How to make library/download window open automatically?
In FX 24 my download window opened automatically when downloading and this meant that downloads would continue when the browser was closed, even if I forgot that I was downloading.
I don't mind the new Library window, but unfortunately the new way stops downloading and restarts when it's opened again. Most of the time the download cannot be restarted - especially from file locker sites - and I need to go to the site and restart.
How can I set the library to open the window automatically or should I stick to FX24 ? thx
All Replies (6)
This article may help you . Let us know if this work .
Thanks for replying but I, perhaps, didn't phrase my question succinctly enough...
When the browser is closed, the download stops/pauses, but a lot of sites (I use) do not allow resumption of downloading, meaning the file is left incomplete.
Having the library/download windows stay open allows the download to complete; which is desirable.
If recent versions cannot do this, I suppose I'll stick to FX 24 until end of life. Thanks
Gewysig op
Sorry, but this is no longer possible. In version 20, the download manager in Mozilla Firefox was changed to the more user-friendly download arrow in the toolbar. The only way to complete downloads without keeping the browser open is to click on the arrow, and click 'Show All Downloads'.
On a side-note, I do not recommend staying with the older versions of Firefox. They might become unstable, or even a security threat if you don't update!
If downloads hang at the last minute (just before reaching 100%), the cause might be antivirus software which tries to scan the file and during that process hangs the Firefox instance.
In order to fix the problem, try disabling the scanning as follows:
- In the Location bar, type about:config and press Enter. The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear.
- Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page. A list of settings should appear
- Filter the list by typing in the search bar at the top. Type in scanWhenDone. You should now find the browser.download.manager.scanWhenDone preference.
- Double-click on that preference to set the value to false.
- Next, try to download something and see if it still hangs.
Please reply and tell us whether this helped you!
You can set the browser.download.manager.quitBehavior pref to 2 on the about:config page.
That will make Firefox ask for confirmation if you want to cancel the download when you close Firefox.
See:
Thanks for clearing that up everyone.
I'll stay with FX 24.
I thought I'd give the FX 29 beta a try and, if anything, it's worse still.
It seems like very poor design where usability suffers for purely aesthetic reasons - screwed up search bar (with often used options on other side of the screen) and tabs on top; etc.