Why is Safari downloading .mdlp instead of .dmg files from Adobe?

Might be a corrupted preference file

Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder

Type or copy paste the following:

~/Library/Safari/Downloads.plist

Click Go then move the Downloads.plist file to the Trash.

Quit and relaunch Safari. Try downloading that file again.

From the Safari menu bar, select

Help ▹ Installed Plug-ins

Besides the following, what plugins are listed?

• iPhotoPhotocast
• Java
• QuickTime
• Shockwave Flash
• WebKit built-in PDF

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

Triple-click the line of text below on this page to select it:

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Having experienced for some time already the mysterious addition of .mdlp extension to Safari downloads of Adobe updates, and attributed it to some misconfiguration of Adobe servers, I just saw it arise in a totally different context: the download of a random innocuous PDF file from an in-house file server at my workplace (an academic research lab).

This thread seems the only one where the problem is addressed on Apple forums. So, in case that might help, here are some details:

- This only happens with that specific PDF file on the in-house server, not with other PDF files on the same server. Coud this be an incorrect MIME type when the file was uploaded (like application/octet-stream instead of application/pdf)?

- Like others who reported this problem, I have MATLAB installed and the .mdlp extension is associated with Simulink Protected Model File. Not that this makes any sense!

- Following are the answers to your 5 questions, in case they are still relevant.

Thanks for any help on the matter.

Step 1

[Blank output]

Step 2

org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx

com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.google.keystone.daemon

com.DesignScience.DSMTTool

com.barebones.authd

com.adobe.fpsaud

Step 3

org.mozilla.firefox.13408

org.macosforge.xquartz.startx

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater

com.google.keystone.system.agent

com.googlecode.mactlmgr.update_check

com.adobe.ARM.df0ab5bbe6f698196fcc21e3c1e66dcb758bd911f4d637272d9d8109

com.adobe.AAM.Scheduler-1.0

Step 4

/Library/Components:

XiphQT.component

/Library/Extensions:

ATTOCelerityFC8.kext

ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext

ATTOExpressSASRAID2.kext

ArcMSR.kext

CalDigitHDProDrv.kext

HighPointIOP.kext

HighPointRR.kext

PromiseSTEX.kext

SoftRAID.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

MT6Lib.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

TSLicense.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

AdobeExManDetect.plugin

Default Browser.plugin

DirectorShockwave.plugin

Disabled Plug-Ins

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Mathematica.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Silverlight.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.DesignScience.DSMTTool.plist

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.barebones.authd.plist

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist

org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flash Player.prefPane

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

JavaControlPanel.prefPane

Perian.prefPane

Spelling.prefPane

TeXDistPrefPane.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.DesignScience.DSMTTool

com.barebones.authd

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper

/Library/QuickLook:

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AC3MovieImport.component

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component

Flip4Mac WMV Export.component

Flip4Mac WMV Import.component

Perian.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

/Library/Spotlight:

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

Wolfram Notebook.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

/etc/mach_init.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

.DS_Store

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Fonts:

.DS_Store

encodings.dir

fonts.dir

fonts.list

fonts.scale

Library/Input Methods:

.localized

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

.DS_Store

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

.DS_Store

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.adobe.ARM.df0ab5bbe6f698196fcc21e3c1e66dcb758bd911f4d637272d9d8109.plist

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.2E1D9E84-7BEA-4EBD-BA29-BB4 74028F9A6.plist

com.googlecode.mactlmgr.update_check.plist

Library/PreferencePanes:

Library/Services:

.DS_Store

ENService.app

cocoAspell.service

Library/Spotlight:

.DS_Store

EndNote.mdimporter

Step 5

iTunesHelper

open the file in finder and change the file name extension to be changed from xx.dmg.mdlp to xx.dmg. It worked for me by simply changing the extension.

Hope that helps everyone out!

Thanks for the tip. But, as Sekoya said:

The obvious solution is to manuallly remove the second .mdlp filename extension. But that is the uninteresting part, I'd rather know who is responsible for this mess and who we should badger to fix it.

My problem was the same: find out what's responsible for this — a misconfiguration in the server from which the files are downloaded, or a bug somewhere within OS X or MATLAB — and if the second, what can be done to prevent it from happening again. And why .mdlp of all extensions?

The thread has lots of fixes, but seems short on actually answering the question of "Why?"
This posting goes some way towards answering it:

http://www.macissues.com/2014/06/16/fix-downloaded-adobe-flash-installers-and-up dates-not-opening/

I had this problem on a set of iMacs.

I noticed that whenever I downloaded the Flash Update, the DMG file was downloaded as a .dmg.mdl file.

All I needed to do was rename the file as just a .dmg, then a window will pop up asking if you're sure. Then, once it's only a .dmg, the file will return to open in the DiskImageMounting app.

Hope this helps somebody.

Oops.

Re-read the original post, it was already made clear with the .mdlp in the original post.

sry.