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I cannot open downloads

  • 8 replies
  • 102 have this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by jbhunteriv

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I am unable to open downloads. They appear in the download window but when I click on them, nothing happens. I have also tried to open from their saved folder with no success. This is a new problem. I have never had this issue before. The fie I am opening is a .exe file.

This happened

Not sure how often

== I tried to download a file today.

I am unable to open downloads. They appear in the download window but when I click on them, nothing happens. I have also tried to open from their saved folder with no success. This is a new problem. I have never had this issue before. The fie I am opening is a .exe file. == This happened == Not sure how often == I tried to download a file today.

Chosen solution

I did not have the option to "save file to" and "browse" in the download window. However, I was able to download and open the file today. Not sure why. I was working to resolve several problems on my computer and whatever I did must have corrected this issue as well. It's a mystery!

Thanks for all the advise. Great forum. Have a great day!

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All Replies (8)

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Are the files still there? The Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox is just a log of your downloads. If one of the files is deleted, the item will still appear in the downloads window.

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Yes. The files are still there. In fact, I have tried to open the file from the folder location as well with no luck.

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What is the file size of the files? Is it the same as shown in the download manager window?

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The file size in the download window is 295 KB and the file size in the saved folder is 296 KB. Pretty close.

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Open options:

at the download section choose: Save File To Click Browse Pick Desktop Try download a file now and if you are able to open it.

Sometimes files which you are unable to open is caused because of your anti-virus, you are talking about an .exe file so you should better check if you anti-virus didn't marked it as a virus.

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Chosen Solution

I did not have the option to "save file to" and "browse" in the download window. However, I was able to download and open the file today. Not sure why. I was working to resolve several problems on my computer and whatever I did must have corrected this issue as well. It's a mystery!

Thanks for all the advise. Great forum. Have a great day!

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I had the same problem for months and this helped me.

Disable virus scanning in Firefox preferences

Firefox launches your installed antivirus program to scan files when they finish downloading. In some cases this can cause a substantial delay or downloaded files may not be saved after the scan completes.

  1.
     In the Location bar, type about:config and press EnterReturn.
         * The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page. 
  2. In the Filter field, type browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone.
  3. Double-click on the browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone setting to change its value to false.
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This is the link where I found the above information. It also had several other troubleshooting solutions for this type of problem.

[https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/.../Unable%20to%20download%20or%20save%20files?s=cannot+open+downloads&as=s]