Vuze Meta-Search Introduction
I have seen questions in various places around the web regarding the Meta-Search function of Vuze. I put up this guide in an effort to explain the basics of this option and answer those questions.
Vuze is one of the suggested clients at my Best Free Bittorrent Client review here at Gizmo's Freeware.
If you do not have Vuze, you can get it from the
- Vuze Home Page (32 bit version only)
- Sourceforge (all versions).
Most users will use this guide to install additional torrent search sites to the meta search using Vuze search templates. This will expand the results of a Meta-Search, as the default search engines will produce very few relevant results. I have provided instructions on how to do this as well as a link to download search templates that I have tested in my Vuze. These templates will work in Windows, Mac or Linux. So this guide will take care of all issues regarding the adding of search templates to Vuze.
Note: If you have enabled the option "Do not show GB unit" at Tools>Options>Interface>Display, then you will need to disable that option in order to get results over 1GB in any search. (Thanks to rockwater for finding this glitch).
I will point out that you do not need to search within Vuze to find content. Vuze will work with any torrent search site on the web. Personally, I prefer searching directly at the sites and I encourage you to do so also. See here for information:
Accessing Vuze Meta-Search
To access the Meta-Search, you need to conduct a search. Initially, this may be done two ways, through the search box in the middle of the Vuze screen or through the search box in the upper left corner of Vuze.
Inside Vuze Meta-Search
Once inside the Meta-Search screen you will see two tabs, Web Search and Meta Search. The web search is simply a Bing search for the term(s) you entered. The Meta-Search is the search that is important as it accesses torrent search sites.
Advanced Filters for Vuze Meta-Search
On the top of the Meta Search results in Vuze are the words Advanced Search Filters. Clicking on this will show the advanced filters discussed just below as well as the Add/Edit optiions for adding (or removing templates. This used to be located on the right hand side of the Meta Search results page.
Clicking on the highlighted above will show this:
The first filter option is Show results with. This allows you to have results that include the keywords and also to exclude results from those that have keywords you choose to exclude. So if you wanted results with the word "linux" in them, but exclude "mint" from those results, you would add those words in as in the below image. Once you type into these boxes, an X will appear next to the box. Clicking on this X will clear that box.
The next filter option is file size range. This is to sort by file size among the results obtained. In the search for "linux", the smallest file returned in the search was 87kB and the largest was 4.88GB. This option works by clicking and holding the arrow at either end. Changing this will eliminate results that fall outside the new range you have set.
I do want to emphasize that this is only to sort among results you have obtained. I see many users asking how to increase the figures here. For instance, one will search for a movie, but the results will not be more than 100MB in size and that is what the file size range filter will show as the maximum. This is due to the fact that the default search templates will only show results for trailers, reviews etc., and not the movie. To expand the results, and the file size range, you need to add additional search templates. Once that is done, you can use this filter to eliminate trailers etc..
The next filters are regarding the amount of results to show per page and to limit results to a category. This is pretty much self explanatory. The categories can be useful in weeding out results you do not want.
The final filter is to Show results from. For most users this is the most important part of this guide. The image below shows the default filters that are included with the Meta-Search, MiniNova, Vuze (their HD network) and Subscriptions (RSS subscriptions you have enabled through Vuze). Vuze and MiniNova will produce very few results and most often those results are not relevant to what you want. If you click on the name of a search site listed there, the results will change to show only results from that site.
Visiting Torrent Source Page
When you have found the result you want, then it is a good idea to visit the details page at the site listing the torrent. If you press the next to the torrent name your browser will open to the page of the torrent listing.
Installing Search Templates for Vuze Meta-Search
In this section, I will provide you with links for working Vuze search templates and instructions on how to add these to your results. These templates will work on all operating systems (Windows, Mac & Linux). All templates were tested by me and uploaded by me. Once added, your results will expand greatly and you are more likely to find what you want.
The templates can be obtained at : Vuze Templates . There are 17 sites listed, with a download button below each name. They are listed in alphabetical order as to the name of the template. If you are looking ThePirateBay, it is listed under TPBse.
To install, you can press download and either
- Select "Open with" in your browser and select Vuze; or
- Save the download to your computer and open by double-clicking; or
- Save the download to your computer and open within Vuze using File>Open>Vuze file; or
- Save the download to your computer and go to the Meta-Search section of Vuze and select the Add/Edit option and select the import a new template option and browse to the template location.
I would suggest using either the 2d or 3rd option as you will have the templates on your computer to re-enter in case you have an issue with Vuze requiring a complete uninstall and reinstall.
The first three options need no further instruction. However, the discussion involving the fourth option is relevant to those options should you decide to remove a site. Assuming you have downloaded the template(s), you would then go to the search section and click on Add/Edit
This will bring up the below screen. To add a site in, click on Import a new template and on the following screen browse to where you saved the template and select the template. Vuze will add the site in and re-search the term entered with the new site included.
You can de-select sites to be included in the results by un-ticking the site listed. You can remove a site from all results by clicking on the X next to it. Note that the Vuze HD network must be included in all results and that neither Vuze nor MiniNova may be removed. Any of the sites you add through the templates may be removed or de-selected for a search.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this guide has answered any questions you have about the Vuze Meta-Search and has helped to make that search effective with the adding of additional Vuze search templates.
If you have any questions or suggestions for the guide, I would appreciate it if you would post here or at our forum.
Related Articles
- Optimizing Vuze for Speed setting Vuze up for best download speeds
- Additional Vuze Settings information on other options in Vuze
- Searching for Torrents Popular and unique torrent search sites, with comments.
- Finding Legal (and Free) Torrents sites that offer only legally downloadable and distributable content.
Comments
Awesome Software
Hi :)
I have installed a few new templates into vuze and some of them open another interface inside of vuze with another search engine, for example the Torrent Downloads.vuze template does this, which when finding and selecting what I want, brings me to a webpage in the browser. If I then download I get an executable file, exampleMovie.exe and I'm not sure what to do with this. I'm also not sure if I can trust it because I haven't experienced this up till now.
I'd appreciate if someone could let me know. Do I double click the .exe file, or drop it into vuze somehow? I tried opening the file from vuze open menu but it seems to only see .vuze files.
Thanks!
Sca
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the warning and tips. That template was very overactive, finding everything that other templates couldn't find so I was quite suspicious.
I've been googling how to remove this dodgy template but instructions so far have been over complicated. Can you pease demystify?
I'll gladly report the rest to you. Si far I think another one could be Internet Archive.vuze
Thanks again,
Sca
Thank you :)
Would I need to register with all those sites to use them?
You asked me to report more templates within vuze that seem dodgey to me.
What about TorrentProject?
Right now it's the only one that's come up with a lot of hits for something that's just been released. The hits all look okay but I'm not sure if I can trust it.
Greets and thanks again,
Sca
Hi Steve,
Although customizing Vuze meta search is tempting it concerns me that it uses IE rendering (I guess activeX) to obtain the search results. That scares the hell out of me as Internet Explorer is the absolute LAST browser on earth I would use - I only use it when all else fails. You need to be absolutely running the latest version of IE (even then I would still not use it). Like you I just go to my web browser and do searching with a couple of plugin tools to help me. Some older versions of IE (eg IE6) don't create the meta search properly you get messed up font sizes and layout etc.
Is it worth bring this to the attention of your readers?
There is supposed to be a way to use mozilla rendering instead of activeX but like a lot Vuze a lack of documentation on how to do it - sigh - I gave up. Any chance you may have looked at XUlRunner?
Hi Steve,
I have just changed PC'S. so downloaded Vuze on new P.C. kickass is missing and meta search very very limited.
Came across your site (Very good even for a mere beginner like me) but the download link to BitSnoop.vuze doesn't seem to work.Any help greatly appreciated.
Steve, which torrent software are you now using?
Thanks for the fast response and info Steve. I've used Vuze for about 3 years now and followed the developments to the Vuze templates you list on the other site. I always used Vuze because I thought the use of the templates produced the widest range of results. I'm in the UK and use PIA VPN, but I don't really use any of the other advanced Vuze features - I like to get in and get out with what I want without faffing about. For about the last 6 months I've added paid Usenet (NewsHosting) to my searches as this often finds documentaries and rare music that Vuze often can't find.
Does uTorrent have the same kind of templates to Vuze or similar search options to get a wide range of results? Any other info relted to this and on the best way to search is appreciated.
Thanks
Jason
HI I opened up vuze one day and I noticed the layout had changed i.e the advanced search and torrent list was on the top instead of the right hand side. A friend said that some of the torrents had become dnr'd so went to Vuze downloads and downloaded the Torrenze project (4th Nov) but there seems to be no improvement... I'm still getting limited selection of searches.. what am I doing wrong? Please Help!
Thanks
Yes I'm in the UK. I downloaded 'Torrentproject' posted on 4th November. What I can't understand is a friend of mine says he downloaded the same one and get everything??
Yes I can, it opens up a new browser search engine. would that be right?
Hi Steve, Thanks for the vuze templates, btw demonoid has changed to www.d2.vu, do you think you can make a template for 1337x.org please thanks!!!!! On your site I can not post a comment, it said I did not have acess. Thanks again!