Vista Tutorial - files disappear after downloading

hi,
I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I could
find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip folder
I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
Thanks in advance.

I assume when you mean you can't find them that you did a search of your
hard drive? Did you check the recent items box? There are extra folders in
the Public area, like Downloads or Public Downloads.

Clark

"KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5CD043EB-E9DE-468E-BA43-5A7376432252@microsoft.com...
> hi,
> I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
> motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I
> could
> find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip
> folder
> I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
> on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
> Thanks in advance.

THat is correct. I looked everywhere. I also tried to download to my desktop
so I would not have to search. Nothing. no where on the hard drive. Some kind
of security is stopping it but I have full rights to the computer. I am
running it on admin rights.

"Clark" wrote:

> I assume when you mean you can't find them that you did a search of your
> hard drive? Did you check the recent items box? There are extra folders in
> the Public area, like Downloads or Public Downloads.
>
> Clark
>
> "KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:5CD043EB-E9DE-468E-BA43-5A7376432252@microsoft.com...
> > hi,
> > I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
> > motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I
> > could
> > find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip
> > folder
> > I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
> > on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
> > Thanks in advance.
>

Yes . Searched everywhere .I am running as admin and nothing. Nothing will
download or even copy to the desktop or a folder if its in a zipped file.

"Clark" wrote:

> I assume when you mean you can't find them that you did a search of your
> hard drive? Did you check the recent items box? There are extra folders in
> the Public area, like Downloads or Public Downloads.
>
> Clark
>
> "KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:5CD043EB-E9DE-468E-BA43-5A7376432252@microsoft.com...
> > hi,
> > I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
> > motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I
> > could
> > find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip
> > folder
> > I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
> > on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
> > Thanks in advance.
>

I had same trouble went to Tools | Internet Options | Advanced and click on
restore internet explorer settings IE to it's install state then it started
to save files again
one thing I do not like about IE7 is it does not remember the folder where
you last saved files to so you have to keep redoing it the folder


"KenRamoska" wrote:

> Yes . Searched everywhere .I am running as admin and nothing. Nothing will
> download or even copy to the desktop or a folder if its in a zipped file.
>
> "Clark" wrote:
>
> > I assume when you mean you can't find them that you did a search of your
> > hard drive? Did you check the recent items box? There are extra folders in
> > the Public area, like Downloads or Public Downloads.
> >
> > Clark
> >
> > "KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:5CD043EB-E9DE-468E-BA43-5A7376432252@microsoft.com...
> > > hi,
> > > I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
> > > motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I
> > > could
> > > find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip
> > > folder
> > > I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
> > > on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
> > > Thanks in advance.
> >

I had same trouble went to Tools Internet Options Advanced and click on
restore internet explorer settingd IE to it's install state then it started
to save files again
one thing I do not like about IE7 is it does not remember the folder where
you last saved files to so you have to keep redoing it the folder


"KenRamoska" wrote:

> Yes . Searched everywhere .I am running as admin and nothing. Nothing will
> download or even copy to the desktop or a folder if its in a zipped file.
>
> "Clark" wrote:
>
> > I assume when you mean you can't find them that you did a search of your
> > hard drive? Did you check the recent items box? There are extra folders in
> > the Public area, like Downloads or Public Downloads.
> >
> > Clark
> >
> > "KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:5CD043EB-E9DE-468E-BA43-5A7376432252@microsoft.com...
> > > hi,
> > > I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
> > > motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I
> > > could
> > > find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip
> > > folder
> > > I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
> > > on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
> > > Thanks in advance.
> >

IE7 has a new feature. It sandboxes (redirects) anything from an untrusted
zone (any download from the internet is untrusted). I forget the path, but
there is a second temporary internet files storage area. The sandbox has a
temporary copy of a portion of the registry so that if the downloaded item
is malware and changes the registry no harm comes to the real registry. Or
something like that.

"KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B9477512-EBB4-4645-9663-E21CD550B0C5@microsoft.com...
> Yes . Searched everywhere .I am running as admin and nothing. Nothing will
> download or even copy to the desktop or a folder if its in a zipped file.
>
> "Clark" wrote:
>
>> I assume when you mean you can't find them that you did a search of your
>> hard drive? Did you check the recent items box? There are extra folders
>> in
>> the Public area, like Downloads or Public Downloads.
>>
>> Clark
>>
>> "KenRamoska" <KenRamoska@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:5CD043EB-E9DE-468E-BA43-5A7376432252@microsoft.com...
>> > hi,
>> > I have tried to download files from the internet...It goes through the
>> > motions but when it is down the desktop is empty. I put them there so I
>> > could
>> > find them. I have tried other folders...nothing. Also if I have a zip
>> > folder
>> > I get from someone else I can't extract them or run them. What is going
>> > on???? I have Vista and all else works great.
>> > Thanks in advance.
>>

I was having this problem. Any files that I downloaded from IE, Safari, or Firefox would not appear in the place where I had chosen to download them. They might flash there for a second, but then they would disappear. Files that I downloaded via Opera would download fine.

I solved the problem by doing a system restore to a point yesterday. In the meantime I had updated some software, uninstalled some software, installed a Windows update, and installed an update to AVG antivirus. The problem likely lay with one of those actions. However, the system restore has addresses the problem.