Accelerate Downloading

Many times it takes a very long time to download from another site. You can easily accelerate your downloads by following the directions.

Steps

Close any Internet using programs you do not need, so close any kind of P2P program (unless this is how you're downloading); Internet browser; streaming media; messengers; and games like WOW, America's Army, or any other multiplayer online games. This will increase the available incoming traffic you have.
Make sure your firewalls are not blocking the program and that the port is open. (See below.)
Get a download manager. Some of them are actually faster than the download speed you see when using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox (see below for a good download manager). Orbit downloader is a nice one.
Use/get a faster browser/internet connection(Opera: http://www.opera.com/ or Google Chrome: https://www.google.com/chrome )
If you are using wireless, go closer to the router.
If you are using ethernet, use the shortest ethernet line you can find.
Or, use LAN.

If someone else on your network is doing a massive download, or similar to above they will affect your speed as well. Kindly ask them to stop, pause, or slowdown/limit their downloading. (Or just wait until they are done.)
Also, keep in mind that downloading from servers near you is generally faster but not always. If you are in prime hours in your area, look for a mirror server farther away where most people are likely to be asleep. The server loads will usually be less and your downloads come in faster.
This tip does not apply if you are running single computer over a network connection.

All websites have upload speeds governed by their providers. Don't expect to get 500mb/s from a site whose max upload is only 300kb/s, as you will only get its max upload speed at best. So don't call your ISP due to slow downloads if it is the fault of the site you're downloading from, because your ISP doesn't have control over that.
If you do not have permission to unblock ports then don't!