Responsible Network Use - Disabling Inappropriate File Sharing

"Peer to peer" software applications that are used to share files across the Internet cause problems in terms of bandwidth availability. Examples of this type of software are: Gnutella, KaZaA, Morpheus, and Bearshare.

Traffic created by these types of applications causes significant bandwidth problems on our residence hall network and our campus network. Here is what you need to do to be sure that you are not running the "peer to peer: applications.

Do I have a "peer to peer" program?

First, you need to determine if you have any of the "peer to peer" programs. In some cases, you may have downloaded the program on purpose. In other cases, the software was downloaded without your knowledge when you were visiting a website or downloading another program.

Look at the following list of programs that may be on your computer. From a Windows computer, go under Start and choose Programs and look for the titles listed below. From a MacIntosh, double-click on the hard drive and then look under Applications for the titles listed below.

Aimster
Audiogalaxy Satellite by Audiogalaxy
BearShare by Gnutella
Direct Connect by NeoModus
EDonkey2000 by MFTP
Gnotella by Gnutellas
Gnucleus by Gnutella
GTK-Gnutella by Gnutella
IMesh
KaZaA by FastTrack
LimeWire by Gnutella
Mactella by Gnutella
Morpheus by Gnutella
Phex by Gnutella
Qtella by Gnutella
Shareaza by Gnutella
SwapNut by Gnutella
WinMX by OpenNap
XoloX by Gnutella

If the answer is no...

If you do not have any of the programs on your computer, then you do not have to do anything. Just be aware of the programs, if you see listed in the future then come back to this webpage and read it again. We will be updating the software list as more programs come to our attention.

If the answer is yes...

If one of the programs is listed, you can either delete the program or disable the file sharing. Some of these programs have useful applications and you may want to keep it but if you did not even know that the program existed, you should go ahead and delete it. It is doing you no good.

Option A - deleting the program

From Windows computers
To delete the program, go Start then Settings/Control Panel. Choose Add/Remove Programs. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click on the name of the program that you want to remove (Gnutella, KaZaA, etc.). Click on Add/Remove and answer yes when asked if you are sure that you want to remove the program. Repeat these steps if you have more than one program to remove, otherwise just close this screen and you are set.

From a MacIntosh computer
Double-click on the hard drive and then look under Applications for the software. Highlight the name of the software and drag the name to the trash can.

Option B - disabling the program

If you want to keep the program on your computer, you will need to make adjustments to disable file sharing. Each program is a bit different so click on the name of the program from the list above for specific instructions.

Many thanks to Larry Lidz with the University of Chicago for allowing us to use his documentation as an aid in creating these webpages.