Downloading Question

Ok, here's the situation: In the past, whenever I've downloaded anything I simply clicked the "download" link and a box would pop up, show me the status of the download and let me know when it was completed. Now, I click download and nothing happens at all. The only way I can download now is by using the right click and save link as option. And on top of that, downloading anything that is compressed always comes to me as a zip now file when I've always used winrar.

Going back to when I said, "nothing happens at all", well that's not entirely true. something does happen, I just don't see it. I found this out when I tried to download something by clicking the download link and nothing was happening except the web page I was viewing kept refreshing. I made several attempts at it and nothing. I went away from the computer for about 30 minutes and when I came back, I saw that my monitor was in digital mode (and if anyone can tell me why my monitor would do that in the first place, I'd be grateful) and there, on the desk top were the communication boxes telling me I was attempting to open a file and do I want to save or open. One for each attempt I had made at downloading the file. Not one of my desktop items was there just these downloads. I put my monitor back into analog and they were gone! Now I was just seeing my desktop items.

I hope I've made sense of this explanation well enough for someone to be able to tell me what the heck is going on.

Thanks in advance

 

New info regarding my downloading query. I just found out that the downloading works when I use Internet Explorer. But I use Firefox. Why would it just suddenly stop working?

Thank you

 

Yes DomLuc it is already set to show the download box. I chequed to make sure it was still set up that way and it is.

 

Yes and yes. Ok let me establish that I have been using firefox for ages and downloading for ages with the same settings. The downloads are set to go to my desktop and yes I have it set so that the download manager does not close when downloads are finished, although I don't believe that would be an issue if it was. What I'm saying is: When I left click a download link I expect a download to start. It does not. the only thing that happens is the web page refreshes itself. To get the download, I now have to right click and save the link. Also when things are zipped they all download in zip format when previously they downloaded in rar format. I don't understand why this is happening all of a sudden when I haven't changed anything.

I hope that clears up what I'm asking.

 

The downloads work in safe mode. But if I have to use safe mode all the time, I am missing some things that I normally use like Sxipper

 

After disabling everything, downloading still doesn't work

 

OMG! That sounds like it's going to be complicated.