Why am I Having Download Problems?

The download problem the majority of people experience has to do with download speeds. There are a number of sources that go over ways to increase download speed, and it usually comes down to either your connection speed or the connection speed of the host computer, viruses, heavy traffic, or too many things going on at once on your computer. These are all incredibly annoying, and few things are worse than having to wait for what seems like forever for a download.

At least though you know you will eventually get what you are looking for. There are other download problems though that you may experience that are much more annoying, sometimes you can be waiting a long time for a download, and once you think it is complete it simply doesn’t work.

This is far worse than even slow download speeds, so we will go over a few download problems you may be having and try to help you fix them.

Common Download Problems

First, it should be noted that the number of download problems out there is equal to the number of operating systems times the number of file types times the number of service providers times the number of browsers times the number of… you get the point, there are a lot of them. If you already know specifically what kind of problem you are having, for example if a window is popping up with an ERROR message telling you the reason for your download problem, try a specific internet search using the keywords on the pop-up. Chances are someone somewhere has had the exact same download problem and someone else has given a specific solution for that download problem. If you don’t know what the problem is though, and there are no pop-ups telling you what it is, see if this works.

Security Blocks

The first culprit is often your own security. This is an arena you want to be careful with because your security is set the way it is for a reason. Be sure you trust the download source before tampering with your security settings:

1. Firewalls. These are essential. They block other users from accessing your computer remotely, more or less. Without going into full details, suffice it to say your firewall may be stopping you from downloading. First close all windows not related to the specific download. Next go to the Start tab in the bottom left corner; click Control Panel then Network and Internet Connections. There should be a Firewall icon. Temporarily turn off your firewall, and then download whatever you were in the process of downloading before the download problem occurred. Remember to turn your firewall back on as soon as you are finished!
2. Your security/ anti-virus/ anti-spyware provider could be the cause of your download problem. Whatever your security system (and there are many) it may be blocking your download. Usually there will be a pop-up asking if you want to “allow access” but if there is not you may have to open up your security software by clicking it. It may have your attempted download listed under “recent events” if this is the case it is more likely that it did indeed block your download. First try one more time and see if there is a pop-up asking if you would like to “allow access” just in case you missed it. If not, temporarily lower your security settings or shut them off completely until your download is completed. Again, only do this if you trust the source, and restore your security settings as soon as your download is complete.

Active X

Second culprit: What is Active X? It is basically a “framework” used by a number of Microsoft related softwares, including Internet Explorer. Consequently if you are using Internet Explorer, and your download is not working, look for a yellow bar at the top of the page. See it? Good, we’ve discovered the download problem most likely. Simply right click the yellow bar, and select “allow access” or the similar available option. Your download problem should be solved.

I’m guessing by now (assuming you did not have an ERROR message as we discussed) you have solved your download problem. If not the third culprit, and final, is probably you!

Software Incompatibility

Don’t worry; it’s not your alter ego or the split personality that you don’t realize you have sabotaging your download (hopefully.) Check the source and find out what type of file you are trying to download. Your download problem could simply be you do not have the software installed necessary to support what you are downloading. For example, if you are downloading a movie, you will need some type of video player installed on your computer like Windows Media Player or QuickTime player. Same goes for music. Similarly if you are downloading say a PowerPoint presentation, you will of course need to have PowerPoint on your computer. So check the source you are downloading from, they should have specifics of what type of file it is, and make sure you have the necessary program.

Hopefully we have helped you solve your download problem. If after all of this you are still having download problems, try contacting the source to find out if others have experienced a similar download problem. It could be something on their end as well.