What is NZB?
NZB files are one of the latest developments on Usenet to make downloading a lot easier. Normally you have to download all headers from a news group which can take a lot of time. Another possibility would be to perform a XPAT search but this causes a heavy load on the news server, especially with large posts.
But using a NZB file has a great advantage: downloading posts without updating headers or performing a XPAT search!
Just download a NZB file, import it in your favorite news reader and start downloading. How this works will be explained here at Binaries4all
What are NZB files?
To understand how NZB files work, I will first explain something about posts on Usenet.
Every file on Usenet is split up into many separate parts. These parts are called articles and are combined again to one file by your newsreader after downloading. Each article has a unique number, the so called message ID. With this number your newsreader knows exactly which file to download, because there is only one file with the same number.
A NZB file is a collection of message ID’s of the files the NZB has been made for. These message ID’s are combined in a text file with the extension .nzb. I you have this .nzb file, import it in your newsreader (see the tutorials for each newsreader supporting NZB file on Binaries4all.nl) and start downloading at once.
Sounds great! But where can I get these NZB files?
There are various ways to get your NZB file:
- A poster can create one while posting with PowerPost A&A v.11 (tutorial) and posts them in a small dedicated Usenet newsgroup or provide it in another way. For example by uploading it to a special website like http://nzb.on-drugz.net.
- With the free search engine of Binaries.nl. With this free service you can search a limited number of Usenet newsgroups and created your own NZB file.
- With one of the popular ‘create your own NZB’ sites:
- NZB4U – Subscription costs €20 for one year.
- NewzBin – The original creators of NZB files. Their service costs $0.50 per week.
- UsenetJunkie – Subscription costs $2 per month
- Other alternatives are the Usenet Search Engines like the ones built into NewsLeecher, GrabIt or Usenet Explorer.
What to do when I've got an NZB file?
You can import these NZB files in your favorite newsreader, if it has such functionality of course. Below you find a list of newsreaders which support NZB files.
- NewsLeecher
- NewsPro (version 3.75 and higher)
- NewsBin Pro (version 4.3 and higher)
- NewsReactor
- GrabIt (1.5.0 and higher)
- Usenet Explorer
- BNR2
- UsenetJunkie
- 123Newz
In the various tutorials will be explained how to use NZB files with those newsreaders.
If you are going to post something, it would be helpful if you created a NZB file for your post and uploaded it also. How to create a NZB file using PowerPost is discussed in the PowerPost tutorial.
If you still have any questions regarding NZB files or any other subject, please visit the Binaries4all Forum.
