection you have downloaded.

If you have never been able to download a WinMX file with the program you are currently running then yes, you should definitely uninstall and reinstall another version. If you have had success with this version in the past and are only recently experiencing problems then the issue could be one of connectivity or compatibility.

It sounds like the program is not communicating properly with your system. First things first, make sure that you have disabled your firewall to allow incoming and outgoing connections. If this doesn’t help, try removing it using Windows Add/Remove utility first and see if a new installation solves the problem. There is a free version of WinMX MP3 4.5.6 available at http://www.download3k.com/Network-tools/File-sharing/Download-WinMX-MP3.html that runs on Windows operating systems 95, 98, ME, NT, 4.x, 2000, XP, 2003.

There is a Vista version available at http://www.isnic.co.cc/mx/?version=windows-vista. The WinMX program you download might need patches to make it work on your system, when you check for patches or updates make sure you find ones that are designed for the version of Windows that you use as an operating system.

To troubleshoot WinMX, try opening your settings tab and select Outgoing TCP Connections. Here you can raise the number of Connection Timeouts Attempts. You can also open the File Transfers tab and increase the number of Pending Downloads. If you have any other versions of WinMX installed, make sure that they are completely removed as old bits can interfere with the new program. To do this open the Start Menu, select Control Panel, then click twice to select Add or Remove Programs. If you plan to uninstall and reinstall the version you are running now, you might want to remove everything. Now you should check your program list that is the in the Start Menu to make sure everything has been removed.

If this method doesn’t get rid of the program completely, you can remove it manually from the registry. Be careful not to change anything accidentally, and be sure to make a back up of the registry before making any changes. Click Start once then select Run. A command box will open and you should type regedit then Enter. Find the name of the WinMX program and remove all associated parts.

I installed WinMX on my computer. It had to be done manually — I think this is because I have a wireless connection to a network. It seems to be successfully installed, but I can never get it to connect. During the installation, it asked some questions regarding whether or not I’m using a proxy and something about TCP (can I send and receive). Is there any way you could help me with this?

WinMX is a peer to peer (P2P) file-sharing program that was very popular among Windows users between 2001 and 2005 when the website and the company were officially shut down after threats from the Recording Industry Association of America. However the site was quickly restored by users who, instead of relying on the WinMX central server, created peer-based file caches. Since 2005 there has been no central organization for the program and as a result patches and updates are often required. Since there is no official WinMX authority, different user groups offer different programs, patches and updates; some are free and some request a fee to keep their site up and running. If you are not successful with one program installation, it is possible that uninstalling it and downloading another version could work.

If you suspect that your connection problem stems from your wireless router, the best place to start is in your WinMX folder, the one where the winmx.exe file is and from which WinMX is running. Here, if there is a file called ws2_32.dll, delete it. However, only remove this file from this location. It may be interfering here, but is necessary in other locations. For these changes to take effect you may need to shut down and restart the program.

Next, to deal with the TCP situation, you will have to change the port that WinMX uses to connect. First, at the top of the WinMX screen, select Settings, then Internet Connections, then Outgoing TCP Connections, then Don’t use a proxy server (connect directly). Now, follow the same first steps to open Incoming TCP Connections. Here, select the first option and type in 16699. Then, select Internet Connection, then In/Out UDP Packets. Here, select the first option then send and receive UDP datagrams and type in 16257. Now close WinMX and restart.

If changing the TCP ports doesn’t straighten out the problem and get you connected, the issue could be with your firewall. While firewalls are great protection against incoming intrusions, they can work too well and prevent P2P files from accessing your system. On recent Windows operating systems you can disable the firewall by opening the Start Menu, clicking on My Network Places, then Properties, Advanced and then find Windows Firewall and select Off.

WinMX is a peer to peer (P2P) file-sharing program that was originally written by a company called Frontcode Technologies in 2001. As a P2P site, WinMX hosted a large network of media files that were stored on large servers maintained by WinMX and uploaded and downloaded by users. The application was extremely popular and designed to be compatible with Windows operating systems.

WinMX was officially shut down in 2005 after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent a cease and desist letter to the company threatening them to institute filters on the website or face legal action. Earlier the same year the U.S. Supreme Court voted in favour of the RIAA in overturning two lower court decisions that decided P2P software applications are not a copyright infringement. The Supreme Court determined that if a website is found to “actively encourage” copyright infringement then the application is liable. While P2P sites themselves are not against the law, the active encouragement of breaking copyright laws is apparently akin to conspiracy and aiding and abetting the act. It is illegal to download copyrighted material without permission of the owner, though copyright infringement laws are not equally enforced in different countries.

On the 19^th of September, 2005 WinMX was issued a cease and desist order and on the 21^st both the WinMX homepage and the site’s network were officially offline. However, only four days later, on September 25^th software patches were available to re-initiate WinMX from two different websites as part of a user-controlled resurgence. Rather than rely upon the WinMX cached files, the patches alter the search to direct users to new, peer-based caches instead.

Since there has been no central authority behind WinMX for several years there are different patches available online, each with different details for instruction and use. Some user groups that offer the patch ask for a cash donation, in the form of a payment, to cover costs and maintain upkeep and some are free of charge. There is a freeware version of WinMX MP3 4.5.6 available at http://www.download3k.com/Network-tools/File-sharing/Download-WinMX-MP3.html that runs on Windows operating systems 95, 98, ME, NT, 4.x, 2000, XP, 2003. There is a Vista version available at http://www.isnic.co.cc/mx/?version=windows-vista

After the official website shut down, the new WinMX network started having problems with dummy files and spyware and adware programs disguised as media files. Before you download any files, or the application itself, you should perform a virus check. If you are unable to run the application after downloading, it might be a dummy file, or a version of the patch incompatible with your operating system. It is best to search for a version of the patch designed specifically for the Windows version that you have installed.