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I cannot download dmg files

Everytime I try to download a dmg I just get a black screen and nothing downloads.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 4, 2012 7:47 PM

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Posted on Feb 4, 2012 8:25 PM

Hi Hal ...


Go to Safari > Preferences then select the General tab.


At the bottom of that window make sure: Open "safe" files afer downloading is selected.


Quit Safari.


Go to ~/Library/Safari/Downloads.plist


Move the Downloads.plist file from the Safari folder to the Trash.


Relaunch Safari.



See if that helped...




If you aren't sure how to find the file.


Open a Finder window. Select your user account on the left in the Sidebar. It has a small house icon.


Now open the Library folder, then the Safari folder.

23 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Feb 4, 2012 8:25 PM in response to Hal Frederick

Hi Hal ...


Go to Safari > Preferences then select the General tab.


At the bottom of that window make sure: Open "safe" files afer downloading is selected.


Quit Safari.


Go to ~/Library/Safari/Downloads.plist


Move the Downloads.plist file from the Safari folder to the Trash.


Relaunch Safari.



See if that helped...




If you aren't sure how to find the file.


Open a Finder window. Select your user account on the left in the Sidebar. It has a small house icon.


Now open the Library folder, then the Safari folder.

Feb 5, 2012 1:19 PM in response to Hal Frederick

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Step 1


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.


Enable guest logins and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.


While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.


As Guest, launch the application(s) and test. Same problem(s)?


After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.


Step 2


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.


Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:


  • Be sure your Mac is shut down.
  • Press the power button.
  • Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
  • Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).


Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on some Macs.


The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.


Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?


After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.) Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

Feb 5, 2012 2:35 PM in response to Linc Davis

I did the two steps you suggested, same result with each. When I try to download a dmg I get a black screen and nothing downloads.


I just want to mention that I have also have Firefox and have no problems downloading dmgs. So I believe the problem is somewhere in Safari and not with the operating system.


Thanks for your help, I hope you can solve the problem

Jun 1, 2012 2:38 PM in response to Hal Frederick

Hal,


Were you ever able to solve this problem?? I am having the same exact issue. I've never installed Speed Downloader so I don't think it has anything to do with that. Black Screen and nothing happens. All of the sudden. I've never had this problem before. I can't download anything, from anywhere. I'm having problems with my Adobe Flash (I'm being told by many web sites that I don't have the most up to date version) so when I went to update it, I noticed this nonsense. I can't download another browser (Chrome) either to see if it's an issuer with Safari.


Please let me know if you figured this one out.

Jun 1, 2012 7:15 PM in response to aikidojoe

Hi aikidojoe,


Sorry to say I have not been able to solve the problem. However, the problem only exists with Safari, as

I also have Google Chrome and Firefox and am able to download dmg files on those.


I also have another problem with Safari that appears to have begun at the same time, I can't view or download

PDF files from websites on Safari, but again I can on Google Chrome and Firefox.


Even stranger (without going into a long list) there are things I can do Safari that I can not do on Google Chrome or Firefox, and other things I can do on Safari and Firefox but not Google Chrome, and still other things I can do on Safari and Google Chrome but not on Firefox. All these things should work on all 3 browsers.


To make a long story a little shorter, with the exception of the problems with dmg and PDF files, overall Safari seems to be faster and handles the majority of things better than Firefox and Google Chrome. So, in order to be fairly functional, when I need to download dmg files or PDF files I use Google Chrome which appears to be better than Firefox in these two areas.


Although I don't know what the actual problem is or what to do about it, I believe the problem is with Safari itself. The current versions of Safari are made for 32 or 64 bit processors (I still use a 32 bit processor) and I think the problem is in this dual programming.


The latest versions of Firefox and Google Chrome are also made for 32 or 64 bit processors and again I think there are dual processing problems manifested in the fact they they won't do certain things right.


I plan to upgrade to a 64 bit computer this month and will try to remember to let you know what happens with the 3 browsers with the new setup.


In the meantime I would appreciate your comments on the above and any ideas you may have.


I hope this helps in some way.


Good Luck!


Hal

I cannot download dmg files

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