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Submission details

29 +33/-4 votes

Downloading file in IE opens useless background dialog box.

Submitted by DeathSeeker on December 29, 2008 to Annoyance, Usability

When downloading a file in Internet Explorer an unusable "download box" pops up, and then immediately pops up a "Do you want to run or save this file?" box over it. Since nothing can happen in the "download box" until you've selected an option in the second box, there is no reason to open it until a choice has been made.

Pop up the box only after the user has made a choice. Retrieving information may be included in box, with options greyed out until received.





Image description ( http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5365/37999762yz0.png )

1.) The download box pops up, you can not interact with it
2.) This save/run box pops up immediately after, you can not interact with the window behind it
X.) The background window finaly become usable.

A.) The first Window that should be seen, since you can not interact with the background window it should not show up until you can
X.) The background window only shows when it's usable.

Medium

Medium

Not fixed

Discussion (4 comments)

DeathSeeker wrote on December 29, 2008, 5:22pm

Problem described using standard left clicking. This problem doesn't exist if you right click and use Save Target as, since you're not prompted with a run/save option.

Ensign Joe wrote on December 30, 2008, 12:22am

This dialog box appears while windows is contacting the server for sending and receiving its download request "HTTP/1.1 GET blablabla" and just if the server responds then that question if you want to run or save (or an error if an error occurred) will be displayed.
It's a technical bug. In my opinion better than having no feedback and having to wait till the "Do you want to run or save?" appears. But still could be solved better. +1

BrandonLive wrote on December 30, 2008, 8:54am

The first dialog appears to tell you that it's doing something (contacting the server and getting the file information, hence the text "Getting File Information").

Once it gets the file informatin, it may or may not display the additional dialog.

While I wouldn't mind seeing these dialogs get refreshed in the future, right now there is nothing wrong with this design.

tino wrote on January 4, 2009, 2:32am

BrandonLive: Nothing wrong with the design? Really? Why can't both dialogs be combined? Like a small wizard?

It's the same with extracting ZIP files: there you have a wizard but even then there is another dialog just to show the progress.

Just display the dialogs one after another. No need for multiple windows. Even the Windows installation feels simpler than that ;)

DeathSeeker wrote on January 5, 2009, 12:13pm

Changed solution description.

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