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File downloads not working most of the time

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[I originally included this problem in another post; I should know better. I'm posting it separately here in hopes of getting some feedback about this other issue I'm having.]

When I click on a link on a Web page to download a file (maybe the latest version of Firefox), the Save dialog that appears almost always displays the file name without the extension. For example, I just tried downloading the Firefox installer. Instead of displaying the name as "Firefox Setup 13.0.1.exe", it displayed "Firefox Setup 13.0.1". The file type is listed as "binary file". Every once in a while (maybe one in ten tries), if I quit and relaunch Firefox, immediately return to the download page, and click the file link again, the file name and file type will appear correctly. Almost always, I have to resort to using some other browser to download the file.

I've tried deleting the browser cache; resetting Firefox from the about:support page; installing a new copy by downloading the installer file from the Mozilla site. None of this has helped.

The thing that mystifies me the most is the fact that, maybe 10% of the time, the file download succeeds. This (the file download succeeding) seems to happen only immediately after I launch the browser.

Any ideas?

--Larry

[I originally included this problem in another post; I should know better. I'm posting it separately here in hopes of getting some feedback about this other issue I'm having.] When I click on a link on a Web page to download a file (maybe the latest version of Firefox), the Save dialog that appears almost always displays the file name without the extension. For example, I just tried downloading the Firefox installer. Instead of displaying the name as "Firefox Setup 13.0.1.exe", it displayed "Firefox Setup 13.0.1". The file type is listed as "binary file". Every once in a while (maybe one in ten tries), if I quit and relaunch Firefox, immediately return to the download page, and click the file link again, the file name and file type will appear correctly. Almost always, I have to resort to using some other browser to download the file. I've tried deleting the browser cache; resetting Firefox from the about:support page; installing a new copy by downloading the installer file from the Mozilla site. None of this has helped. The thing that mystifies me the most is the fact that, maybe 10% of the time, the file download succeeds. This (the file download succeeding) seems to happen only immediately after I launch the browser. Any ideas? --Larry

Modified by larryc43230

All Replies (2)

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Try to delete the mimeTypes.rdf file in the Firefox Profile Folder to reset all file actions.

You can use this button to go to the Firefox profile folder:

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Open Containing Folder
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Thanks for the suggestion. I followed the instructions and deleted the MimeTypes.rdf file, then relaunched Firefox. Unfortunately, nothing changed.

I did notice something strange and possibly informative, however: When I tried to download the Firefox installer, the file once again failed to download. The Downloads window that pops up when I download a file gave the full file name, including the ".exe", and displayed "Canceled - mozilla.net". It appears that the file type isn't lost after all, but the download is canceled.

Any idea what could cause this?

--Larry