Auto downloading of torrent files

Okay, in the past I had some program where I was able to subscribe to certain TV Shows and then torrents for those TV Shows would automatically be put on my desktop. I later uninstalled the program; but yet now I am still seeing the torrent files appear on my desktop whenever I start up the computer. So every time I start it up, I manually delete them. If a task is repeated time and time again, that means it can be automated.

Now I am wondering how to stop the download of the torrents (it seems to be the prior weeks worth of episodes of two different series) or set some automated command line to go off to delete the files once they appear.

Occasionally, when I haven't shut down in awhile, they appear when I return to the computer also, though that happens less often.

Alternatively, if there is some sort of log for each automated action, and how each such an action was commenced, that would be helpful in finding the solution to this.

By the way, I've already been to the Genius Bar, but didn't get much help from them.

MacBook Pro 3,1, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 24, 2009 6:40 PM

8 replies

Aug 3, 2018 1:11 AM in response to Baby-Boomer-USofA

If I knew what program it was, then why not reinstall it then use the uninstaller to uninstall it - the problem is I do not know what program it was, and was hoping for there to be a way to identify it - I'll likely be writing an applescript to automatically execute the following command line though:

rm ~/Desktop/*.torrent

Aug 3, 2018 1:11 AM in response to Community User

Found an even better solution: crontabs.

myself being a web designer, I'm quite surprised it took me to long to think of it, but here is my crontab entry:

(for those of you who don't know about Cron, check http://www.adminschoice.com/docs/crontab.htm for some help - same thing works on Macs)

* * * * * rm -f ~/Desktop/*.torrent

So every minute, any .torrent file on my desktop is automatically deleted.

Aug 3, 2018 1:11 AM in response to neuroanatomist

Nothing in either location that belongs to anything I'm not familiar with (nothing was checked at the login items screen, and only one application had anything at the startup items folder).

Aug 3, 2018 1:11 AM in response to Community User

Now it seems to be happening nearly every 5 minutes at most - I'm considering just writing a script to execute often enough to automate the deletion of them should I not find a more direct solution.

Sep 15, 2009 10:42 AM in response to Community User

Apparently, you didn't uninstall all of the torrent program files especially if you did not use the programs "uninstaller."

Use Spotlight to search out the program files. Manually search inside the Home>Library>Preferences and Application Support folders. Also, check your Documents folder.

If by any chance you had VUZE, that program stores *stuff all over* the OS under its new & old name. Just dragging the app to the trash does not fully get rid of it. You will need to do a Spotlight search for VUZE and Azureus.






User uploaded file

Sep 20, 2009 10:06 AM in response to Community User

"the problem is I do not know what program it was, and was hoping for there to be a way to identify it"

If the Applescript does not work then use Google to find a list of Mac bit torrent programs & go from there.
Or, you can rummage through the folders I mentioned in my previous response & click on the files that are unrecognizable until you find the "torrent" ones.

Some torrent programs put their names right on the torrent files. Azureus/Vuze & Transmission does just that.






User uploaded file

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Auto downloading of torrent files

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