What is wget?

wget is a popular command-line tool on Linux used for downloading files from the web. It allows you to download files and folders recursively while maintaining the original directory structure. On Windows, you can use the wget.exe version of the tool to achieve the same functionality.

Downloading and Installing wget on Windows

1. Download wget.exe: You can get the wget.exe file from reliable sources like Eternal Terminal (https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/) or the GNU Wget website (https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/).
2. Add wget to PATH (optional): To use wget from any command prompt location, place wget.exe in a folder like C:\Windows\System32, or add its location to your PATH environment variable.

Using wget to Copy a Web Directory

Let’s say you want to copy all files from a specific site, for example: https://nas.wuibaille.fr/LeblogOSDdownload/IVANTI/.

Here’s the command to run:

wget.exe --mirror --no-parent -P . https://nas.wuibaille.fr/LeblogOSDdownload/IVANTI/

Explanation of Options

• --mirror: This option enables mirror mode, meaning wget will download all files and folders recursively while preserving the original directory structure.
• --no-parent: Prevents wget from moving up to parent directories. This ensures that only the target directory’s contents are downloaded without including files from higher-level directories.
• -P .: Specifies the download destination directory. Here, . means the download will be saved in the current directory. You can replace . with a specific path to store the files elsewhere.

Running this command will download all files from https://nas.wuibaille.fr/LeblogOSDdownload/IVANTI/ to your local machine, maintaining the original folder structure.

Troubleshooting with wget in PowerShell

You might encounter an error if you simply use wget in PowerShell, as PowerShell sometimes interprets wget as an alias for Invoke-WebRequest. The options you’re using (--mirror, --no-parent, -P) are not compatible with Invoke-WebRequest, which causes errors.

To avoid this confusion, explicitly use wget.exe instead of wget. This ensures that PowerShell runs the wget program you downloaded, not the internal command.

Common Error: InvalidArgument in PowerShell

If you encounter an error like:

Invoke-WebRequest : The parameter cannot be processed because the parameter name "-P" is ambiguous.

This means that PowerShell interpreted wget as Invoke-WebRequest. Use wget.exe instead: