598563 - Preferences not staying set; Unable to set certain preferences.

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Firefox :: Settings UI, defect)

Description

[wizarddrummer]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.8) Gecko/20100722 Firefox/3.6.8
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.8) Gecko/20100722 Firefox/3.6.8



When I download a file from rapidshare or filesonic it is usually a .zip file or a .rar file.

I have specified in the Tools->Options->General->Downloads (*) area to: Always ask me where to save files

When I go to the Tools->Options->General-Applications (this is an area that wreaks with design flaws) There is no way that I can find to ADD a file type. How does this list get populated? Magic? Woofull Dust? 

This flaw, however, is related to some other flaws that when combined create the bug.

When I go to the Rapidshare site and request a download it is, in this case, a .rar file. 

The download form / panel opens: 
There are two radio buttons, a dropdown box and a check box.
Radio button #1 has the text "Open with" and next to it a drop down box with: 
PowerArchiver:2010 (default)
WinRAR.exe
--------------
Other

The question I ask is HOW did PowerArchiver become the default? I did not set that. Did the PowerArchiver Program do that when it installed itself? (This is what I also hate about the poorly designed OS from Microsoft; giving programs more authority than Administrators; but I digress) 

If the program did that then how do I undo that operation?
** I have another program called FilZip How do it get that on that list?
** How do I change the (default)?
You have no provisions for that 

Yes we're still not at the bug yet there are more design flaws coming.

The NEXT option is a radio button with the txt "Save File"
and a checkbox: [ ] Do this automatically for the files like this from now on.

The checkbox is grayed out. IT CAN NOT BE SELECTED, IT IS DISABLED; I CAN NOT PLACE A CHECK IN THE CHECKBOX!

I WANT TO CHECK THE BOX BECAUSE I ALWAYS WANT TO SAVE THE FILE TO A PLACE OF MY CHOOSING.

98% of the time I NEVER WANT TO OPEN THE FILE WITH ANY ARCHIVING PROGRAM (WinRAR, Filzip, or PowerArchiver or any other program) after the download is completed. I only want to do the extraction FROM the folder I place the files in.

The bug in your program has two distinct parts:
A) The checkbox is disabled; can't check the checkbox for "Do this automatically …"
B) On file types that did allow me to check the Do this automatically, as in the zip file, I can see that in the Tools->Options->General-Applications I have selected "Save" as the normal operation.

*** THIS is where your program has the MOST ANNOYING BUG. 
It is like Russian roulette. 
Sometimes it saves and sometimes the selection defaults to open. 

If I don't pay attention EVERY SINGLE TIME, then what happens is that after the download is finished I am staring at the archive program open waiting to extract the contents instead of having the archive downloaded to a folder.

This has been a flaw that's been annoying me for awhile but I never said anything until now. I certainly hope that someone is looking into a redesign of your download mechanism for the new version 4, because the way it works now … it's pitiful. Not user friendly at all and lacking in even the most basic fundamental features like adding files to the list, changing default behavior, changing default opening applications, etc.

Thanks




Reproducible: Sometimes

Steps to Reproduce:
explained in summary; not consistent behavior
Actual Results:  
explained in summary; not consistent behavior

Expected Results:  
explained in summary.

explained in summary.