When I tried to connect to the straightdoep using Explorer, I couldn’t access the main page (www.straightdope.com) but instead got a pop-up screen to download a file called “straightdope” coming from www.straightdope.com. Am I supposed to download this file, and if so, why?
I didn’t have this problem with Firefox (that’s how I could eventually connect to the site).
I’ve gotten the same thing. I save the file type to my desktop, and then everything’s gravy from there. I notice if I delete all my cookies/temporary internet files, the next time I come to the boards I have to do it again.
Um, that did not come from the Straight Dope; we will NEVER ask you to download anything to read a Straight Dope page. (That does not count the cookie you need to read the board.)
It sounds like you’ve picked up something on your computer that is attempting to hijack your machine in some fashion. I would recommend you look to the popular programs for removing this stuff from your machine: SpyBot, AdAware, Nortons, etc. There’s a lot of other programs other there, freeware/shareware, it’s amazing what they find.
Firefox is a much better browser for your experience, it has some built-in protections against the bad stuff, as you have already discovered.
Sorry to hear you’re having problems.
TubaDiva
I will run these, but I’m going to mention that I tried to connect to a number of sites, and I only get this download popup with the SD. For instance, if I try to connect to www.randomsite.com, I don’t get a popup asking me download a “randomsite” file.
If it were a random nasty programm, wouln’t it work in the same way regardless of the site I’m connecting to (offering to download a file called after the name of the site I’m trying to connect to?)?
Answering to ** Clauricaun ** : it’s the first time I see such a thing (despite having deleted my cookies or even formated my hard drive a number of times) and besides I didn’t delete my cookies recently.
See, and I’m a Spybot/McAfee compulsive due to some of my occaisonal less-than-hygenic internet forays, and neither of those programs have ever had an issue with the file (which shows as no file extension type, and it’s 14.1 mb in size.)
FTR, I use Firefox, have it set to wipe my cookies and other personal files every time I close my browser (a bit paranoid, ja) and have never seen this file. Its large size makes me highly suspicious of a conspiracy somehow involving cows.
Um, a file that lacks an extension (by the way, just turn on the option in Windows to show known file extensions), is 14.1 MB large, and isn’t sent to your computer by the web site you are using is most probably not, um, beneficial, if you know what I mean. :dubious:
This was discussed before, can’t find the thread. It’s something about the banner ad at the top of the page that does it, and clearing your Temporary Internet Files will fix it.
I can tell you it’s pretty annoying when it happens at the time your homepage is the SDMB, though, since IE closes on asking you if you want to save the file. 
(solution to that one: Start…Run, type http://www.somewhereelse.com)
Thanks. Clearing the TIF indeed did the trick. I’m wondering why it happened to me for the first time yesterday after years of connections to the SD…
It’s something you picked up (probably from some web page) that was triggered by the DoubleClick ad on the Straight Dope front page.
TubaDiva
Wishing nineteen kinds of hell on purveyors of malware.