Each browser ( and there are a great many ) work independently. If there is an issue with more than one, the problem may be something outside. Firefox can download on it's own, without IE. Can you tell us what happens when Firefox is told to download something?

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Did you read my entire comment? And please don't talk to me like I'm "stupid". Of course I know that browsers are independent; that's why this problem is so odd to me. I have never encountered anything like this in all of my many years of using Windows and Firefox. Also, I DID explain what happens when I try to save files in Firefox. Please read my comment (again?).

I write a very thorough question and explanation, quite intelligently, explaining exactly what is happening, and you write back to me as if I'm an "idiot". I'm fairly tech-savvy and I've been computing since 1996 (almost twenty years---not as long as many, but a considerable length of time); so, again, please don't write back to me like I supposedly don't know what I'm talking about.

Firefox has to work with the Windows interface known as the explorer.exe executable file that runs the Windows desktop, and I.E. (iexplore.exe) works closely with that explorer.exe file as well, altering it when I.E. is updated. I think (and this is only a guess) that during a Windows Update, either to I.E. 11 or some other Windows Update(s) at that time or after installing I.E. 11, a malfunction occurred during the update(s), and at least one of the updates didn't install properly, because I've had the download problem with Firefox and other browsers ever since.

I also tried going back to any earlier Restore Point a couple of times, but that did not correct the problem either. It is too much work to reinstall Windows or to take Windows back its pristine state, and then to have to reinstall all of my many programs. So, I was hoping that Firefox and/or Microsoft likely would have dealt with this issue before, and would have a fix for it without having to resort to more drastic measures.

Thank you.

The first step in fixing a problem is to find out what the problem is. As you had problems after a Windows update, I gave you the web link to their Fix-it web page. Did you use it?

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"FredMcD", the arrogance just flows from you like dirty water. You just can't be bothered to really work your brain and truly try to help me, can you? Like so many "techie" people, you falsely think you're "superior" to others, especially those who you think are "stupid", and/or that you think you can play for stupid, even though NOBODY is superior to ANYONE ELSE.

You didn't specifically recommend that link. You have it attached as a footer to all of your messages. It's a way for you and Microsoft to pawn people off on such a "fix" because you don't really want to help them. "Rhetorically-questioning", how would I even know where to start with such a thing (yes, I went to the page)? Would I search under "Top Solutions", "Windows", "Internet Explorer", or "Other"? My problem doesn't appear to fall under any of the problem sub-categories; and, knowing my usual past experience with such things, I'd waste a whole lot of energy that I don't have to waste (I'm PHYSICALLY, NOT PSYCHOLOGICALLY, disabled), and never find a resolution that completely corrected the problem I'm having.

Therefore, either do truly better, "Mr. Arrogance", or someone else truly seek to help me resolve my issue. At least steer me more directly to where something will specifically address my problem without my having to waste time digging for it, and likely not find it. Do you have any "Help" people here who aren't arrogant and self-righteous, and who truly want to help?

This is why I hardly ever contact tech support of ANY company, but especially Microsoft; because of the rudeness, arrogance, self-superiority and/or incompetence. The last time I gave a Microsoft tech remote access to my computer (a guy from India who evidently thinks all Americans are "stupid"), he didn't know what he was doing and never corrected my issue(s).

So, naturally, I'm now hesitant to even seek Microsoft's or any other company's "help" anymore at all; because I almost always get treated like I'm being treated by "FredMcD" right now.

Attached is a screenshot of what the download window in Firefox looks like. (I stand corrected; I cannot even attach the file because it uses the same interface as downloading does, and doesn't allow me to search the file manager for the screenshot file to upload it.)

Warning ! ! Sensors Detecting High Levels Of Hostility.

Helm, Warp Six, Get Us Out Of Here ! !

You're bringing on the hostility, intentionally; and now you're seeking to make things even worse with censorship, and trying to falsely make the situation look like my problem, when it is yours.

Somebody who isn't an arrogant fool, please help me with this matter.

The following is the latest that I've written to Microsoft about this entire matter:

You're still not getting it. I've never had a problem with downloading and/or saving files in I.E.; and I very clearly explained to you guys that the problem is in the other browsers, but it's caused by a malfunction in the Windows Desktop.

Why can't someone with English as their first language, please help me?

But, regardless, just in case your recommendation(s) had anything to do with anything, and were perhaps creating the problem in the other browser (though I was pretty sure that it had nothing to do with my problem), I made I.E. the default browser; yet, of course, that did NOT correct the problem. Also, when I set I.E. as the default browser, the explorer.exe file crashed and restarted.

Nevertheless, because I (wrongly) thought that I couldn't uninstall I.E. 11, because somehow I missed the listing for it in Windows Programs and Features, I went to the latter again and found I.E. 11 listed this time, and uninstalled it. After it completed, I rebooted the laptop. Then I went into Windows Update and looked for what version of I.E. it was then going to want me to update to since I.E. 11 was uninstalled.

I saw that I.E. was taken all the way back to I.E. 8 and had updates for it as well as to update to I.E. 9, so I did the former updates first, rebooted, then updated to I.E. 9 and rebooted again. Then I ran Windows Update again checking for new updates, and found that there was a cumulative security update for I.E. 9, which I installed and then rebooted once again.

Then, upon checking for new updates in Windows Update again, I found that the option(s) to update to I.E. 10 or 11 were now optional, which they weren't before, and then I updated to I.E. 10 and rebooted once more. Upon Windows restarting, I checked again for new Windows Updates and there were some security updates, so I installed them and restarted the laptop.

This time upon rebooting, I checked Windows Update for further new updates and there were none; so I'm now completely updated to I.E. 10; but, because going back to I.E. 10 corrected some of the instability with the Windows Desktop, I am ignoring the optional update to I.E. 11, and I am NOT going to update to it again.

Throughout the update process, upon restarting Windows, I kept starting Firefox to see if the "Save As" window then worked, but throughout the entire update process, as well as when I completed it, I still could not download or save files [because the window still doesn't show where to save the file(s)---please see the Print Screen copy of what it looks like, attached to this message (sorry, but I.E. won't let me browse for the file, and the tab or windows crashes and reloads every time when I click "Browse" to look for the file to attach)].

So, I decided to try uninstalling Firefox for the fourth time, rebooting and reinstalling it, hoping that might correct he issue this time since I downgraded to I.E. 10, but the "Save As" window still looks the same, and I am still completely unable to save any files or downloads while in Firefox.

Oh, I also tried resetting all of the Windows Folder Options again to default settings, and reset all of the folders, in case that had anything to do with the problem, but that still did NOT correct the issue either.

I am now going to try creating a new user account also with Administrator privileges, changing Users, trying to run Firefox in it, and see if the problem with the "Save As" window is still an issue....

In the new User profile, the situation is even worse. When I try to save any file(s) in Firefox, Firefox crashes (latest version).

I wrote to Firefox a couple of days ago, but an arrogant "techie" is giving me the run around and is not helping me, and no else is helping with the matter so far.

Postscript: Now Windows Explorer (the explorer.exe file) that runs the desktop crashed and restarted again twice while I was trying to print a file, and it appears that it won't let me print at all anymore.

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hello S_Wolf_Britain, please keep the tone civilized - people replying here will be normal users just as you, volunteering their time to help others. even if you are not satisfied with the answers because you couldn't solve the issue with those by now, i don't see any reason that would warrant such personal attacks. probably the best way forward is to rethink your approach to the forum and then open a new question abut this issue...

Mozilla Support rules and guidelines

Who do you think you're talking to? I'm a highly intelligent 58 year old man, and I don't accept rudeness from anyone. When someone is rude and arrogant to(wards) me like "FredMcD", I stand up for myself. Under freedom of speech, I have every right to express my justified anger, and to not be constantly talked down to like he has done, and now you are doing. The Constitution and First Amendment are the supreme law(s) of this country, and no "Forum rules and guidelines" can legally contradict that (even though they consistently do because of how dumbed-down most Americans are about the Constitution, and how little respect they have for the First Amendment and freedom of speech). You opened this forum up to the public, therefore the First Amendment applies, and your company is required by law to not violate freedom of speech and/or censor comments that are not threatening physical violence or doing such things as falsely crying "fire" in a crowded theater, none of which I am doing. Freedom of speech also includes unpopular and "offensive" speech; so, again, I am perfectly within my rights to express facts as I see them. "FredMcD" was playing me for stupid; now he's manipulating seeking to falsely get action(s) taken against me and keep me from getting helped; and, therefore, he is the one out of line, not myself.

Thus, please stop all of this wasting of my very limited energy, mindgames, false attitude(s) of "superiority", intentional worsening my physical disabilities through putting me through all of this stress and anxiety, and discrimination against me on the basis of my disabilities as a result of all this. Please get to the point and truly try to help me with my specific issue, and stop continuing to allow days to go by with no proper attempts at a resolution. Volunteers or not, all of you should be immediately, and seriously, working to resolve peoples issues without playing games and giving people the run around as you are doing with me now.

as this is moving further away from a normal support request i'm going to lock this question. in case you want to proceed with troubleshooting the issue, please refer to my prior reply.