434638 - Download Error: <file> could not be opened, because an unknown error occurred.

Status: NEW

(Toolkit :: Downloads API, defect)

Description

[Ian Schorr]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008051202 Firefox/3.0
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008051202 Firefox/3.0

Ever since (I believe) Firefox 3 Beta 3, downloads with an application associated have been failing with this message in the Downloads window:

Download Error:  
<file> could not be opened, because an unknown error occurred.

Try saving to disk first and then opening the file.

This happens whenever I download a file that will be automatically opened by a helper application, and as far as I can tell, happens with all applications.

1) When I click on a file to open (i.e. don't Save-As, but attempt to automatically open), the file downloads, but then I receive this error.  The file itself is saved in its entirety in the download destination folder.  I can open the file directly from the folder if I wish.
2) If I double-click on the file in the Download Manager, the file appears to re-download, but does not open.  
3) If I double-click on the file in the DM again, the file actually opens.

One quirk that's probably unrelated, but I thought I'd mention - if you download the same file twice, the first is created, and the second is created with <filename>-1.<extension>, third is <filename>-2.<extension>, etc.  However, if you double-click on the file as in step 2 above, it overwrites the ORIGINAL filename.

My download destination is my ~/Downloads folder, but seems to happen in other folders, too.  My user does have full permissions to the folder.

My system is OS X 10.5.2, and this has happened with FF3 RC1, beta 5, beta 4, and (I believe) first showed up in beta 3.  The first FF3 betas did not have this problem.

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Bob Uliss]

Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1a1pre) Gecko/2008052002 Minefield/3.1a1pre

Change status to NEW

I found another method to reproduce this problem

Steps To Reproduce The Error:

1. In Main menu - under minefield, select preferences 
next - select Main Tab and set save download files to the desktop

2. from google (www.google.com)  - I searched for a test pdf file and clicked on the following link:

www.wish.org/content/download/664/4956/version/1/file/pdftest.pdf 

RESULT:
Minefield opens an Opening ALERT box 

3.- select Save File

4. REPEAT STEPS 2 and 3 above
RESULT
Desktop has two files - 
pdftest.pdf and pdftest(2).pdf

5. double click on the file in DM - you get the incorrect results reported above

Comment 2

[Martijn Wargers (dead)]

Perhaps related to bug 408300?

Comment 3

[Shawn Wilsher :sdwilsh]

Can you get the http headers from each request?

(In reply to comment #2)
> Perhaps related to bug 408300?
don't think so

Comment 4

[Jay Moran (jaym/lazvon)]

Interestingly this does NOT happen for me in Firefox (Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008061004 Firefox/3.0) on Mac OSX 10.5.4.

It DOES happen on MacOSX 10.5.4 in Thunderbird (version 3.0a2pre (2008071103)) just as described by the original submitter though.

I don't believe I should open a new bug for Thunderbird, because it looks to be a Core bug that impacts both in the same manner.

I hypothesize that there are threads for both the saving of the file and the opening of the file, and the opening of the file is kicking off before the saving has completed. Perhaps that has been addressed in the Release of Firefox 3.0 in some creative way to work around the lower level problem, but not in Thunderbird yet.

Comment 5

[Bill Burk]

Because of this bug, user intervention is required to launch JNLP applications.

1. In Firefox 3.0.14 or 3.5.3 on Mac OS-X 10.5.8, visit a website with JNLP examples: http://java.sun.com/javase/technologies/desktop/javawebstart/demos.html 
2. Launch a demo application, for example Draw.

Expected result=Draw.jnlp downloads and Demo application launches
Actual result=Download Error

/Users/admin/Downloads/draw-7.jnlp could not be
opened, because an unknown error occurred.

Try saving to disk first and then opening the file.

3. Click OK

Download window will show 

Draw.jnlp Failed -- sun.com 

4. Click Retry next to failed download

Expected result=actual result: Draw.jnlp downloads

5. Double-click on Draw.jnlp in the download window

Expected result=actual result: Draw application launches.

Comment 6

[Bill Burk]

To resolve problem for JNLP, reassert Java Web Start file Application preference:

1. In Firefox, from the Firefox menu, choose Preferences
2. Click on the Applications tab
3. Locate application Java Web Start file in list under Content Type
4. Drop down and choose Always ask
5. Attempt to launch Draw application
Expected result=actual result: 

Opening draw.jnlp
You have chosen to open draw.jnlp
which is a : Java Web Start file
from: http://java.sun.com
What should Firefox do with thes file?

Open with Java Web Start (default)

6. Click OK

Expected result=actual result: Draw application opens

7. In Firefox Preferences Application tab, next to Java Web Start file, drop down and choose Use Java Web Start (default)
8. Attempt to launch.

Expected result=actual result: Draw application launches. From now on operation is normal.