What are Newzbin (.NZB) and BinNews? (.BNS) files

This description copied from  the newsbin forums

One problem with using Newsgroups is finding specific content that is of interest to you. In the traditional model you have to decide what groups you are interested in and then download the headers so you can find the specific items that you are really interested in. This can be very time consuming, can consume a lot of bandwidth simply downloading headers - and does not solve the basic problem that you may not know what groups to search to find the relevant items in the first place.

This has lead to the emergence of sites, known as indexing sites, which simplify this problem for users by downloading the headers for groups and inserting the information into a database. They then supplement this information with additional search criteria. Users of such system can then use a simple search interface to find out if material is available, and if so in which groups. The latest inovation is that once you have done a successful search you can download a small file containing enough information to allow a newreader that understands the file format to download the selected files without the need to ever download headers from the server, or for the newsreader to have been previously told about the groups containing the selected material.

Newzbin (  http://www.newzbin.com) and BinNews? (  http://www.binnews.com ) were the first of the services that index binary files on the Internet and whose file formats are understood by Newsbin. These services are not free, but the charges are low so many users consider the savings in terms of convenience, time and saving on header downloads well worth the fees. For those who do not want to pay even these small fees there are now also sites that offer .nzb files for free although the quality and/or breadth of service tends to be lower than the commercial sites. These sites allow you to search for specific files that are of interest to you, and if an item is found then you can download a little file detailing the posts that make up this file (.NZB file from Newzbin, .BNS files from BinNews?).

To use this downloaded file you first decide if you want the posts to be loaded into the Post List or the Download List and make the appropriate tab visible in Newsbin. You can then load the file into Newsbin using any one of the following methods

  • Using Windows drag-and-drop facilities to drag the file onto the Post List or the Download List
  • Using the "Load Plugin Data" option from the File menu
  • Using the Load button on the toolbar
  • Use the "Process with plugin" option on the right-click menu from the Downloaded Files list.

The files will be inserted into the list, and if you are adding to the Post List will be given "new" status. If you added the files to the Download List they are appended at the end, while for the Post List they are inserted according to the current list sort order. Make sure if adding to the Post List that you do not have filters set that will promptly hide the files added.

Tutorial

  • There is a tutorial on the use of .bns and .nzb files with Newsbin available  here.

Restrictions

  • You must be using Newsbin 4.3 or later
  • You must be a registered user of Newsbin. This facility is not available to trial users.
  • The Server must support retrieving posts by Message Id. Most commercial servers do, but a way to check would be to see if you can retrieve posts if you download the headers but not if you use a .NZB or .BNS file. If that is the case then it means your server does not support retrieving posts by Message Id.

Advantages

  • No headers to download
  • No need to search through long lists of downloaded headers to find the right item.
  • Friendly search terms can be used rather than the cryptic names often used within the Newsgroups
  • You can get files from groups you do not normally use.

Disadvantages

  • Indexing services are not normally free
  • Not all servers are capable of using .NZB/.BNS files as they do not support retrieving by Message Id. Servers known to fall into this category are:
    • NNTPServer and resellers such as Teranews <list will be extended as problem servers are discovered>

Common Mistakes

  • Saving download lists without the .nzb file extension. If you do this and try to reload them then you will get the error message "no plugin to process this file type" being displayed when you try use a .BNS or .NZB file.
  • The plugin files have not been put into the PLUGIN folder at the Newsbin install location. For Release 4.3 and 4.31 there was a single file called BINDIX.dll responsible for handling .NZB and .BNS files, while for 4.32 there are now two files NZB.dll and BNS.dll. The symptom of this problem is the error message "no plugin to process this file type" being displayed when you try use a .BNS or .NZB file.
  • You have upgraded to the 4.32 release and forgot to remove the BINIDX.dll file that was used by the earlier releases. The symptom of this is that NZB or BNS files will fail to load. If you are using Windows XP you may need to reboot before the old DLL's are removed from memory.
  • You were running a 4.32 beta release, and forgot to upgrade the NZB.dll and BNS.dll files in the PLUGIN folder with the ones that came with the latest release. The symptom of this is that NZB or BNS files will fail to load. If you are using Windows XP you may need to reboot before the old DLL's are removed from memory.
  • Not making sure that either the Post List or Download List is showing when trying to use the "Load Plugin Data" option from the File menu. The symptom is that the attempt to load will silently be ignored and nothing will be loaded from the file. The same thing can happen if you try and use the "drag-and-drop" method to the Failed Files list or the Downloaded File list.
  • Adding files to the Post List that are promptly hidden because of the current settings in the Filter bar