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Can't open downloads on Vista

Last answer on Nov 7, 2009 3:03:49 pm GMT mike, on Jul 8, 2008 12:10:42 am BST

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Hello,
OS, Windows Vista Home (probably my biggest problem)
I was downloading an update on a firefox Add-on when my page froze. When I re-booted i couldn't get on Firefox. I entered the web via IE and tried to reinstall Firefox. It downloads the program but refuses to open it. i just get a message that Windows can't open firefox and it will get back to me if there is a solution. Well it's been 2 weeks and i still can't open any programs i download including firefox. I'm stuck using IE which is so inferior (in my opinion ) to firefox.
Any ideas out there
Thanks
mike

Configuration: Windows Vista
Internet Explorer 7.0

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Ask your question Reply

ccc, on Jul 13, 2008 1:35:22 am BST

+10

The same thing just happened to me. If anyone knows anything, I would appreciate it!

Reply to ccc

amy, on Jul 21, 2008 3:43:03 pm BST

The exact SAME thing has happened to me several times and i do not understand what i should try ot fix it, i have disabled my firewall and i have even uninstalled all protection on my computer to allow it but nothing seems to work, anyone have any advice on what the hell i should try because i am all out of ideas.
x

Reply to amy

mikayla, on Oct 14, 2008 2:40:15 am BST

I wouldnt be surprised,
haha firefox is a mac based browser
it doesnt proform on windoes
the way it does on a mac
but, i have the same problem with my
laptop, so i need some help

Reply to mikayla

PzR, on Oct 30, 2008 6:07:10 pm GMT

Ummm... Firefox isn't Mac based. Yes is runs on Mac's, but also Windows and Linux. It wa developed as an open architecture, not platform specific.

Regardless, I have the same problem downloading under Vista Business...

Reply to PzR

Jasmin, on Nov 3, 2008 4:46:42 pm GMT

Hey, if ur using Vista open the start menu. In the darker column to the right (with the Documents, pictures, music etc. folders) there should be one with your name (or the name of your profile) at the top. If you click that you'll see a bunch of folders.. you're going to want to open the Downloads folder. All of your downloads should be in there.

Reply to Jasmin

..., on Nov 5, 2008 12:37:16 pm GMT

Nope they just arent there. even if you watch them download its nowhere to be found.

Reply to ...

Skaejek, on Nov 7, 2008 7:26:32 pm GMT

I have the exact same problem. I watch the files download to the download directory as PART files (I've tried on IE and FF; same result). Everything seems to go fine, then, when the download finishes, the file disappears and cannot be found anywhere on the computer.

Reply to Skaejek

Mashka, on Jan 23, 2009 11:34:15 pm GMT

My exact problem!

I click on "run" or "save". It downloads, but then dissappears!

Reply to Mashka

josiah, on Mar 24, 2009 4:38:07 pm GMT

I have the exact same problem has anyone found a way around this???

Reply to josiah

wwwgjsnet, on Nov 13, 2008 8:53:13 pm GMT

SAME AS JASMINE.

One download after another nowhre to be found.

Also Vista SEARCH is totally worthless. I've tried everything including reindexing.

None of these problems ever happened with Windows XP. DAMMIT !

Anyone know how to fix the above pervasive Vista problems?

Reply to wwwgjsnet

PzR, on Nov 13, 2008 9:19:53 pm GMT

I'd love to help, but I can find a solution! I've removed all AV software and services, disabled the firewalls and still have the problem!

Oh, I did fix two of my Vista boxes; I converted them to SuSe Linux! It works flawlessly, absolutely SCREAMS compared to Vista (or XP) and is rock stable!

If I didn't have several apps that require Windows, I'd be done with Microsoft!

Reply to PzR

Lane, on Jan 4, 2009 9:30:58 pm GMT

+27

Thank you Jazmin!!! This is exactly where my downloads went! I sing your praises! lol Thanks!

Reply to Lane

Virginia, on Jan 8, 2009 1:46:23 am GMT

Thank you so much, Jasmin! I've not been able to figure this out for as long as I've had Vista. You've helped with endless problems!

Reply to Virginia

josiah, on Mar 24, 2009 4:40:39 pm GMT

Hey i tried that but its not in there any other ideas?????

Reply to josiah

Dez, on Apr 23, 2009 7:20:11 pm BST

Idiot. The problem is the downloads wont save!

Reply to Dez

kardous, on Nov 18, 2008 11:21:32 pm GMT

I solve the problem . just uninstall AVG free anti virus .

Reply to kardous

Ceri, on Nov 20, 2008 7:12:43 pm GMT

No AVG isn't the trouble. This happens on most Vista platforms and is the result of the User Account settings. To stop it it seems that you have to turn OFF user accounts. This is probably the single most irritating thing that Vista has done to me lol. If all of my hardware worked in Ubuntu/Linux/Unix, I would have switched before ever looking at a Vista screen. We got three brand new vista machines all with different specs and the most common one among them was this stupid download problem.

Reply to Ceri

PzR, on Nov 20, 2008 7:40:47 pm GMT

Do you mean the UAC? (User Access Control) If so, I had already disabled the UAC, but still could not save downloads! I'm giving up on this though. We'll keep a few XP Pro systems and maybe one Vista box, but the rest will get converted to Linux as soon we find a replacement for Exchange...

Reply to PzR

caitlin, on May 9, 2009 7:09:24 pm BST

Hi, i dont mean to sound really stupid, but how do you turn off the user account control? I've already uninstalled avg but it hasnt made a difference :S Getting a vista laptop was biggest mistake ive ever made...

Reply to caitlin

Military Man, on Dec 9, 2008 11:34:36 pm GMT

Hey all, I've been having the same problem. I tried a few things, what ended up working for me personally was uninstalling AVG. AVG didnt isntall properly in the first place but after I uninstalled everything seemed to go back to running smooth as butter!

Reply to Military Man

Stuboobs, on Dec 13, 2008 6:17:48 pm GMT

Hey all uninstall avg worked for me two tried all sorts an in the end thats all it took

Reply to Stuboobs

What-a-lemon, on Dec 16, 2008 3:13:22 pm GMT

I had the same problem and uninstalling AVG free it suddenly works. dont think it takes the brains of a arch bishop to relise that avg IS THE PROBLEM. you can say its not,that its user account;but for me and other people uninstalling AVG i can download,run and save programs again.

Anyone has this problem try uninstalling AVG Free. thanks to the guys who where helpful!! ;)

Reply to What-a-lemon

mez, on Dec 17, 2008 12:51:46 am GMT

I dont believe it that i have been pissing about trying to fix this problem. i'd change the uac changed loads of other stuff and atfer all that is was my avg. it must have been a update in the last couple of months cos i have been running avg on vista for over the last year and had no problems.
so unstall avg and u can start downloading files again. thank god for that.

Reply to mez

lggrflem, on Dec 27, 2008 3:21:44 am GMT

I had the same problem not being able to download to a file. AVG 8 paid version was the problem. Reinstalled, works fine now

Reply to lggrflem

stnzldy, on Jan 16, 2009 1:46:48 am GMT

What is AVG?

Reply to stnzldy

gideomar, on Jan 20, 2009 8:21:08 am GMT

I do not have AVG but running on Avast. Had the same problem and it is so bad that I can not even open a zipped brochure after downloading and saving or update Adobe Flash Player. I have tried everything, looked everywhere, uninstalled virus and other protection, but still nothing. Where els can the problem be?

Reply to gideomar

Max, on Feb 1, 2009 6:29:25 am GMT

I have the same problem. Files are downloaded (using IE, Firefox and even Safari), but after one second (or less), the file is deleted, I can't find it anywhere on the hard disk.

I don't have AVG antivirus installed. I disabled all the firewall and antivirus (Norton) protection without success.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Reply to Max

jughead, on Feb 8, 2009 1:41:16 am GMT

I couldn't download from IE or firefox.

Uninstalled AVG, problem solved.

Reply to jughead

Nick, on Feb 13, 2009 8:25:27 pm GMT

What are you supposed to do if you don't have AVG...?

Can't really uninstall something you don't have.

Reply to Nick

Cerispace, on Feb 16, 2009 1:58:03 pm GMT

Try downloading AVAST Home edition instead. It's free and seemed to be a bit more basic but a bit more powerful than AVG.

www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Reply to Cerispace

innylit, on Feb 20, 2009 5:37:31 am GMT

The issue still stands - what if you don't have AVG at all? what do you do then? it seems that installing antivirus is not what will solve the problem.

Reply to innylit

Furball, on Feb 16, 2009 3:15:33 am GMT

Hey I have the same problem. I also do use AVG, but haven't uninstalled it yet. I can't download with IE or Firefox, but google chrome works like a champ xD

Reply to Furball

Dimitris, on Mar 1, 2009 5:13:06 pm GMT

My son got the same problem also. What I found:

This is a Dell laptop I originally used on an account "administrator". The system was originally using avg free 8.0 antivirus.
He created his own account and among others he installed firefox. The system stopped downloading (actually it does all process but the file is not saved at the end), independently of browser used (i.e. safari, ie7 and firefox).

I discovered that downloading on "administrator" account was OK, also on safe mode.

It seems that firefox makes changes on local account settings.

I uninstalled avg, installed first firefox 3.0.6 and then avg (without the avg bar) and everything is going fine.

I do know if installing a plugin in future would change this status.

Reply to Dimitris

Dimitris, on Mar 1, 2009 5:16:25 pm GMT

PS. Operating system is Vista business.

Reply to Dimitris

Chuzon, on Mar 19, 2009 11:10:15 pm GMT

Hi Everyone

ok i have taken everyones advice on board and still no look, im using IE not firefox, i had AGV Free, that has been unitstalled nothing happens. Now cant reinstal as i cant download. I have taken off my internet protection mode still nothing, i have tried almost everything all you have said yet nothing. Im not all the tech head minded so any help might have to be in idiots version please. This is very frustrating as ut did work last week, and i dont know what happened to make it suddenly stop working. Vista is far to complicated, and if microsoft think im gonna pay them to offer me advice they can jog on. Anyway my rant is now over.

Anyhelp would be more than grately apprechiated
(spelling mistakes must be forgiven its very late i have been at this for hours)

Reply to Chuzon

Serpentyne, on Apr 16, 2009 3:50:00 am BST

I just ran into this problem today (where your download actually downloads but then disappears just as it's finished). I don't have AVG but I was running a trial version of nod32 for my antivirus and today the trial ended and the virus definitions weren't up to date. Seems like both IE and firefox run a virus scan of every file you download right after it's done and if you antivirus has something going on with it (like not being up to date or something of a similar nature) then it'll delete the file since it can't run a proper virus scan on it (as defined by the antivirus you have installed)

I uninstalled nod32 and all my downloading is back to normal.

Reply to Serpentyne

lve, on Apr 21, 2009 8:00:27 pm BST

Had the same problem. Cost me about 2 days to figure out what was wrong. The virusscanner (AVG in my case) was not updated the last couple of months (no idea why). After updating virus definitions, downloaded files are stored again.

Reply to lve

sunny, on Apr 23, 2009 4:43:05 am BST

Hey,I have this problom and no one seems to know what it isare what to do about it . Ive downloaded some files, ones a game(fsx),the outhers a program( AVG internet sec.). N E ways, when I go to open it it trys to use a program insted of opening on its own? My defalt is adobe and or windows media. Why do I need a program to open a program? Does any one have any advice?

Reply to sunny

odd, on Oct 1, 2009 6:49:14 am BST

I set the config value "browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone" to false in FireFox, and now my downloads are saved.

Reply to odd

monk2313, on Apr 24, 2009 1:01:27 am BST

Uninstalling AVG worked for me and now my computer is downloading fine again!! Download Avast for a better virus software

Reply to monk2313

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