diff --git a/libtransmission/web.c b/libtransmission/web.c
index 550e42b07..87dcb6b12 100644
--- a/libtransmission/web.c
+++ b/libtransmission/web.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #define PULSE_MSEC 200
 static void pulse( int socket UNUSED, short action UNUSED, void * vweb );
 #endif
+static void processCompletedTasks( tr_web * );
 
 #define dbgmsg(fmt...) tr_deepLog( __FILE__, __LINE__, "web", ##fmt )
 
@@ -60,16 +61,18 @@ writeFunc( void * ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, void * task )
 static void
 pump( tr_web * web )
 {
+    int unused;
     CURLMcode rc;
     do
 #ifdef USE_CURL_MULTI_SOCKET
-        rc = curl_multi_socket_all( web->cm, &web->remain );
+        rc = curl_multi_socket_all( web->cm, &unused );
 #else
-        rc = curl_multi_perform( web->cm, &web->remain );
+        rc = curl_multi_perform( web->cm, &unused );
 #endif
     while( rc == CURLM_CALL_MULTI_PERFORM );
-    dbgmsg( "%d tasks remain", web->remain );
-    if ( rc != CURLM_OK  )
+    if ( rc == CURLM_OK  )
+        processCompletedTasks( web );
+    else
         tr_err( "%s", curl_multi_strerror(rc) );
 }
 
@@ -100,71 +103,62 @@ tr_webRun( tr_session         * session,
     curl_easy_setopt( ch, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, task );
     curl_easy_setopt( ch, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, TR_NAME "/" LONG_VERSION_STRING );
     curl_easy_setopt( ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 0 );
-    curl_easy_setopt( ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 30 );
-
     curl_multi_add_handle( web->cm, ch );
 
-#ifdef USE_CURL_MULTI_SOCKET
     pump( web );
-#else
-    if( !evtimer_initialized( &web->timer ) )
-        evtimer_set( &web->timer, pulse, web );
-    if( !evtimer_pending( &web->timer, NULL ) ) {
-        struct timeval tv = tr_timevalMsec( PULSE_MSEC );
-        evtimer_add( &web->timer, &tv );
-    }
-#endif
 }
 
 static void
 processCompletedTasks( tr_web * web )
 {
     int more = 0;
+    CURL * easy;
+    CURLMsg * msg;
+    CURLcode res;
 
     do {
-        CURLMsg * msg = curl_multi_info_read( web->cm, &more );
-        if( msg && ( msg->msg == CURLMSG_DONE ) )
-        {
-            CURL * ch;
+        /* find a completed task.  this idea is from the "hiperinfo.c"
+         * sample that questions the safety of removing an easy handle
+         * inside the curl_multi_info_read loop */
+        easy = NULL;
+        while(( msg = curl_multi_info_read( web->cm, &more ))) {
+            if( msg->msg == CURLMSG_DONE ) {
+                easy = msg->easy_handle;
+                res = msg->data.result;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        if( easy ) {
             struct tr_web_task * task;
-            long response_code;
+            int response_code;
+            curl_easy_getinfo( easy, CURLINFO_PRIVATE, &task );
+            curl_easy_getinfo( easy, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &response_code );
 
-            if( msg->data.result != CURLE_OK )
-                tr_err( "%s", curl_easy_strerror( msg->data.result ) );
-            
-            ch = msg->easy_handle;
-            curl_easy_getinfo( ch, CURLINFO_PRIVATE, &task );
-            curl_easy_getinfo( ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &response_code );
-
-            dbgmsg( "task #%lu done", task->tag );
+            --web->remain;
+            dbgmsg( "task #%lu done (%d tasks remain)", task->tag, web->remain );
             task->done_func( web->session,
                              response_code,
                              EVBUFFER_DATA(task->response),
                              EVBUFFER_LENGTH(task->response),
                              task->done_func_user_data );
 
-            curl_multi_remove_handle( web->cm, ch );
-            curl_easy_cleanup( ch );
-
+            curl_multi_remove_handle( web->cm, easy );
+            curl_easy_cleanup( easy );
             evbuffer_free( task->response );
             tr_free( task );
         }
-    }
-    while( more );
-
-    /* remove timeout if there are no transfers left */
-    if( !web->remain && evtimer_initialized( &web->timer ) )
-        evtimer_del( &web->timer );
+    } while( easy );
 }
 
 #ifdef USE_CURL_MULTI_SOCKET
+
 /* libevent says that sock is ready to be processed, so tell libcurl */
 static void
 event_callback( int sock, short action, void * vweb )
 {
     tr_web * web = vweb;
     CURLMcode rc;
-    int mask;
+    int mask, unused;
 
     switch (action & (EV_READ|EV_WRITE)) {
         case EV_READ: mask = CURL_CSELECT_IN; break;
@@ -173,8 +167,7 @@ event_callback( int sock, short action, void * vweb )
         default: tr_err( "Unknown event %hd\n", action ); return;
     }
 
-    do
-        rc = curl_multi_socket_action( web->cm, sock, mask, &web->remain );
+    do rc = curl_multi_socket_action( web->cm, sock, mask, &unused );
     while( rc == CURLM_CALL_MULTI_PERFORM );
 
     if ( rc != CURLM_OK  )
@@ -183,79 +176,79 @@ event_callback( int sock, short action, void * vweb )
     processCompletedTasks( web );
 }
 
+/* CURLMPOPT_SOCKETFUNCTION */
 /* libcurl wants us to tell it when sock is ready to be processed */
-static int
-socket_callback( CURL            * easy UNUSED,
-                 curl_socket_t     sock,
-                 int               action,
-                 void            * vweb,
-                 void            * assigndata )
+static void
+multi_sock_cb( CURL            * easy UNUSED,
+               curl_socket_t     sock,
+               int               action,
+               void            * vweb,
+               void            * assigndata )
 {
     tr_web * web = vweb;
-    int events = EV_PERSIST;
     struct event * ev = assigndata;
 
-    if( ev )
-        event_del( ev );
-    else {
-        ev = tr_new0( struct event, 1 );
-        curl_multi_assign( web->cm, sock, ev );
+    if( action == CURL_POLL_REMOVE ) {
+        if( ev ) {
+            event_del( ev );
+            tr_free( ev );
+            curl_multi_assign( web->cm, sock, NULL );
+        }
+    } else {
+        int kind;
+        if( ev ) {
+            event_del( ev );
+        } else {
+            ev = tr_new0( struct event, 1 );
+            curl_multi_assign( web->cm, sock, ev );
+        }
+        kind = EV_PERSIST;
+        if( action & CURL_POLL_IN ) kind |= EV_READ;
+        if( action & CURL_POLL_OUT ) kind |= EV_WRITE;
+        event_set( ev, sock, kind, event_callback, web );
+        event_add( ev, NULL );
     }
-
-    switch (action) {
-        case CURL_POLL_IN: events |= EV_READ; break;
-        case CURL_POLL_OUT: events |= EV_WRITE; break;
-        case CURL_POLL_INOUT: events |= EV_READ|EV_WRITE; break;
-        case CURL_POLL_REMOVE: tr_free( ev ); /* fallthrough */
-        case CURL_POLL_NONE: return 0;
-        default: tr_err( "Unknown socket action %d", action ); return -1;
-    }
-
-    event_set( ev, sock, events, event_callback, web );
-    event_add( ev, NULL );
-    return 0;
 }
 
 /* libevent says that timeout_ms have passed, so tell libcurl */
 static void
-timeout_callback( int socket UNUSED, short action UNUSED, void * vweb )
+event_timer_cb( int socket UNUSED, short action UNUSED, void * vweb )
 {
-    tr_web * web = vweb;
+    int unused;
     CURLMcode rc;
+    tr_web * web = vweb;
 
-    do rc = curl_multi_socket( web->cm, CURL_SOCKET_TIMEOUT, &web->remain );
-    while( rc == CURLM_CALL_MULTI_PERFORM );
-    if( rc != CURLM_OK )
-        tr_err( "%s", curl_multi_strerror( rc ) );
+    do {
+        rc = curl_multi_socket( web->cm, CURL_SOCKET_TIMEOUT, &unused );
+    } while( rc == CURLM_CALL_MULTI_PERFORM );
+    if ( rc == CURLM_OK  )
+        processCompletedTasks( web );
+    else
+        tr_err( "%s", curl_multi_strerror(rc) );
 }
 
-/* libcurl wants us to tell it when timeout_ms have passed */
+/* CURLMPOPT_TIMERFUNCTION */
 static void
-timer_callback( CURLM *multi UNUSED, long timeout_ms, void * vweb )
+multi_timer_cb( CURLM *multi UNUSED, long timeout_ms, void * vweb )
 {
     tr_web * web = vweb;
     struct timeval tv = tr_timevalMsec( timeout_ms );
-
-    if( evtimer_initialized( &web->timer ) )
-        evtimer_del( &web->timer );
-
-    evtimer_set( &web->timer, timeout_callback, vweb );
     evtimer_add( &web->timer, &tv );
 }
+
 #else
 
 static void
 pulse( int socket UNUSED, short action UNUSED, void * vweb )
 {
     tr_web * web = vweb;
+    struct timeval tv = tr_timevalMsec( PULSE_MSEC );
 
     pump( web );
     processCompletedTasks( web );
 
-    if( web->remain > 0 ) {
-        struct timeval tv = tr_timevalMsec( PULSE_MSEC );
-        evtimer_add( &web->timer, &tv );
-    }
+    evtimer_del( &web->timer );
+    evtimer_add( &web->timer, &tv );
 }
 
 #endif
@@ -263,6 +256,9 @@ pulse( int socket UNUSED, short action UNUSED, void * vweb )
 tr_web*
 tr_webInit( tr_session * session )
 {
+#ifndef USE_CURL_MULTI_SOCKET
+    struct timeval tv = tr_timevalMsec( PULSE_MSEC );
+#endif
     static int curlInited = FALSE;
     tr_web * web;
 
@@ -280,17 +276,22 @@ tr_webInit( tr_session * session )
     web->session = session;
 
 #ifdef USE_CURL_MULTI_SOCKET
+    evtimer_set( &web->timer, event_timer_cb, web );
     curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_SOCKETDATA, web );
-    curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_SOCKETFUNCTION, socket_callback );
+    curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_SOCKETFUNCTION, multi_sock_cb );
     curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_TIMERDATA, web );
-    curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_TIMERFUNCTION, timer_callback );
+    curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_TIMERFUNCTION, multi_timer_cb );
+#else
+    evtimer_set( &web->timer, pulse, web );
+    evtimer_add( &web->timer, &tv );
 #endif
 #if CURL_CHECK_VERSION(7,16,3)
-    curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_MAXCONNECTS, 20 );
+    curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_MAXCONNECTS, 10 );
 #endif
 #if CURL_CHECK_VERSION(7,16,0)
     curl_multi_setopt( web->cm, CURLMOPT_PIPELINING, 1 );
 #endif
+    pump( web );
 
     return web;
 }