When I try to download FLV. files with Downloadhelper it downloads as a Textedit file on my Mac.
Before my hard drive died I could download almost anything using Video Downloadhelper. I got that as an add-on through Firefox. With the new hard drive in I downloaded Firefox and Video Downloader and now when I try to download a FLV. file it comes out as a Textedit file.
All Replies (7)
Hi captainfantastic, Please also post this in the Downloadhelper support. http://www.downloadhelper.net/documentation.php
Deleting the mimeTypes.rdf will reset all download actions to the default settings.
Type about:support in the address bar and press enter.
Under the page logo on the left side you will see Application Basics. Under this find Profile Folder. To it’s right press the button Show Folder. This will open your file browser to the current Firefox profile. Now Close Firefox.
Locate the file. Then rename or delete it. Restart Firefox.
When I deleted that file Firefox would no longer open and I get a "profile missing" popup. Now Firefox won't open even after deleting it and it's installer and re-downloading and installing it again. Get the same "profile missing"screen. Have since deleted everything Firefox related, redownloaded and now can open and use Firefox. I tried the ANT downloader and get the same Textedit file as when I use Downloadhelper. So I know it's not the download helper.
Modified by captainfantastic
Hi captainfantastic, The profile missing warning when the profiles.ini file is not correct. Please first make a backup of your profile folder to save data. Delete the profiles.ini file to force Firefox to create a new profiles.ini file and a new default profile. For more information on that file see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/profiles.ini_file
On Mac you can probably use the Time Machine to restore files and folders that you have removed by accident.
Did you try to download other file formats like MP4 files? You would need a media player that can handle this format.
I backed up anything that was not replaceable. Since I could download a new Firefox anytime I wanted I didn't bother backing that up. My problem is this…. When I try to download video some of the time I get an MP4 file that plays fine. This is mostly Youtube. On Funnyordie and almost everything else I get a Textedit file that opens in a Textedit window and consists of hundreds of pages of squiggles and symbols. I don't know how to tell my Mac to stop doing that since it doesn't do it all the time and never did it before.
If you try to look at a binary file with a text viewer, that is what you will see. Have you tried renaming the file extension?
Are you downloading using Firefox's own downloader, or add-on or other?