What exactly are the

• CSV files,
• and the Zip File Manager

See

• managing file types

You may have to split the problem in to stages.
You may not be able to, all at the same time, and without manual intervention:

1. download,
2. save,
3. unzip,
4. and open with a suitable application.

• If the file is zipped, the first problem is to un-zip it, so you have the data in CSV format, in a file with a suitable file extension.

CSV probably stands for Comma Separated Variable, and such files may often be displayed as say a table or spreadsheet, Firefox itself will not know what to do with them, it will need some other extension to handle them and display them correctly. If these files are Zipped (ie compressed they need uncompressing before you are able to use them)

Your OS is shown as Windows XP, that probably will itself handle most types of Zipped files. You can download a file with firefox and you should then be able to get it to unzip, but you need to then open it in the required application. A CSV file may be opened by for instance an Office Suite.

The CSV files are databases and if I select Excel as the application to open the files, the data only appears in Wingdings.

And the zip file manager I use is 7z465.exe.

I choose this application each time I'm downloading a file in Firefox, but this doesn't seem to save.

Choose save the file as the option. Can you confirm that the file does download.

1. use keyboard Ctrl +J to look at your Firefox downlods manger
2. use the option to open containing folder

Once the file is on Windows XP unzip it with your zip file manager. If the file has the correct file extension (ending - dot followed by usually 3 or 4 letters) it may open and unzip by default as you click or right click on it. It will then when unzipped presumably change to have a name ending with .CSV

Now open the file in Excel, or anything else suitable. Presumably Excel already successfully opens other .CSV files you have on your machine.

Once unzipped use Excel to open the file.

You can only set an automatic download action if the server sends the file with a recognized and supported MIME (content) type. It doesn't work if it's a Content-Disposition:attachment or a generic content type like application/octet-stream.

See "File handling in Firefox 3 and SeaMonkey 2":

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/File_types_and_download_actions

@Corel

Thanks, I had forgotten all about potential server side problems.

@Conners81
If sample problem files and links are publicly available maybe you could include an example of the link being used, preferably to one of the smaller simpler files.

• What is the website you are using?

For comparison an example you may like to try

• site providing .csv data http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/cmr-10/WAL-3.4.html
  • a small few lines csv download file http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/cmr-10.../WAL-3.4.csv
  • similar info as a pdf chart http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/cmr-10.../WAL-3.4.pdf

Of course you have the added complication of the zipped file.