Windows Vista Can't save downloads

Need to have my headspace regapped..... Installed Vista Ultimate over top of my perfectly good XP install. (made full backups of all 3 drives onto a 4th drive )Took its sweet time. All seemed well until I tried to D/L such simple things as a new ATI video driver, a new version of AVG - nothing out of the ordinary. It goes through the motions showing where it will D/L and the little colored bar moving across the D/L box, but I can't find the D/L. Says it sent it to drive F:\Downloads\xxxxxxxx NOT. Tried D/L-ing it to the Desktop - not there! Tried all the above with both Firefox & IE.
Strange enough it will D/L updates from MS. I bought my copy of Vista the second day it was available (again ought to have my noodle looked at!!) so I had to D/L some 147 update/upgrades they all went well. Just updated Nero - seems to be doing OK. Just can't seem to D/L on my own to a folder.
UAC is turned off, so I have no firewall cept my router. Doesn't seem to have any problems connecting to the net - at a loss on this one. Push come to shove, I'll put XP back on it -

Machine specs...
Asus P5D
Pentium D 945 @ 3.4G - no O/C
2G PC5300
ATI X1300 vid
550W PS
All the other BS that goes with it.....

I'll wait for a while before I reinstall SP to see if anyone can help with this one - already been to MS KB not a lot of help.....

TIA

 

Vista does not use the Documents and Settings folder although you will see it in Computer or Windows Explorer, a users documents are saved under the folder Users.

To see hidden files and folders, in Computer click Organize -> Folder and Search Options -> View tab -> Show hidden files and folders button.

If you want to try to search for a file, in Start -> Search, if the file is not in an "indexed place" (which is the default), click on Advanced Search, put a check in the box Include non-indexed, hidden and system files, set the location for the search (Indexed location is the default) and type the name of the file in the Name box.

You can turn off UAC if you like. I see it as one of the benefits of Vista in that it reminds me to be careful to check what I am installing on the system. If have problems with installation, I suggest you turn it back on, third party program installers may be geared to specifically work with it.

You will need to treat Vista differently from XP, read in Help and Support if your old methods don't work.

Matt

 

Hi Matt - Thanks for the reply.
I turn UAC off at the first opportunity I get so that is not the problem. I normally D/L to a specific drive/folder. I have sent the files to that folder, the default D/L folder and even to the desktop all to no avail.
I would suspect Firefox, but the same happens with IE.
I'm gonna try to save files from my laptop over the house network to see if that works. I don't understand as it will D/L from MS & Nero, but not ATI or AVG.
Someone on another forum mentioned he had the same problem until he reinstalled Firefox, he thinks - and will post what he did, if he can remember??

I'll keep at it til I fix it or get fed up and restore the XP backups.

 

Check your settings under Control Panel/Internet Options.

First, under the Security Tab, select the Internet Zone and click on Custom Level. Scroll down to the Downloads section. Make sure it is enabled.

Also, under Firefox V3 (and perhaps IE 7) your AV is invoked to scan a download before it is released to you. There is an about:config mod in Firefox to change this behavior.

Under the Main tab of Options in Firefox V3 there is a setting for where you want downloads to to saved.

 

Are you sure? I had problems with UAC turned off and now that I turned it back on the system works fine. If you are a little patient with it during the initial installation of your programs, once they are installed and running UAC should only pop up occasionally (lucky it checks Windows Updates installations ).

I argue with people here that turning off UAC is making Vista work in a way it is not really supposed to work. You are used to Win XP and I suppose UAC annoys you. My point is that turning off UAC makes Vista work "incorrectly" and it may not be Vista, the program manufacturers may have their installers set to run with UAC.

As I said, you can turn off UAC, but don't be surprised if you come across problems. Again, after the initial installations, you shouldn't find it bothers you that much.

I expect UAC is for those that don't have much experience with what they are installing (or are unwittingly installing). If you have ever had your system destroyed by a virus or slowed to a crawl by malware, you might start to appreciate it.

People still want to treat it as Win XP, so I give up

Matt
PS "If you have ever had your system destroyed by a virus or slowed to a crawl by malware, you might start to appreciate it." In the 18 months or so I have had Vista I haven't run antivirus in the background and done less than half a dozen scans (Shock! Horror! ). Windows Defender has not caught anything on my system. I don't think I need UAC, but I take the opinion that it is part of Vista and have learned to live with it.

 

AKA - I am now posting from XP again. I had Acronis restore the original Install. All seems to be well.
I went ahead with Vista still on the machine and installed some 57 more upgrades, including the DreamScene Suite, putting the number to about 210 or so in 2 days. Had no problems with any of that, tried again to D/L the ATI driver for my card - same.. I did D/L it to the laptop, and copied it from there to the problem machine, and ran it with no problems - well I shouldn't say NO problems - since the overwrite of my XP, Vista had popped up many times to say 'Explorer has stopped working' and offers to repair it over the web (which it couldn't) or restart the program again - which it could.

As I said, I am now back to XP and all seems well. Will hafta wait a while to do a full install, maybe that will clear up the problem. I have had Vista on this same machine before, both times it was a full install, not an overwrite. Both times I got hit hard with numerous virii before I could install any type of protection.

When I get time, I'll go through this again, but from a different angle....

Matt - again thanx, but now I have more time to think about UAC, and maybe do a little more research..

We are now in RETRO mode - again!

OH - PS - I just D/L the driver from ATI with no problems - go figure...

 

I'll stop flapping my jaws, as you guys say

At work I was trying to d/l drivers (Win XP). They stopped at a few KB's. It turns out that firewall was blocking it. I can d/l from http sites, but not ftp sites. The firewall is locked, I can't get round it if the drivers come from ftp sites. Like you, I can d/l them at home and transfer them I suppose, I shouldn't need to though, and it limits my efficiency and effectiveness. That's their policy though.

I hope you can get it straightened out.

Matt