Dan S said:
Gents,
All very good I'm sure, I'm trying just the v.9.7, but here's what is
happening:
As soon as I click "download," I mean in a second - I see a window
saying What shall we do with this file? And there is a file on the
desktop.
Which web browser are you using? That sounds like the way Firefox
handles downloads. It starts downloading in a temporary location (which
might be your desktop), and asks almost immediately where you want to
save the file while the download is still in progress. If you pick a
different location, the partly downloaded file is shifted to the
location you specify while the download continues.
You need to watch the Downloads window in Firefox for progress
information and to see when it actually finishes downloading (or it
might pop up a message to tell you it is finished).
Have you tried using Safari instead?
Also the ".part" suffix is a clue - I haven't noticed that extension
with Safari, where partial downloads have a ".download" suffix (and can
be resumed by double-clicking the .download file, as long as this is
supported by the server).
No matter which web browser you are using, the ".part" suffix clearly
indicates that it is an incomplete download, and it should be possible
to resume an interrupted download from the Downloads window in the
browser.
i ask how big the file is, and it's not the full size.
And i can't mount the "downloaded" driver.
That's because it hasn't finished downloading yet. Either it is still
being downloaded while you're trying to use the file, or it terminated
abnormally and you need to resume the download in your web browser (or
FTP client).
Macs are supposed to find drivers on their own
Not exactly. In 10.4, Apple supplies a bunch of drivers with the
operating system, but only for printer models which existed as at the
point your OS install DVD was manufactured (which might have been as far
back as April 2005), potentially even older depending on how prompt the
printer manufacturer was in getting the drivers to Apple for
distribution with the operating system.
Driver updates and those for newer printer models are generally the
responsibilty of the printer manufacturer via independent download from
their web site (or a driver supplied on CD with the printer).
In 10.5, some printer manufacturers (I've observed at least HP, Brother
and Canon) are distributing some driver updates via Apple, and they can
be obtained using Software Update, or by download from Apple's web site
(in a big file updating all drivers for that manufacturer). There may
still be situations where you need to install a driver manually from the
manufacturer's web site or CD.