Richard,
My software is already fully updated so I went to step 2.
I uninstalled Slimbrowser and then removed IE by unchecking the box in the Add and Remove Windows Components in the Add and Remove Programs applet in Control Panel. I'm not sure I got a full removal, because when I added it back again all my custom link buttons came back, plus a couple of helpers - Spoofstick and Roboform (both desirable and benign.) The removal and re-installation did not fix the problem.
But before I go into another more rigorous uninstallation, here's another clue:
I placed the URL
ftp://ftp4.nero.com/ into the address line. In each browser I got a list of files, as you'd expect.
In both Slimbrowser and Opera I was able to copy the file NMP1403.exe to a folder on my PC, uncorrupted, via a right click copy and paste. Note that previously both browsers would produce a corrupted download file if the download was started from
this link, which points to exactly the same file in exactly the same location and uses the same (ftp) protocol.
However when using the same method in IE it broke about 90% into the transfer, reporting lost connection. This is all repeatable.
Questions to ponder:
Why does IE break the file or connection during transfer?
Why do the other two browsers let you do it successfully if you do it step-by-step manually, but not from the link?
I'm at a loss
AA