Problem opening file...

have you checked if IE actually downloads it? what process makes it downloadable? a link? ftp? etc...

There's a generated link, but the same exact thing happens if I type the URL into the address bar. It asks me if I want to save or open it, and regardless of which one I click, after that it says it can't open the file and that it probably doesn't exist.

IE does not actually download it, FireFox does.

you have the page for that?... i think its just an IE screw-up... have you tried it with IE on other sytems? I was going to suggest, if you can auto wrap it to become a zip or rar file so that it can be downloaded easily...

I don't have a link, because it's on an intranet. It happens with all the computers on the network.

This is a new server we're setting up. We're migrating our intranet from one server to another, and that's when this issue cropped up. It does not happen on the old server, just on the new one. Yet it only happens in IE, not FireFox.

In our system, automatically zipping it up would defeat the purpose.

the link appears like 192.168.02/file.xcs or differently? I guess the new server bugs you out, but I also feel its either on a firewall or protocol... I encountered something like this before, but its *.doc file we usually exchange over the servers (when i was working with an institution)... we checked by downloading it using a download helper/accelerator just to monitor its status, at that time the culprit was the local firewall, redirecting the address, rejecting IE's default access...

We're not going through the firewall to get to this internal server.

The weirdest thing is that FireFox has no problems, while IE does. And that IE at first thinks the file is there, then thinks it isn't.

thats really weird, im scratching my head here... any special software used by the new server that may be conflicting with ie? coz I feel its something to do with the server communications... tried with opera? coz if you did, both O and FF have download helpers, built-in for them and IE uses default comm. try putting a helper plug for IE just to test it out if it downloads ok... this is what i can presume at the moment...

I've not tried it with Opera, mainly because the staff uses IE.

then convert the staff to FF, no problem... LOL!

Disable virus protection and try again. I had that happen a few years ago. I downloaded UltraEdit from a university computer, which I had just downloaded at home with no problems. I use Trend's PC Cillin, they used McAfee's. As soon as it was done downloading, the icon would disapear right off of the screen. Something in that version back then tripped McAfee. After I disabled AV, I could download and install it.

Long shot, but worth trying. Perhaps a virus program checks temp file area more picky then the rest, IE downloads to temp file then copies over to final file. Think the rest just download it directly to final destination.

-Greg

Didn't work. I didn't think it would, since the same exact file can be downloaded off the old intranet web server, but it was worth a shot.

We just noticed a couple more pieces of information. We actually are getting a "File Download - Security Warning" instead of the normal download prompt. Also, on that window, even if we've typed the file's URL in directly, it has an underscore where we typed a period.

Its a bit hard to diagnose without any code.

All I can suggest is to go back and see if it depends on the location of the file, the file name, the file extension etc.

This doesn't have anything to do with code. I type the URL of the Excel file into my address bar, and that's what happens.

Server-Side scripting was just the best forum I could find to post this in.

Unfortunately, I can't. It's on an intranet.

Hey tim, try this, get flashget (a program)... Its a helper for IE for download, try if flashget gets it wrong or doesnt download the file then theres a server processing problem.. if it does, then the system is just screwing up...

Demonhale, that won't tell me anything. I've already stated that I can't download it in IE but can in other browsers.

well if youre trying to make it work for IE then that program could help, it could work as a standalone or can work with IE...

Ok even though you are on on intranet there is still an address though. I am not asking for a link. Just an example like:

\\computer\share\file.doc

Turns out that IE was not storing the file in its temporary files. Since that's where it opens from, or copies from when you select the save option, that was the issue. The culprit was a no-cache statement on our server. The really odd thing is that it didn't show up when we ran a diff between that config file and the same one on another server that didn't have no-caching turned on.

Well, thanks for all the various attempts at help.