Unable to download anything - IE stops working

So I just got a Dell laptop for my father, comes with Vista Premium
Home Edition.

He only uses the laptop for stocks online.

I decided to download Firefox for him, but for some reason I am unable
to download any files.
Here is what happened:
1. Go to google, typed in firefox, went to the website
2. Clicked on download now
3. Window pops up to ask: Save/Run, I choose Save, it prompts me with
a Save location.
4. I click "Browse" and the window disappears
thats it, nothing else happens.

So again, I click on Download now
I get Save/Run, I choose Save, and this time I dont even get the save
location prompt, the window just disappears.

Again, I click on Download now, I get the Save/Run prompt, this time I
choose Run, it downloads the file, then nothing happens, no prompts,
no windows, etc, nothing.

I thought it could be due to the security settings, so I click on
Tools -> Internet Options, but a window pops up saying "Internet
Explorer has stopped working" and asks if I want to close the program
or go online and find a solution.

I restart the laptop and try the sequence again, but this time I go to
download.com and try to download spybot.
Same results.
First time, I click Save, I get the location prompt, when I choose
Browse, it disappears, and nothing happens.
I do not even get a chance to choose a location to save at.
And if I try to click on download (again) nothing happens at all.

What am I missing here? (missing as in I dont get whats happening,
not missing an item)
I have not changed any settings, everything is default as how Dell/
Vista ships as.

Thanks

<> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
> So I just got a Dell laptop for my father, comes with Vista Premium
> Home Edition.
>


I think UAC is preventing you. You can always turn UAC off and back on, but
you should learn how to work
with UAC.

<http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/12/19/turn-off-or-disable-user-account-control-uac-in-windows-vista/>

On Nov 13, 11:16 pm, "Mr. Arnold" <MR. Arn...@Arnold.com> wrote:
> <tfor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news: ups.com...
>
> > So I just got a Dell laptop for my father, comes with Vista Premium
> > Home Edition.
>
> I think UAC is preventing you. You can always turn UAC off and back on, but
> you should learn how to work
> with UAC.

I dont think it is UAC.
True, I dont know anything about UAC, but from reading that article
you posted, it does not sound like UAC.

My understanding of UAC (from the article) is that it requires you to
log in as a standard user, so you will not install certain software
(since you dont have admin rights), etc, that could cause problems.

But Im not even up to the install part.
Im just trying to download the file, and it wont.

Try downloading in IE7 Run As Administrator. Go to Start->type in Internet
Explorer->right-click on IE and select Run As Administrator. Another thing
you might try would be to download, click on Run instead of Save, then Run
again. If it still won't work, you may need to see Repair Vista Options; you
may have a corrupt installer system file.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/10...nce.html?ltr=R


"" wrote:

> On Nov 13, 11:16 pm, "Mr. Arnold" <MR. Arn...@Arnold.com> wrote:
> > <tfor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> >
> > news: ups.com...
> >
> > > So I just got a Dell laptop for my father, comes with Vista Premium
> > > Home Edition.
> >
> > I think UAC is preventing you. You can always turn UAC off and back on, but
> > you should learn how to work
> > with UAC.
>
> I dont think it is UAC.
> True, I dont know anything about UAC, but from reading that article
> you posted, it does not sound like UAC.
>
> My understanding of UAC (from the article) is that it requires you to
> log in as a standard user, so you will not install certain software
> (since you dont have admin rights), etc, that could cause problems.
>
> But Im not even up to the install part.
> Im just trying to download the file, and it wont.
>
>

<> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
> On Nov 13, 11:16 pm, "Mr. Arnold" <MR. Arn...@Arnold.com> wrote:
>> <tfor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news: ups.com...
>>
>> > So I just got a Dell laptop for my father, comes with Vista Premium
>> > Home Edition.
>>
>> I think UAC is preventing you. You can always turn UAC off and back on,
>> but
>> you should learn how to work
>> with UAC.
>
> I dont think it is UAC.
> True, I dont know anything about UAC, but from reading that article
> you posted, it does not sound like UAC.
>
> My understanding of UAC (from the article) is that it requires you to
> log in as a standard user, so you will not install certain software
> (since you dont have admin rights), etc, that could cause problems.
>
> But Im not even up to the install part.
> Im just trying to download the file, and it wont.
>

Even a user with Admin Rights is locked down to only Standard user rights in
some cases, and his or her rights have to be escalated to Run As
Administrator. This may be a situation that you may need to do it with RAA
or disable UAC to see if you can do it, because someone with Admin rights on
Vista is not the same thing on XP or previous versions on the NT classed
O/S(s) which Vista is in the NT class.