Browser Download Issue

Question

Hi,

I don't understand why all of my browsers can't download anything in my Windows 10. I tried Microsoft Edge and Chrome. Both of them will download a .tmp file when I clicked a download option. However, the .tmp file will never turn into the correct file style and I can't open the .tmp file. More annoying, the browser will freeze when I click a download option. I suspect it could be something wrong with my Windows system but I really don't want to reinstall a Windows system because I would have to reinstall numerous software manually. I tried the following options, but none of them fix the problem.

1. uninstall and reinstall the browser. In the beginning, the newly installed browser could download files several times. Then the browser has no response to the download option. It froze when I clicked the download option. In my Download folder, I can see a .tmp file. Currently, even for the newly installed browser, the download option doesn't work anymore.
2. shut down and restart the computer. Never work for this problem.
3. all the methods listed here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-help-with-windows-upgrade-and-installation-errors-ea144c24-513d-a60e-40df-31ff78b3158a

In the beginning, only the  chkdsk/f C:  command works. I can download several files after I use this command. Then, my browser keeps crashing. Now, it doesn't help anymore.

Please let me know how to fix it. Thank you for your help very much!

Answer 1

Good day! I'm Raniel. I understand your frustration regarding this issue and I'll do my best to help.

Just to clarify, did you make any changes to your machine before encountering this issue (like installing third party apps, recent updates, etc..)?

Double-check if your machine doesn't have any pending security patches: Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for Updates.

Once done, aside from reinstalling the browsers, can you also perform the additional methods on this article: https://windowsreport.com/cant-download-files-w...

Another option is to enable the built-in administrator account to isolate the issue

1. On the Windows sign-in screen, press and hold the Shift key, then select Power > Restart
2. After your machine reboots, click on "Troubleshoot" under Choose an option
3. Click on "Advanced options" > select "command prompt"
4. On the command prompt window, type net user administrator /active:yes and press Enter

If that didn't work, kindly perform the 5th method on this article on how enable the built-in administrator account: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2969-enable...

5. Reboot your machine, then login to your admin account, and check if you'll encounter the same issue.

Note: If you don't encounter the issue on the built-in administrator account, I suggest that you create a new user account (go through the steps under "My computer is in a workgroup") . Please refer to this article as a guide: https://support.microsoft.com/help/14039/window...

However, if the issue persist, kindly perform a repair install of your Windows which fixes the broken system files on your machine. Here is a guide: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repai...

There should be no worries in performing it since you will select the option to keep your files during the process.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

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