antivirus automatically causing customers deliberately desktop doesn don download downloaded downloads due error exist extension few file folder graphically internet lately location message move moved neither open order original originally page problem problems process saved security service setting software solutions types unable user whenever windows zip

Hi Gang,

Lately whenever my customers download a file (.exe) they go to open it and they get the "File not found" or "file doesn't exist" error message. Even though my download page graphically shows how to download to their desktop. I think this has something to do with the way Windows Vista and/or Windows 7 defaults the download.

Needless to say, this is causing quite a few problems. Is anyone else having this problem? How do you combat it?

I've been having to use an alternate download service to get around it, but I don't like two-stepping the process. Neither do my customers.

Any advice?

This may be due to anti-virus software. We've heard of some AV solutions that automatically rename "risky" file types (such as all .exe's or even .zip's) with a proprietary filename extension, or automatically move the file to another location (such as a quarantine folder), so the user can't just open the download mindlessly and would have to deliberately rename the file back to .exe or .zip, or find where the file's been moved, in order to open it.

E.g., CA Internet Security software has a setting to rename all .exe and .zip downloads to .efw, so if IE downloaded a .exe file that got renamed to .efw once the download was complete, Windows would be unable to find the file name with its original .exe extension. If some antivirus software moved the file to a quarantine folder, Windows would be unable to find the file in the location where the user originally saved it.