One of our readers Jamie wrote to us :

As a free user, how should I proceed if RapidShare claims that I am already downloading a file when in fact I am not and have not done so for sometime before the attempt?

This is quite a common problem especially when you use a network where many users are sharing a common LAN or wireless network in places like colleges and offices.

This kind of problem is faced by free users of Rapidshare or Megaupload. This usually happens because the file sharing websites like Rapidshare or Megaupload will monitor the IP address of the computers downloading the content. When you are in a shared network environment, then the external IP address can be same for multiple computers because of NAT etc.

Fix:

Solution for ADSL Users With Dynamic IP Address

If you use a router from service providers which assigns you a dynamic IP address every time you connect your device to the Internet, then you can solve this problem in most simple way. In India, MTNL , AIRTEL, TATA , VSNL and BSNL are the main service providers who provide such service. In that case, simply power off the ADSL router and Power it on back again. This will disconnect you from Internet for a while and then will connect you back using the ADSL but will assign a new IP address and you can now download the content from Rapidshare and Megaupload or other such websites. You might also have to close your Internet Explorer or Firefox along with it to clear the scripts or cookies maintained by such websites to maintain a session.

Note: Some service providers provide a static IP, this technique will not work on such cases.

Rapidshare Addon For Mozilla Firefox

Rapidshare @ Office

There is a popular Add-On for Mozilla Firefox called rapidshare @ office which will allow users to automate the process of rapidshare download. You can Intsall this firefox add-on from rapidshare @ office page.

FoxyProxy

There is another add-on for Mozilla Firefox which will change your IP using proxies. FoxyProxy is one such popular add on for firefox proxy settings. You can use this add on to set your external IP to another IP using proxy servers. You can download and install FoxyProxy here.

Solution for Shared LAN or Wifi Users

If you use office / college or any other shared network, then you can follow the below steps to get a new IP address.

1. Go to Start > Run

2. Type command and press enter, this will open a command prompt. On this prompt, type the following commands one by one in the order mentioned below and press enter after each line.

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

Note : This method may not work when NAT (network address translation) is hiding the IP of your computer from the websites and rapidshare may still give an “already downloading” error.

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[Solved] Rapidshare Already Downloading Error For Free Users is a post from TroubleFixers - All about fixing computer troubles