There are many error messages that your Torrent software (client) may report during the course of a download. While they may seem alarming, the majority of them are not related to your computer and will not result in any adverse effects to your download. Below are some of the more common error messages with their meanings and solutions:

*A piece failed hash check, re-downloading it* - This has many causes, but the result is that a piece of the data you are downloading has been corrupted and didn't pass the 'hash check'. Solution: You can just ignore this message as your torrent software will automatically discard the corrupted data, and downloaded it again.

*Bad data from tracker* - Sometimes happens with a problematic tracker, or when it is overloaded. Solution: You can ignore this message.

*Couldn't listen -(10048, 'address already in use')* - A port that your torrent software is accessing is probably being used by another application. Solution: Close the other application, or change the port settings in your torrent software/client.

*Error : Data Missing {Download path}* - The download path has become corrupt. Solution: Stop the download and remove the .torrent from the client. Move your incomplete download files to another location and restart the .torrent, saving it to the new location. Ensure the files have been hash checked and are not corrupt.

*(IOError - [Errno13] Permission denied)* - If you open a second instance of your client (while it is already running), and it tries to open a .torrent file you are already using, you will get this error. Solution: Close all instances of the client, and start it again.

*No space left on device* - When you begin a BitTorrent download, your torrent software will allocate the space it needs to store it on your Hard Drive. This error message means that you don't have enough. Solution: Make room by deleting stuff you don't want, or choose another drive if you have one.

*Problem connecting to tracker* - Followed by: timeout exceeded; HTTP Error -1; HTTP Error 503: Connect failed (10054, 'Connection reset by peer'); urlopen error (10055, 'No buffer space available'); (10060, 'Operation timed out'); [Errno socket error] (10061, 'Connection refused'); upload error (10065, 'no route to host'); (111, 'Connection refused'); or (7, 'getaddrinfo failed').

These and similar messages appear with a heavily loaded tracker that your client continues to attempt a connection with. Think of it as if you have been placed in a queue. Solution: You can ignore these messages, as the client will usually connect after a few minutes. If it still hasn't after an hour, and your equipment is configured correctly, then you should assume that the tracker has gone, or no longer supports that .torrent.

If you are having problems with all your .torrents, then there is a problem with your client, modem/router or Internet connection.

*Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 400: Not Authorized* - This .torrent file has been denied access by its tracker. This can happen if the file was not obtained from the tracker's website. Solution: Go to the website associated with the tracker (usually indicated by a link following the error message) and download it from there.

*Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 404: Not Found* - This is an old .torrent file, no longer supported by its tracker. Solution: You will have to find another .torrent file to download the files you want.

*Problem getting response info - [Errno 2] No such file or directory:* - This sometimes happens when opening a torrent link directly from a website where Internet Explorer hasn't saved the torrent file in the Temporary Internet Files directory properly (usually regarding .torrent files with square brackets in the filename) Solution: Save the torrent file to your computer, and launch it from there. Also, Clear the IE cache if this is a recurring problem.

*Rejected by tracker - Port xxxx is blacklisted* - Your torrent software is using the default BitTorrent ports (6881-6889), or other ports commonly used for P2P connections. It is quite usual for trackers to block these ports, as they are normally throttled by ISPs, which results in very slow speeds. Solution: Configure your torrent software to use different ports. A range of no more than 10, between 48000 & 68000 should be fine.

*Rejected by tracker - Your IP is not registered to use this tracker for this file* - You have to be a registered member of this Tracker, and be logged in when you start the downloading. Solution: Sign up, or find another .torrent.

*Too many args - 0 max* - This error is the result of a bad command line. Solution: Get the latest version of your BitTorrent client. If it is up to date then reinstall it. If this still doesn't work then replace the client with a different one.

*Torrent not registered with this tracker* - Torrents are only supported by their tracker for a limited time, and this error means that the .torrent you are using has expired. Solution: You will have to find another .torrent file to download the files you want.

*Tracker response error: duplicated entry '2086-exbc' for key 2* - Probably an overloaded tracker. Solution: Ignore it. If it persists, you may need to try alternative torrent software.

*Tracker response error: gzip decoder error* - Probably an overloaded tracker. Solution: Ignore it. If it persists, you may need to try alternative torrent software.

*Tracker Status: Offline (SocketException:Unexpected end of file from server)* - There is a problem with the tracker or your .torrent file. Solution: Re-download the .torrent file.

These are the most common, but there are many more that may appear. The best advice is to simply see if it goes away, but you can always do a Google search for a possible solution should you need it.