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downloads won't open

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Suddenly, when I try to drag or open a downloaded file, nothing happens. I'm on a PC, running Win 8.1. Someone running Win 7 asked a similar question and the answer was, go to the ABOUT:CONFIG page and change the <browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone> pref to FALSE.

Well, first, that pref wasn't on the list. I added it. But it was already FALSE!

What should I do about the download problem? How can this be fixed?

Thanx...

Suddenly, when I try to drag or open a downloaded file, nothing happens. I'm on a PC, running Win 8.1. Someone running Win 7 asked a similar question and the answer was, go to the ABOUT:CONFIG page and change the <browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone> pref to FALSE. Well, first, that pref wasn't on the list. I added it. But it was already FALSE! What should I do about the download problem? How can this be fixed? Thanx...

All Replies (3)

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Could you describe where you are dragging from and dropping to?

Also, what kind of content is it, for example, HTML files, PDFs, audio, video, etc.

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I'm trying to drag from the download list in Firefox. I never get to the point where I can drop anything anywhere... but I wanted to drop the files into a new folder I created on my desktop.

File types? Zip and rar plus some others maybe. The files are for a program called WORLD TRAFFIC. This program puts AI aircraft in a flight simulator called X-PLANE Version 10.

I just tried right-clicking on a file in the Firefox download list, and a menu showed up. I clicked on, COPY DOWNLOAD LINK, and was able to get... the link, (I guess), into another file... but not into the folder I created on the desktop.

The link looks like this:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?app=downloads&module=display&section=download&do=do_download&id=337446

One time, after I did COPY DOWNLOAD LINK, the file on the list in Firefox became active again and I was able to start dragging it... (I didn't attempt to drop it anywhere though). But this time, the file on that list remained frozen.

This kind of thing has NEVER happened, in all the years I've owned computers!

I'm on a PC, running Win 8.1.

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Hmm, I haven't tried it that way because I usually maximize the window and can't drag anywhere outside of it...

Would this workflow work for you:

  • click the "Open containing folder" button - this should open Windows Explorer with the file selected
  • drag the selected file to the desktop by dropping it on Desktop in the left column (I think Windows 8.1 shows the Favorites, Libraries, etc. in the left column)