Speeding Up MSDN Downloads

I normally try to avoid regurgitating other peoples' posts, but in this case I'll make an exception (System.PlagerismException?) because the information is so valueable. We actually use this technique with great success where I work, but I'll cite the blog the started it all:

If you're an MSDN subscriber and have ever tried to download a huge set of files, I'm sure you know how long it can take when you're only getting about 25kbps speed from Microsoft's MSDN Subscriber Downloads. The problem is, you may be hitting a non-US mirror site. So, here's a way to speed things up a bit.

In the hosts file on the machine doing the downloading (%windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) add an entry for the Microsoft server:
207.46.252.185 global.ds.microsoft.com

Then, in Internet Explorer, add https://global.ds.microsoft.com in the list of trusted sites under Tools > Internet Options > Security > Trusted Sites. Also, under the privacy tab click the 'Sites' button and enter https://global.ds.microsoft.com so that microsoft.com is a trusted domain.

We did this at work and saw a speed increase from about 25kbps to ~150kbps.

Source: Jason Mauss' Blog Cabin