A little more details, please; adsl, cable,...?
First and foremost, there's an excellent bittorrent tutorial at
Bittorrent Tutorial , check it out^^.
If it's adsl, I can at least point out a few things, as I have that...
This is for a single computer. If it's a network, it gets a bit more complicated in the port forwarding and that I don't know so well....
First, is there a green check on the bottom of utorrent GUI(where you see the speeds for u/d)? If there is, then port forwarding is okay^^. If it's a red one, then not_ _.
Second, what's your upload? Try lowering it to see if upload is affected.
Third, many ISPs notice if there's a lot of(bittorrent) traffic and choke the ports in question. To counter this;
1. check the option to encrypt outgoing traffic in utorrent options(I recommend that you also check the other option to allow unencrypted incoming traffic). This will hide the fact that it's bittorrent traffic(from the ISPs) They will still notice the traffic though.
2. I assume you know about port forwarding(I assume you have a modem?)?
To get to your modem's GUI, you need to write the IP-address in the url-list atop in your browser, then write the proper username and password(they must be somewhere in the documentation you got along with modem/computer). You'll need administrators privileges on your computer.
In the GUI there's someplace called port forwarding. I can't be too specific as I don't know what your modem is..(I have A-Link)
Go to the place where it says custom/user(rules)(ports),somewhere there's an option to create(forward)(new) ports, experiment a little to find it.
Once you've found it, there's ought to be a scroll where you can choose tcp, udp, or both tcp and udp. I'm not entirely sure if it's necessary to check both, but I've always chosen both.
Now there somewhere is an input for the ports. In my case there is port start, port end and port map.
Preferably choose port(s) somewhere between 40000-65000.
Simply write the desired port number in all three and save it(remember to insert it into the allow list afterwards).
In utorrent options(in connections) write the same port number.
(In the utorrent options, uncheck the first one to prevent new random port every time utorrent is started, also check the third to make an exception in the Windows firewall(if you have WinXP Sp2) or do it directly from the Windows configuration).
Change ports a few times to see if there's an effect.
Also, if you notice you must change ports at a regular basis, you might want to create a single port with a wide range;
In port start, write where you want the port start(lowest number), in port end where you want it end. And in port map the same as in port start. Now all ports between those numbers will be open, you simply write a port number from that range in the utorrent options where it asks it.
It might just be me imagining things but,.. the ISPs might be able to sniff out the port range if they find the start. So you might want to try creating several wide-range ports that you can change at will if nothing else helps.
Just remember that forwarding(disabling firewall) for a wide range might compromize your computer security, especially with worms..so make sure you have a good internet security/antivirus/antispyware installed and running. And make sure they are able to make checks for rootkits as well.
Fourth, have a program like Peerguardian to block unwanted ips, or use other kinds of blocklists.
Fifth, there are torrents that can be extremely slow, so perhaps you're just unlucky in your pickings..(if it's of any comfort, a lot of anime torrents tend to be slow, but they usually last a lot longer compared to regular torrents. Besides, there are a lot of nice people here on Datorrents ready to reseed, if you just remember to ask for it here on the forums^^, just remember to return the favor by seeding yourself).
Sicerely, Blanchimont
Also, if your torrents tend to turn red you might want the patch EvID4226Patch223d-en.zip from
www.LvlLord.de - Tipps, Tricks & Utilities - News (This only applies to XP, if you have Vista, you're out of luck. There IS a work-around for Vista, but I don't know the details of it).
That's because Windows XP Sp2 has a limit of active half-open connections set at default to 10. With many torrents active, that limit is easily reached.