Cannot find files

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Everytime i download a file it seems to have downloaded properly but when i
go to the folder where the file was supposed to be, it is empty. I have just
spent 2 hours with the online chat support, did not get anywhere.

I have read on here people with the same situation but it doesnt seem like
they have a solution either. Please help I cannot download anything and it is
miserable.
 
Charles said:
Everytime i download a file it seems to have downloaded properly but when i
go to the folder where the file was supposed to be, it is empty. I have just
spent 2 hours with the online chat support, did not get anywhere.

I have read on here people with the same situation but it doesnt seem like
they have a solution either. Please help I cannot download anything and it is
miserable.
Click to expand...

To where do you think you're downloading? To the Desktop? How many user
accounts do you have and are they administrators or standard. Give us a
little bit of history of the machine. Is this a clean install of Vista
RTM? Upgrade? What version?


Malke
 
I upgraded from xp media center edition. I have it sent up for 2 users both
administrators(at least i think so). I dont know why i would have assigned
them standard.

I am downloading the files to "(user) jessica, (folder) documents". The
file seems to download but it is not in the folder. I have tried different
folders different files and get the same result.
 
Charles said:
I upgraded from xp media center edition. I have it sent up for 2 users both
administrators(at least i think so). I dont know why i would have assigned
them standard.

I am downloading the files to "(user) jessica, (folder) documents". The
file seems to download but it is not in the folder. I have tried different
folders different files and get the same result.
Click to expand...

Have you tried just downloading to the Desktop? If not, please do that
and report back. Since you have two users, please log into the second
user account and try to download to the Desktop. Are you using IE7 to
download? If you are and downloading to the second user's Desktop
doesn't produce the file, please install Firefox from www.mozilla.com
and try to download something with that.

Also, what are you downloading? Are the failed downloads all from one
particular site or from various sites?

As you can tell from these questions, I'm trying to narrow down the
troubleshooting path. Since I can't see your computer, you have to help
with the description of what is happening.

If this is too frustrating for you and you don't want to do this, that's
OK. Have a local professional or skilled friend (someone who is really
skilled, not someone who just says s/he is) come over and take a look.


Malke
 
I justr attempted to download firefox and the same thing happens, the file
seems to download fine but when i go to the folder to retrieve it it isnt
there. I also made sure to save it to the desktop and that didnt work either.

To be honest i wonder if it is even saving to my computer. When i select the
run option it goes through the motions as if its downloading but the same
thing happens, nothing after downloading.

I tried right-clicking a picture to see if i could save that and that worked
but thats it.

Thanks again for the help.
 
No this isnt to confusing, i really appreciatr the help. I have tried
downloading different types of files from various sites with both accounts
and receive the same result . I am useing IE7.

I try to upgrade to the new version of itunes, I click save and select a
folder within that "users" file to download to. ?When i go to retrieve the
file i downloaded it isnt there.

Also try to download mp3's from music message boards. Also i couldnt even
download the microsoft easy assist tool while doing the chat last night.

I will attempt to download firefox

I thav
 
I'm having the same problem. This is a brand new laptop, clean install from
dell. I tried downloading Symantec Virus Scan 8 times. 3 times I chose
SAVE, and chose to put in on my Desktop. 2 times I chose SAVE, and put it in
my DOCUMENT folder. 5 times I chose RUN. Each time it looks like its
downloading, but the file never shows up at its destination. I even did a
search for the file name. No finding.

I tried Yahoo Messenger. Same thing. It never shows up in a destination
folder, or if I choose RUN, it never starts an install, and the file I
download is never found in a search.

Please help... without certain networking software I need to download, the
purchase of a laptop is worthless..
 
Chip said:
I'm having the same problem. This is a brand new laptop, clean install from
dell. I tried downloading Symantec Virus Scan 8 times. 3 times I chose
SAVE, and chose to put in on my Desktop. 2 times I chose SAVE, and put it in
my DOCUMENT folder. 5 times I chose RUN. Each time it looks like its
downloading, but the file never shows up at its destination. I even did a
search for the file name. No finding.

I tried Yahoo Messenger. Same thing. It never shows up in a destination
folder, or if I choose RUN, it never starts an install, and the file I
download is never found in a search.

Please help... without certain networking software I need to download, the
purchase of a laptop is worthless..
Click to expand...

Chip, please make a new post with all the details. You may be
experiencing the same issue as Charles but your situation is completely
different. He upgraded from XP MCE and you didn't. In order for people
to give both of you help, you should separate your issue from his thread.


Malke
 
Charles said:
No this isnt to confusing, i really appreciatr the help. I have tried
downloading different types of files from various sites with both accounts
and receive the same result . I am useing IE7.

I try to upgrade to the new version of itunes, I click save and select a
folder within that "users" file to download to. ?When i go to retrieve the
file i downloaded it isnt there.
Click to expand...

In your other post, you said you were clicking the "Run" choice and in
this one you are clicking the "Save" button. Here's what you said in
that post:

****
I justr attempted to download firefox and the same thing happens, the
file seems to download fine but when i go to the folder to retrieve it
it isnt there. I also made sure to save it to the desktop and that didnt
work either.

To be honest i wonder if it is even saving to my computer. When i select
the run option it goes through the motions as if its downloading but the
same thing happens, nothing after downloading.

I tried right-clicking a picture to see if i could save that and that
worked but thats it.
****

I think the fact that you are able to save to those directories when you
right-click and "Save As" is significant. This indicates to me that
there are no ownership and/or permission problems with the directories.
So here are a few more questions since I can't see your machine:

1. Was your MCE install completely virus/malware-free?
2. Do you have any add-ons in IE7? There is a menu item "manage add-ons"
where you can check.
3. When you upgraded, did you first run the Vista Upgrade Advisor? Were
any problems reported? If so, what were they and what did you do about them?
4. Did you log off and then log into the second user account and try
downloading? I can't tell from your last 2 posts whether you did this or
not. If you did, were the results the same?
5. When you upgraded, did the upgrade appear to go smoothly. Have you
had any other seemingly unrelated problems since?
6. Go to a friend's house (or work) and download Firefox from their
computer. Save the installer to a usb thumbdrive or burn to cd. Take it
back to your house and install Firefox. Now try to download something to
the Desktop. What happens?


Malke
 
Hi, I've been having the exact same problem as you: the files seem to be
downloading but you cannot find them once they're completed. I know how
frustrating it is. The truth is there is no real way to fix it. Your only
chioce is to install Mozilla Firefox and use it instead. When you download
files using it the files are where you saved it to, no problems. The trouble
is you have no way to dowload Firefox :( You will need to use another
computer (a friend or family members) to download Firefox. Once you've done
this put the installation file onto a CD or USB key and copy it to your own
PC. Then install it! It works fine. I know how frustrated you must be, I was
the same lol. I had to bring my laptop to PC World and they told me it's a
problem with Vista and Internet Explorer 7. I wasn't even entitled to a
refund because there is no actual problem with the product. They told me the
problem might be fixed in future updates! I hope this helps you, Good Luck!!

You can get firefox here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
 
I installed firefox... luckily I'm sitting at a Desktop with my lame duck
laptop at the same time. This has gotto suck for someone without 2
computers...

Thanks for everyone's help...

Bill Gates... thanks for nothing
 
Well i just downloaded FireFox at work and will install it when i get home. I
appreciate all the help everyone has given. Charles
 
Charles said:
Well i just downloaded FireFox at work and will install it when i get home. I
appreciate all the help everyone has given. Charles
Click to expand...

OK, good. When you post back with the results, please also answer the
questions I asked you in my last post to you so we can narrow down the
troubleshooting.


Malke
 
I tried to save the program to the hard drive and when that didnt work i
tried to run the program from the save menu.

To answer your questions.
1. To the best of knowledge it was. I always keep up to date with the norton
virus program.

2.Enabled ones:Google, Google Toolbat Helper, XML DOM Document & Shockwave
Flash Object
Disabled ones: Adobe PDF Reader link helper, CIEDownload Object, Drive
Letter Access, Research & Sun Java Console.

3.I did run the upgrade advisor and there were a couple of drivers that were
not compatable so i went to the Toshiba website to download the new drivers.
The only problem i currently have is a driver for sonic solutions that is
disabled upon start up because the add/remove wont let me delete it.

4.I have tried downloading on both accounts and the result is the same.

5.The upgrade did seem to go smooth. I just put in the disk and away it
went. The computer never froze or anything.

6.I installed firefox and it saves the files to the desktop no problem. So i
guess the problem lies with IE7 somewhere.
 
Charles said:
I tried to save the program to the hard drive and when that didnt work i
tried to run the program from the save menu.

To answer your questions.
1. To the best of knowledge it was. I always keep up to date with the norton
virus program.

2.Enabled ones:Google, Google Toolbat Helper, XML DOM Document & Shockwave
Flash Object
Disabled ones: Adobe PDF Reader link helper, CIEDownload Object, Drive
Letter Access, Research & Sun Java Console.

3.I did run the upgrade advisor and there were a couple of drivers that were
not compatable so i went to the Toshiba website to download the new drivers.
The only problem i currently have is a driver for sonic solutions that is
disabled upon start up because the add/remove wont let me delete it.

4.I have tried downloading on both accounts and the result is the same.

5.The upgrade did seem to go smooth. I just put in the disk and away it
went. The computer never froze or anything.

6.I installed firefox and it saves the files to the desktop no problem. So i
guess the problem lies with IE7 somewhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your good and thorough answers. I would remove the Google
Toolbar and set all IE7's security settings to Default. Since you can
download with no problem with Firefox your assessment that the issue is
with IE7 is most probably correct. I am not an expert at all with IE7.
You should post to the IE7 newsgroup with all relevant details as above.
The newsgroup is microsoft.public.internetexplorer.general. You'll get
the IE7 attention you need from experts there.

As for the Sonic driver, Roxio has just issued a patch that solves that
issue today. Even though you don't have a Dell, here is a link to the
Dell user forums that has the link to the Roxio patch:

http://tinyurl.com/2sd38z

I'm sorry that I was unable to help you with IE7 but I believe the
people in that newsgroup will.

Good luck,


Malke
 
Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate the time you spent helping me.
Thanks for the link for the roxio patch.
 
Hi, Charles (and Chip).

To find ANY file ANYWHERE on your hard drive, you can use the old faithful
Dir command in a "DOS window". I enclose "DOS" in quotes because it's not
really MS-DOS at all; it's just a feature in Vista that looks and acts like
MS-DOS. It is called the Command Prompt. There are several ways to access
it; perhaps the simplest is to type "cmd" into the Search box and press
Enter. Or click Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt.

In the Command Prompt window, type:
dir c:\test*.* /s/a

and press Enter.

If any file or folder starting with "test" exists anywhere on that hard
drive, this will find it. Substitute all or the first part of the name of
the file you downloaded. Be prepared for a long wait if you have a large
drive with lots of files. Once you've found the file, make a note of the
whole path so that you can navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

Please report back. If it didn't work, please don't just say, "It didn't
work" or even, "I tried it and it didn't work." That doesn't tell us
anything helpful. Please tell us step-by-step exactly what you did and
typed and - word for word - what error messages or other results you saw.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Mail in Vista Ultimate x64)
 
Charles said:
Everytime i download a file it seems to have downloaded properly but when
i
go to the folder where the file was supposed to be, it is empty. I have
just
spent 2 hours with the online chat support, did not get anywhere.

I have read on here people with the same situation but it doesnt seem like
they have a solution either. Please help I cannot download anything and it
is
miserable.
Click to expand...
See my reply to the message 'Missing downloads' on 27th February.
 
I'm facing the same issue.

Does anyone has a fix for this please reply.

I'm unable to find the file after the download, no matter where do I save it.
May it be My Documents, Downloads, Desktop, etc.

It completes the download and the file dissappears.

And its not only with exe files as I have tried downloading zip, pdf, exe,
rar but of no avail.

File is not even locatable in the search, it simply vanishes. I even tried
searching with the dir command as suggested by RC, but no go.

I even tried to download Mozilla, but as there is this problem I cannot save
or install it.

Please suggest some thing...

Regards,
Tushar
 
Hi, Tushar.

The Dir /s/a command always works for me. Maybe I left out some of the
instructions.

Are you sure that you are using the right name for the downloaded file? For
example, I just downloaded the Windows Live Mail Desktop beta today. As
usual, I told IE to put it into my E:\Download folder. After the download,
there is NO file with a name like Live Mail in that folder, and I could
search all day for that name and not find it. The actual filename is
IE7B2P-WindowsXP-x86-enu.exe, and that is what I would need to look for.

Another way is to download the file again, paying careful attention to the
destination BEFORE you press OK or whatever button actually starts the
download. Or, just START to do the download, but DON'T push the OK button.
Leave the window with the destination path visible on your screen while you
very carefully note the entire path\filename. THAT's where to look for the
file after the download finishes.

Of course, different websites use different ways to get their files
downloaded. We have to be very attentive to be sure that the download
location is where WE want the file to go, and that we know the actual
filename, not the name of the application or the company. Long ago, I
created the folder E:\Download just for this purpose. After I made sure
that the first file I downloaded went to this folder, the next one went
there by default. Occasionally, the downloading site wants to put its file
in a different location; in that case, I must either force it into
E:\Download or carefully note the actual destination. If all else fails, I
start the download again to see where the file is going.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Mail in Vista Ultimate x64)
 
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