If you regularly download files from the Internet, a download manager will save you time and spare you aggravation. GetRight is one of the best-known and easiest-to-use of these handy apps, and although its performance is not remarkable, its useful features will certainly improve your downloading experience (download GetRight 4.5d here). This software gracefully recovers from dropped Net connections, so you won't have to start downloading all over again when your ISP cuts you off. Plus, GetRight allows you to schedule your downloads in advance and works seamlessly with most Web browsers. If you download large files and don't want to deal with interruptions, then GetRight is perfect. However, if you want only to speed up your downloads, GetRight won't necessarily help you. By Bruce Stewart
If you regularly download files from the Internet, a download manager will save you time and spare you aggravation. GetRight is one of the best-known and easiest-to-use of these handy apps, and although its performance is not remarkable, its useful features will certainly improve your downloading experience (download GetRight 4.5d here). This software gracefully recovers from dropped Net connections, so you won't have to start downloading all over again when your ISP cuts you off. Plus, GetRight allows you to schedule your downloads in advance and works seamlessly with most Web browsers. If you download large files and don't want to deal with interruptions, then GetRight is perfect. However, if you want only to speed up your downloads, GetRight won't necessarily help you.
Easy installation and interface
Installation is a breeze. Just download and double-click GetRight's small setup program. Read the setup screens carefully, however, or you'll end up installing some questionable programs along with GetRight.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
When it comes to ad-serving software, software that serves pop-up ads onto your desktop, GetRight has a checkered past. Since version 4.3, GetRight has not installed any ad-serving software without your knowledge--a good thing. However, if you click through the GetRight installation screens, accepting the default entries, you will end up installing known ad-serving software. To avoid this, answer no when asked to install these programs.
Thankfully, beyond its setup screens, GetRight's interface is easy to use and customizable. Once installed, GetRight works directly with Internet Explorer or Netscape 4.x (you'll need a separate plug-in for Netscape 6, Opera, and Mozilla) by placing an icon in your system tray and waiting to intercept downloads from your Web browser. Click any download link, and instead of your standard browser download dialog box asking you where to save the file, you'll see a GetRight dialog box telling you the source URL, the destination file folder on your hard drive, and the speed of the download. If your connection gets dropped, there's a Resume button on the dialog box.
Advanced functions and performance
In addition to recovering interrupted downloads, GetRight offers a host of advanced features. From GetRight's main window, you can control batches of download files, schedule downloads for specific dates and times, and organize downloads once they get to your hard drive. GetRight can even shut down your computer or hang up the modem once your downloads are complete.
GetRight also improves download speeds by checking local--and therefore faster--mirror sites for the file you're attempting to download; it segments large downloads and switches to alternate sites whenever a connection slows down or drops. Of course, these features help only if you're downloading files that are stored in multiple locations. If there's only one place to get a file, GetRight offers no speed improvement.
In fact, in our tests--run on a 900MHz Pentium III system with 256MB of RAM, running Windows XP over a 56K dial-up modem connection--GetRight took approximately 30 seconds longer to download a 1MB file from a single location than Internet Explorer. GetRight's performance looks better, however, when you download popular files that live on many servers. We noticed improvements of one to two minutes over IE for similarly sized files in some cases.
Responsive e-mail support
Technical support is available via e-mail, and responses generally come in one to two days. There is no phone support. Thankfully, the thorough online help system addresses most common questions, and GetRight's Web site contains a solid FAQ.
GetRight 4.5d is one of the most well-known and easy-to-use download managers, and although its performance isn't remarkable, its useful features can improve your downloading experience. Just make sure to install GetRight with caution to avoid its bundled ad-serving software.
