[SOLVED] Very strange issue with downloads

gfoxworthy · 10-09-2008, 03:23 PM

Hello,

We have a strange issue here at work with downloading certain files. This issue affects all PCs and Macs in our office, on various OSes. I’ve been researching online what the cause might be with no luck. Allow me to explain what is affected (I believe these issues to be related):

1. ZIP files. When downloading a ZIP, it does not prompt the user with an immediate dialog box asking to "save, open, etc.", and the subsequent progress bar that goes along with it. It will simply download the entire file "silently" (with progress showing in the IE status bar) and not prompt until it’s done.

2. YouTube content. The same issue as above is in play here, only it will show the "spinning circles" until 100% of the FLV (Flash Video) has downloaded, then and only then are you allowed to hit play and view the content. Which leads me to the 3rd.

3. FLVs. I am a Flash developer at work and I frequently use progressively downloaded FLVs in my projects. Recently I coded a progress bar to show the real-time progress of a video as it loads. The progress bar would be stuck at 0% while the FLV downloaded, then jump to 100% when it was complete, and play normally.

All three issues seem to be related, at least to me they do. We have a cable modem here (as a backup connection) and when anyone in the office connects directly to it, the issues above don't exist.

I am not very network savvy and I'm not sure what kind of additional information would help, so please let me know if there are any specifics that you'd need to know. I can tell you that we are behind a FortiGate 60 firewall.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

**johnwill** · 10-10-2008, 12:07 PM

Since it works properly with a direct modem connection, I'd certainly start with that FortiGate firewall configuration.

gfoxworthy · 10-10-2008, 02:32 PM

Thanks for the reply.

I'll take a look at the settings in the firewall and see what I can find. The menus are pretty deep and there's a lot of stuff I don't understand, but I'll give it a shot. Is there anything specific I should look for?

gfoxworthy · 10-23-2008, 08:42 AM

Update: We had a web filtering profile enabled on our firewall which was causing the issues above. We changed to an unfiltered profile, and the problems went away. Hopefully this solution helps someone else!

**johnwill** · 10-24-2008, 05:58 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Since I know nothing about that firewall, I didn't respond further.

10-09-2008, 03:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
gfoxworthy Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Windows Vista	[SOLVED] Very strange issue with downloads Hello, We have a strange issue here at work with downloading certain files. This issue affects all PCs and Macs in our office, on various OSes. I’ve been researching online what the cause might be with no luck. Allow me to explain what is affected (I believe these issues to be related): 1. ZIP files. When downloading a ZIP, it does not prompt the user with an immediate dialog box asking to "save, open, etc.", and the subsequent progress bar that goes along with it. It will simply download the entire file "silently" (with progress showing in the IE status bar) and not prompt until it’s done. 2. YouTube content. The same issue as above is in play here, only it will show the "spinning circles" until 100% of the FLV (Flash Video) has downloaded, then and only then are you allowed to hit play and view the content. Which leads me to the 3rd. 3. FLVs. I am a Flash developer at work and I frequently use progressively downloaded FLVs in my projects. Recently I coded a progress bar to show the real-time progress of a video as it loads. The progress bar would be stuck at 0% while the FLV downloaded, then jump to 100% when it was complete, and play normally. All three issues seem to be related, at least to me they do. We have a cable modem here (as a backup connection) and when anyone in the office connects directly to it, the issues above don't exist. I am not very network savvy and I'm not sure what kind of additional information would help, so please let me know if there are any specifics that you'd need to know. I can tell you that we are behind a FortiGate 60 firewall. Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

10-10-2008, 12:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,711 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Very strange issue with downloads Since it works properly with a direct modem connection, I'd certainly start with that FortiGate firewall configuration. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

10-10-2008, 02:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
gfoxworthy Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Very strange issue with downloads Thanks for the reply. I'll take a look at the settings in the firewall and see what I can find. The menus are pretty deep and there's a lot of stuff I don't understand, but I'll give it a shot. Is there anything specific I should look for?

10-23-2008, 08:42 AM	#4 (permalink)
gfoxworthy Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Very strange issue with downloads Update: We had a web filtering profile enabled on our firewall which was causing the issues above. We changed to an unfiltered profile, and the problems went away. Hopefully this solution helps someone else!

10-24-2008, 05:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,711 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Very strange issue with downloads Thanks for the feedback. Since I know nothing about that firewall, I didn't respond further. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience