Where do I start?

[MissMac]

OK, I just wrote a REALLY LONG post to explain my troubles and the site ATE IT. If I thought I was mad before, I'm now EXTREMELY upset. I'm posting this as a test just to see if it will go through before adding to this thread.

[MissMac]

So, here's my last half hour all over again.

In the eaten post I explained that I had downloaded an mp3 file off of a website and then couldn't find it. I was much more jocular in that post. I was also much less sleepy. There is a file on my desktop called "~" that appeared right after I downloaded the mp3 file I can't find. I use Real Player. All I could find from the Find in the Start menu was a shortcut to the streaming site that originally played the file, NOT the site I downloaded it from. Where is my file? When I click on the file called "~" I get a box that gives me choices as to what I want to use to open the file. Those choices are pretty much every single app on the computer. Without any kind of clue as to what this file is, how would I begin to know? I try to open it with Real Player just in case. It says it needs new software, but then it says it can't open it anyway because it's an unknown file format. Huh? Well, I don't know where my mp3 file went.

I went into a list of other problems I've been encountering, but now I'm too tired and I want to go to bed. My other post was much more entertaining.

[LETIFER]

Hello Miss MacMac"

My assumption to this problem of yours..Hmm dnt wanaa say this but i guess the file you've downloaded is/are corrupted and please the next time you download some files try to create a folder first and know what format are u downloading or what player is compatible to that MP3 your downloading...oki doki...that's all...:P

[Miz]

The desktop file with only a tilde (~) for a name is the backup copy of the address book that Windows makes but due to a glitch, puts it in the wrong place. You can delete it whenever it appears or just leave it there, it won't hurt anything.

Did the file you downloaded have an mp3 file extension? If so, run the search again and use "*.mp3" (without the quotes, with the asterisk and dot) as the search term. That will locate all files with the mp3 file extension. If the one you want was downloaded, it will show up on that list.

If, however, you didn't use software designed to capture and download streaming audio, Real Player didn't actually download the file, it merely played it.

[MissMac]

Originally Posted by LETIFER

Hello Miss MacMac"

My assumption to this problem of yours..Hmm dnt wanaa say this but i guess the file you've downloaded is/are corrupted and please the next time you download some files try to create a folder first and know what format are u downloading or what player is compatible to that MP3 your downloading...oki doki...that's all...:P

In English? I'm a Mac person, ya know. LOL I'm used to downloading stuff and just having it go into the folder it's supposed to go into, or at least being given the option of where I want to put it. When I clicked on the link to download it, I got to stare at a download box for half an hour that never even said where it was going, nor did it give me any sort of option as to where I wanted it. It just saved it to wherever it went.

So, you're saying that before I download something I'm supposed to create a folder for it? Then why do I have a folder in here that's called "My Downloads?" Shouldn't downloaded things go there automatically (unless I specify otherwise)?

And are you also saying the Real Player won't play mp3 files? OK, now I'm seriously confused. I really hate WMP and prefer RP. I have no problem listening to streaming audio on RP. In fact, I CAN'T listen to any streaming audio on WMP. RP on the Mac plays mp3s without any problems.

Thanks for the reply.

[MissMac]

Originally Posted by Miz

The desktop file with only a tilde (~) for a name is the backup copy of the address book that Windows makes but due to a glitch, puts it in the wrong place. You can delete it whenever it appears or just leave it there, it won't hurt anything.

Ah, thanks Miz! That clears up that little mystery.

Originally Posted by Miz

Did the file you downloaded have an mp3 file extension? If so, run the search again and use "*.mp3" (without the quotes, with the asterisk and dot) as the search term. That will locate all files with the mp3 file extension. If the one you want was downloaded, it will show up on that list.

Yes, it was an mp3 (I remember seeing that as its name while it was downloading for half an hour - did I mention I hate dialup? Ah, don't we all.). I did the search again as you suggested and the file showed up as a temp file from the streamlink. Again, not the same place I downloaded it from. When I click on it, RP goes into trying to stream it (apparently), so it plays the two seconds it has stored, then tries to "communicate" (I'm assuming it's attempting to access the file) then plays another 30 seconds and "communicates" some more for a couple of minutes, then it plays another 40 seconds and then "communicates" some more, ad driveus nutseus, stretching a four minute song out to 20 minutes. Yeah, that's how I like to hear music. LOL

So, is this actually the song I downloaded? Why did it go into an IE temp file? Why does RP have to keep "communicating" with it?

Originally Posted by Miz

If, however, you didn't use software designed to capture and download streaming audio, Real Player didn't actually download the file, it merely played it.

Another blessed Windows "you're just supposed to know that without anyone actually telling you (and by "anyone" I mean the OS, of course, like a Mac. )."

OK, so when I went to download the file, I got the window that asks you if you want to Save it to your computer or Open it from it's location. I clicked on Save, but now I'm not sure if that is what actually happened. LOL

Thanks for the reply.

BTW, a sort of related question. When I put a music CD in my CD-ROM drive, Real Player will play it, but I can't hear it unless I actually download the songs at the same time. Then, it will download about three to five songs while playing the CD, and freeze up my computer. After I've rebooted, I can play what got downloaded just fine, but if I want to hear the entire CD, I have to go through this routine until all the tracks are downloaded. I'd really like it if I could just play the CD and hear it without having to download all the tracks and go through the freezes. Any help on that?