Member Avatar for iondb

Hi there. I'm the super newbie aroud here.

I have a problem when I try to download anything from th net. The download starts but only goes to about 4% then shows it is complete, but when you try and open it it says incomplete or corrupt. I've tried uninstalling IE6, but it still does the same. I'm running win200sp4.

Any help will be appreciated :-| :cry:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by chrisbliss18

Dani AI

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Brief expert summary and focused next steps for (reported: Windows 2000 SP4 + IE6). Partial downloads that finish very early but produce corrupt files are commonly caused by a browser-level bug or hotfix requirement, the temporary-download path or disk filling/quotas, on-access security scanning (antivirus/web‑shield), or a proxy/caching device that closes the HTTP session prematurely. (support.microsoft.com)

Practical, prioritized checks that narrow the fault domain:

  • Verify free space on the drive used for downloads, confirm the download target and IE temporary files folder are local (not a network or removable volume) and not subject to NTFS quotas.
  • Remove any leftover partial/temp files and attempt saving directly to a different local folder (Desktop or C:\Temp). An IE setting that clears the Temporary Internet Files folder can interfere with downloads; that behavior has official Microsoft guidance. (support.microsoft.com)

Security, extensions and network diagnostics:

  • On-access scanners or web‑filtering proxies can truncate or quarantine a file while it’s being written. Temporarily disable the web‑scanning feature of any AV/firewall for a quick test (scan the file after any test run). Starting IE without add-ons (iexplore.exe -extoff) helps rule out shell extensions or download helpers. Browser codebases explicitly treat AV-scan failures as download interruptions, so AV interference is a common culprit. (chromium.googlesource.com)

When deeper traces are needed:

  • Capture the HTTP exchange to see whether the server sends the full Content-Length or whether a proxy/middlebox closes the connection. Use an HTTP proxy debugger like Fiddler to inspect headers and responses, or Wireshark to confirm TCP resets/retransmits and content-length mismatches; those traces show whether the server, the network, or local software is aborting the transfer. (docs.telerik.com)

If truncation persists after these checks, traces (Fiddler/Wireshark) plus the incomplete file size and whether the problem reproduces on another network/machine provide the evidence needed to locate the failing component.

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Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

How many different types of files have you tried this with?
Have you tried files from different sites or is it always the same site?
Is size a factor? Does it work properly with small files but not large files?
What kind of connection do you have?
Have you tried using a different browser, such as Firefox?

Member Avatar for iondb

It happens with any type of file and and I've tried a cuople of sites and it happens to all of them. Size issn't a problem here. We have a 64k dedicated line. No haven't tried firefox yet. Will look into it, but would rather stay with ie tho...

Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

I recommended trying a different browser for testing purposes. If a different browser works, your problem is related to Internet Explorer. If a different browser doesn't work, it's a connection issue.

Please try many different sites. For example, don't just stick with the sites that you know you have problems with; rather, go to CNN and try to watch videos, go to Download.com and try to download some software, etc.

Also, see if just clicking a link to a file and letting it open acts differently than right-clicking a link and selecting "Save Target As...".

It also could be that only certain files have problems. In order to test this, I've setup numerous test files of different types for you to try: , , , , , . See if any of those links work for you.

Please try all that I've outlined and let me know your results.

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