# Why can't I save this Web page? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844 "2002-08-21T02:27:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oldmaid85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oldmaid85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oldmaid85)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/1 "2002-08-21T02:27:25Z")
I like to save articles I find on the Internet and share them with my lady friends. I tried downloading several articles from this site [http://www.chronicpainclearinghouse.homestead.com/life.html](http://www.chronicpainclearinghouse.homestead.com/life.html) but then when I later try to open the saved articles on my desktop (when I’m offline), they won’t open. A message says I should check my browser settings, especially Java, but it is enabled and I can easily save things from other sites. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/2 "2002-08-21T03:03:49Z")
The site uses a combination of hidden frame sets, CSS and Javascript browser detection to prevent anyone from successfully downloading the pages. I succeeded in downloading a page in Opera, NN and IE, however, I, too, could not open it. Only after I used a page capture tool was I able to download the page and read the code. Looks like a real paranoid webmaster, considering the site contents. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/3 "2002-08-21T03:57:31Z")
you can do "\>shift\< print screen " and capture the whole screen and then paste into a Word doc. If page is long, shift/printscreen and paste it more than once. Go ahead and hit shift/printscreen on this screen, then paste into Word and the screen will be captured. Maybe an act of desparation…but worth mentioning. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/4 "2002-08-21T05:27:46Z")
The web page first has to _want_ to be saved. You won’t be able to help until the web page hits rock bottom and is willing to start on the twelve steps. It’s true. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/5 "2002-08-21T07:45:05Z")
I’m not gonna download Netscape to test it, but NS’s “edit page with Netscape editor” or something to that effect usually does the trick even with “no right click” and similar tricks. Not sure if they kept it as part of NS6, though. ---
**Author:** ![Starbury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Starbury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starbury)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/6 "2002-08-21T14:06:53Z")
Here’s how I got it to work for me (I’m using IE 6.0): File --\> Send --\> Page By Email --\> Attachment Then, when the person receives the email, the attachment should be opened in IE. (It won’t work if you send it as “Read Only”) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/7 "2002-08-21T15:38:43Z")
Easy, cut & paste the text you want. Worked for me & should work for you too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![breaknrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@breaknrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaknrun)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/8 "2002-08-21T15:48:38Z")
Hmm looked at the link and my question is why would you want to? 🙂 sorry. anyway fyi, I’m using Netscape 4.08 on a linux box and had no trouble saving the page. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/9 "2002-08-21T16:59:22Z")
I could save and read it in Mozilla. When I tried to open the top-level html file (life.html) it failed, but if I went into the subdirectory life\_files that Mozilla created, and opened lifeie4.html, it displayed correctly, although I did get an error message. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/10 "2002-08-21T22:30:02Z")
I opened it with Adobe Acrobat 5.0…it could do most of it but not all of it. AA5 lets you download a web site & make it a PDF. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-save-this-web-page/124844/11 "2002-08-22T10:15:43Z")
You can use a website leecher.