If you right-click the link and choose Save Link As..., can you then open the file after you download it? One thing to check is whether some inappropriate program is assigned to Word documents here: Tools > Options > Applications If you type word in the search box, do you get "Microsoft Word Document" as a recognized type? I suggest the setting "Always ask" for this document type. If Microsoft Word Document does not appear, I'm not sure how best to proceed. Perhaps there is an entry for DOC, the usual file extension?