Partial Download

Partial Download is a command line application that can download a section of a large file from the Internet. The number of bytes that it can grab is defined by the user.

It is suited for those scenarios where your Internet subscription payment is based on the traffic amount and you don’t want to risk downloading a large file that you know nothing about, such as a video clip.

Typically, download managers don’t provide an option for partial downloads, preventing you from getting a sneak peak at the content before you actually grab it.

This is where this program fits; it allows users to transfer a tiny bit of the whole package, so as to be able to preview the files prior to downloading them completely.

It works from command line, but is extremely easy to use, as the developer provides enough guidance regarding the steps you need to take in order to successfully download only the first few bytes out of a file.

Here are some guidelines concerning usage: open a CMD window and simply drag the app’s executable to it. A few tips will be displayed instantly, informing you on how to proceed further.

Efforts come down to specifying the link and the amount to be downloaded, after which the program connects to the specified address and retrieves the content, saving it to C:\Users\Account Name.

It took us a while to find the download location, since the developer doesn’t specify this in the documentation. However, it cannot be changed, by the looks of it.

Something else we’ve noticed during our tests is that the program doesn’t always respect the number of bytes you’ve set and acts on its own, downloading a random amount of information most of the time.

On an ending note, Partial Download is a promising project, but needs further improvement. Simple things such as a GUI and fixes in what the download limit is concerned would do it a lot of good.