can't download EXE files with firefox

Sean,

I have the same system as you and I haven't been able to download EXE files either for about 2 or 3 weeks. I get the same error message as well. This happens for both http and ftp sites.

I've run Spybot several times and no change. Have you tried the suggestion given below? I have my doubts if that would work, but am curious about what you found out if you did it.

Best of luck.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

Juse try moving the profile to some where then it's origional location, let firefox load and try downloading some thing.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

I moved the profile directory to the desktop, then back to its original location and then tried downloading again. Nothing. same problem.

Nothing has changed on my system, but at around the same time, 2 or 3 weeks ago, I accepted one of those marginally useful automatic updates from Microsoft. I have "automatic" turned OFF due to a nasty problem I had with SP2 last year. The file I accepted was some sort of file indexing utility which doesn't seem to do much except eat up more memory. Just curious if the other person experiencing my problem would recall having this utility installed as well. There may be NO relationship to this problem, but I am always suspicious of these "upgrades", plus my problems started around the same time.

Thanks.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

No, you miss understand. Move the profile to the desktop, leave it there, run firefox, firefox will now create a new clean profile for you.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

I've had this problem now for about 2 weeks ever since I clicked on

an ed2k:\\ link in Firefox.

I've scanned with: Spybot S&D, AVG antivirus, HijackThis, Ewido and

AdAware and none of these apps found anything.

I've tried uninstalling Firefox and deleting the Mozilla folders

from \Application Data and Local Settings\Application Data then

reinstalled and that hasn't helped.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

You relise that ed2k:// means that it will open a file sharing progam (probably eMule)?
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

I restored from an image file I made before I clicked the ed2k link and found the problem was a windows update that was installed.
It's one (or both) of the follwing:

Update for Windows XP (KB898461)
This update installs a permanent copy of Package Installer for Windows to enable software updates to have a significantly smaller download size. The Package Installer facilitates the install of software updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems and other Microsoft products. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Update for Windows XP (KB910437)
Install this update to prevent or resolve an issue in which Windows Update and Automatic Updates can no longer download updates after an Access Violation error occurs when using the Automatic Updates
service. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

It may be another one of the updates (there were 16) since uninstalling these 2 affects some of the others. I'm surprised no one else has this problem. My solution is to leave the updates on my system and just use Free Download Manager or IE to download exe files. Maybe Mozilla will find and fix this issue in a future release. The .part file extension is actually a Firefox incomplete download file extension.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox 

Just to update this for anyone who may be reading this and has a similar problem. It turns out that the problem was not a Windows update but the Win32.polipos virus. I used Dr. Web's CureIt: http://download.drweb.com/drweb+antivirus+free+services/
and that has fixed the problems. My Firefox is back to normal and I can download files again and Windows Explorer no longer tries to access the internet.
 >> Stay informed about: can't download EXE files with firefox