Changing to a different eMule client

[Phuzzy4242]

There are so many mods of the original eMule client available that it can be hard to choose between them until you try them out. Considering how 'cranky' some systems can be about getting connected and transferring at the best speed possible, many people are reluctant to mess with what they're using now. This short tutorial shows how easy it is to try a different mod without screwing up what you already have. If the following doesn't work, you can easily return to what you were doing because you're not touching your original setup and can use it again if necessary.

NOTE: If you keep your Shared folder inside your eMule client's folder, you might consider giving it its own folder off the root so it's easier to find. The Shared and Temp folders don't have to be inside the client's folder. I use E:\Movies for the shared folder - stuff I've looked at already and want to keep. I use E:\Incoming for where files are moved when they complete and I haven't looked at them yet. E:\Incoming\temp is used for the temp folder for files that haven't completed yet. You may want to do this BEFORE changing clients so you know it's all working correctly first.

1. Copy the entire folder of your current eMule client to a new folder with a different name. For example, copy C:\DreamMule to C:\Morph. You're doing this so all your current settings will be reused by the new client and you'll keep all your "points", etc.
2. Download the client you want to try out - DON'T download the "installer" version, get the one that has just the binaries.
3. Read the ReadMe file to see if there's anything unusual you need to know.
4. Extract ONLY the binary file(s), usually emule.exe and maybe a few .dll's into the new client's folder (for example C:\Morph) replacing the ones that's there.
5. Create a shortcut on your desktop (or wherever you had your original client's shortcut) to the new emule.exe.
6. Start the NEW client. Unless the ReadMe specifically told you to, don't make any other changes to the client setup yet.
7. Go online and see if it's all working. It will probably take off from where you stopped the old client.
8. You WILL get a new client ID hash so you will no longer be in other people's friends lists. Most of the time I look for the [FLM] tag next to someone's nick so I know they should be friended (for example 'phuzzy4242 [FLM]').
9. Once everything is working as expected you can check out the new client's features. Some (like kad) are 'must-haves', others may be useful to some people but not others.
10. You can leave the original client as-is until you're sure you like the new one better and delete it later.

If things don't go as expected, you run into snags, or you just don't like the new client, you can always go back to your original client