Star Downloader

Star Downloader is a download manager that you can use to schedule, organize, resume, and accelerate your HTTP and FTP downloads.

If you download many files and want a program that can make that job easier, then Star Downloader is worth a look. This is a feature-rich download manager that supports downloads via both HTTP and FTP and supports proxies. The user interface may be a little dated, but it’s well-organized and intuitive, and there’s even help available that explains the menus, settings, terms, and so forth.

Star Downloader offers browser integration and supports most major web browsers, including IE, Chrome, and Firefox. The integration is convenient because if you come across a download you want, you can send it from within the browser to Star Downloader without having to access that program directly. You can also download programs through the client by providing a link or connecting to an FTP server and using that interface.

Downloads can begin automatically. You can also set the number of concurrent downloads, and there’s both automatic and manual pause and resume features. Downloads can be prioritized, and you can also schedule them individually or in batches. There’s also a handy organizational tool on the left-hand side of the main window that lets you create groups that downloaded files are sorted into. You can also use this tool to search downloads and to filter them based on download status and other factors.

Perhaps one of the neatest features that Star Downloader offers is called Link Leecher. Provide Star Downloader with a domain and a file extension, and it will recursively search that domain and automatically download all files of the requested type. Start Downloader also features virus checking, support for compressed archives, a built-in text viewer, and a dynamic mirror searcher.

Star Downloader also accelerates downloads. One way it does this is through concurrent downloads. Since file downloads are often capped by the server well below your download limit, concurrent downloads let you download more in less time. The other way is by downloading different pieces of the same file concurrently. This capability can make a huge difference when servers cap downloads on a per-connection basis.

The most glaring issue with Star Downloader is that it doesn’t support BitTorrent. That peer-to-peer protocol is among the most common ways that Internet users share files nowadays, and not supporting it seems like a big oversight. Star Downloader also has some trouble with special characters in HTTP links, and when you run into one of these troublesome links, getting it to work can be a hassle.

Pros

• Feature-rich download manager
• Schedule, resume, and organize downloads
• Optimization of download speeds

Cons

• No BitTorrent support
• Has issues with some HTTP links