Hello billwill4u, be sure that you don't run Firefox in (permanent) Private Browsing.

go from Tools > Options > Privacy > Firefox will: "Use custom settings for history" > uncheck "Always use private browsing mode" [ ]

see also: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Private+Browsing

thank you

Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode, which disables most add-ons.

(If you're not using it, switch to the Default theme.)

• Open the Help menu and click on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item while Firefox is running.

Once you get the pop-up, just select "'Start in Safe Mode"

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension.

To exit the Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

Please report back soon.

You can check the browser.download.manager.retention pref on the about:config page to make sure that it has the default value (2: manual).

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/about:config

Ideato's solution worked with unchecking "Always use private browsing mode". I never enable private browsing mode, but I did have my settings on "Never remember history".

Since that worked I didn't try the Start in Safe Mode".

And the browser.download.manager.retention pref was already at default value (2: manual)

Thank you all for the help.

you are welcome

I have "Always use private browsing mode" unchecked

"Remember my browsing and download history" checked.

browser.download.manager.retention is set to 2

browser.download.useToolkitUI is set to True

When I download a file in normal browsing mode, the download window pops open, I see a list of all the downloads I have going, or have had since I last cleared the list. For the in progress one(s) I can see how much has been downloaded, as an absolute amount and as a %, I can see an estimate of time remaining, and the download rate I am getting.

If I start a Private Window and download a file, the download window pops open, but it does not show the file(s) being downloaded via the private window. I can't tell how they are progressing, unless I keep my eyes glued to the bottom right of the screen for the brief message I can't tell when they are done, and I cannot right-click to open them or the location.

This is unacceptable.

Previous version(s) of Firefox where you switched to private browsing mode did not exhibit this unfortunate and unhelpful behaviour - the download window worked just fine, and when you were done with private browsing the contents were cleared.

OK - now running FF 24, and the problem is still there.

Can somebody from Mozilla please post here and explain why they have done this?

It used to work OK, i.e. the downloads window used to show the files and the progress, and now it doesn't.

This tells us 2 things:

1) It is possible to have the downloads window show details during private browsing.

2) Somebody deliberately changed the code so that now it doesn't show the details - surely they must have had a reason?

I'd be interested to know how many people requested this change, and how many people have expressed approval of it, because all I can find when searching are complaints.