Even if you have a fast internet connection, there will inevitably have been times when a particular download takes a long time to complete. This is often because a large number of people are attempt to download the same files at the same time and these can lead to the host server becoming overloading, resulting in poor transfer performance for everyone.

Download Accelerator Plus helps to speed up downloads by searching for mirrors - duplicates of the file you are downloading - so you can download from more than one location simultaneously. By spreading the download load across multiple servers you should be able to make the most of your internet connection and download files at full speed.

The program includes a plugin for both Firefox and Internet Explorer, but it can also be used as a standalone program. Should you find that you need to use your internet connection for something else while you are in the middle of a large download, file transfers can be paused so you can prioritised web traffic as you see fit. There are also handy features such as the ability to preview video files before they have completely downloaded

The installation of Download Accelerator includes a couple of optional toolbars and the program is keen to change your browser's start page - take care to ensure that you untick the relevant boxes during the setup process if you would prefer to ignore these options.