Best and the easiest way is to use the rs download manager found on the rs website under rapid tools and rapid download manager. download the manager and follow the instructions on the website as quoted below.. will make your life so easy, its unimaginable. it was a god send. maybe I am too late on the news, but since there was no post decided to post anyways.

After Downloading follow the below process.

“Open the tab Download and click the blue button “Add”. You can either copy RapidShare download links into the list, or insert any text containing links. By clicking on the button “Take links”, they are extracted from the text and checked.

A message informs you whether the links are correct and the files are available. If you do not want to download all the links that have been found, you can uncheck the unwanted ones by reversing the selection. Then click on “Download”.

You have the option to change where the files are saved and enter a comment regarding the download. You can check this comment at any time, change it or insert one afterwards. Click the right mouse button on the relevant entry and select “Show comment”.

You decide how many downloads should happen at the same time. Waiting entries start automatically when the ongoing download is completed. When a file is saved completely, it can be opened with a double click ”

Hope this helps..

Your method looks easier actually, but with mine there’s the advantage of knowing in advance if the links are dead