Weird problem: .exe downloads default to .exe.nfo extension

raddygast · Post by **raddygast** » February 4th, 2003, 1:27 pm

My Phoenix 0.5 was working beautifully for weeks, but something just
happened today, and I have no idea how to go into the mime types to fix it.

Any application/octet-stream link I click on gets a .nfo slapped on it.

So if I'm downloading filename.exe the save dialog thinks it's filename.exe.nfo, and consequently tries to open it with notepad unless I click Save As, but in that case it saves it as filename.exe.nfo (unless I re-type the filename).

I have no clue how downloads got associated with the .nfo extension but how do I fix this short of reinstalling Phoenix? I couldn't find a simple mimetypes file to edit anywhere.

Help much appreciated.

AtomB · Post by **AtomB** » February 4th, 2003, 1:44 pm

is this occuring with all .exe's you try downloading? maybe it's the server and not you. have you a link?

willll · Post by **willll** » February 4th, 2003, 2:10 pm

One time all the .exe files I downloaded became .exe.cgi for some reason. I never figured out why this was, but creating a new profile fixed the problem.

Are you raddygast like Radagast the Brown?

David James · Post by **David James** » February 4th, 2003, 2:48 pm

I just can't place where I saw something about this the first time but there seems to be some sort of bug when a file isn't downloaded correctly (usually a crash of the browser) causing all subsequent downloads to take on the extension of the unsuccessfully "downloaded" file.

raddygast · Post by **raddygast** » February 4th, 2003, 3:58 pm

Yes it is every .exe I try to download.

As for that obscure crash bug that causes every subsequent download to be the same extension, I'm pretty sure that's the problem. Wish there was a way to fix it.

Actually, it seems so far to only be .exe's. I tried downloading a .zip and it was fine.

Yes it's raddygast like Radagast the Brown.

David James · Post by **David James** » February 4th, 2003, 7:09 pm

Yeah, that's the other part of this bug that I've seen written... it doesn't apply to .zip files. It's a picky bug; it can't just be buggy with everything - no, it has to be selectively buggy. :roll:

engmike8 · Post by **engmike8** » February 4th, 2003, 9:07 pm

i saw this with a .swf added to everything but .zip, fixed with a new profile

HW71 · Post by **HW71** » February 4th, 2003, 11:46 pm

David James wrote:I just can't place where I saw something about this the first time but there seems to be some sort of bug when a file isn't downloaded correctly (usually a crash of the browser) causing all subsequent downloads to take on the extension of the unsuccessfully "downloaded" file.

Did you mean this bug here? http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=191591 The problem there was, to create a new profile - but I think we have to different problems in Phoenix:

- first, the problem with wrong extension during download after a crash of the browser during a previous download

- second, the problem with wrong / faulty configured servers...

raddygast · Post by **raddygast** » February 5th, 2003, 1:00 am

I must be missing something, but how do you create a new profile in Phoenix? There's no Profile Manager like with Mozilla.

Thumper · Post by **Thumper** » February 5th, 2003, 1:17 am

Yes there is. Start Phoenix with the -profilemanager switch.

- Chris

raddygast · Post by **raddygast** » February 5th, 2003, 1:31 am

Ok, it worked.

Only I wish there was some easy way to transfer not only my old bookmarks, but all my saved passwords and cached security settings. What a bummer to start from scratch, now I gotta look up my password for practically every forum or banking site I log into.

David James · Post by **David James** » February 5th, 2003, 7:07 am

HW71 wrote:
David James wrote:I just can't place where I saw something about this the first time but there seems to be some sort of bug when a file isn't downloaded correctly (usually a crash of the browser) causing all subsequent downloads to take on the extension of the unsuccessfully "downloaded" file.

Did you mean this bug here? http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=191591 The problem there was, to create a new profile - but I think we have to different problems in Phoenix:

I know about that one and the one I duped it against, but I recall seeing something like it a lot longer ago; it may even be a Mozilla problem. I have a couple of difficulties as a triager of bugs like this; first, to duplicate the bug I'd have to crash the browser during a download and second, bug reporters often don't reply with useful answers to questions. Creating a new profile worked for the reporter, but he never told me if he had suffered from a crash or not.

- first, the problem with wrong extension during download after a crash of the browser during a previous download

I've now heard from enough people on this thread to be convinced that this is a genuine bug

- second, the problem with wrong / faulty configured servers...

That presents a more challenging problem. The work around is never to just use a left-click when attempting to download things; always use either Alt + left-click or right-click and Save Link As. Doing it that way the MIME type is ignored and the extension is used, whereas when you left-click on a link Phoenix/Mozilla has to read the MIME type to decide what to do with it (it could be a normal webpage but until Moz looks it doesn't know).

David James · Post by **David James** » February 5th, 2003, 7:10 am

raddygast wrote:Ok, it worked.

Only I wish there was some easy way to transfer not only my old bookmarks, but all my saved passwords and cached security settings. What a bummer to start from scratch, now I gotta look up my password for practically every forum or banking site I log into.

There is -- copy over the files cookies.txt and cookperm.txt to your new profile. You shouldn't really be saving banking passwords though; I save the login name but never the password. I didn't even think Phoenix allowed that with https sites.

raddygast · Post by **raddygast** » February 5th, 2003, 9:24 am

ok, just cookies.txt and cookperm.txt? Good, I'll copy them over.

No, I don't save banking passwords, but in those cases my userid/login is so long and complicated that *it* merits saving. Thanks.