Can Windows help me find what I've downloaded?

Hi all

I've just had a real shock. Apparently I downloaded around 1.8 gigs last night (16/9/14 local calendar). That would be a movie or some massive update like I once got from Adobe when I was using Creative Suite.

The "Installed Updates" window shows nothing from last night. My own memory confirms I wasn't watching a movie or consciously downloading anything massive. My Firefox History Bar confirms this.

I'll ask this question like a gumby because thart's what I am. Is there any file Win7 has that logs downloads?

I use mobile broadband to connect to the internet and I've heard of people piggybacking bandwidth, so maybe there's nothing to find on my machine, but if I don't ask, I guess I won't even get a laugh.

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Cheers

ausgumbie

If one doesn't use a password/passphrase on wireless connections it certainly is possible for others to use it, most ISPs would object to providing access without paying for it even if unknowingly. My ISP calls it theft of service and has a provisio for canceling the paid account that allows it to happen. If one has metered service that size download will certainly affect that usage.

A downloaded file will not show in "Installed Updates" until it has been installed which usually requires a user's action [except Windows Update] so it's possible the file is on your HDD, or someone else's.

Hi ThrashZone, Berton, Ztruker

All appreciated. "Downloads", unfortunately, only shows what you downloaded until the last time you clear the contents of the downloads window, which I do regularly.

ThrashZone, I'm afraid one of my problems is I've already used Start (and Control Panel) to look for the culprit but it hasn't helped me.

Berton, I certainly have a password-protected account. My ISP is (Australian) Telstra. (And I've changed it, for whatever that's worth at this stage). "Theft of Service" is a good name and I'm hoping whatever was downloaded is on someone else's computer - I don't like to think what it might have been.

Ztruker, the information about the usage spike can come in different ways. My IP, Telstra, sent an alert email that only 13 days of the month-long billing period had passed and I was almost out of credit. But, I could have seen it for myself if I'd been going to my account regularly and checked the spreadsheet they have there (I don't know about all providers but I've found Telstra's use-table very good up to a point*). *That point being it doesn't tell you time [only date] of use and it doesn't give you any way of finding what that use precisely was. In that, it's unlike a phone account, where you can see on day "x" you used so much, then if you go to another page there are often tables breaking the day's use down by indiviual phone call or packet download. It seems not possible to get that info from Telstra, which has all of its help-desks offshore and one area seems unable to help with another.

Cheers

ausgumbie

Hi Ztruker

Not in terms of BitTorrent or one of those programs - at least as far as I'm aware.

However, I'm forever downloading pdf's. Also, again for lectures, mp3s and mp4s (videos). I also have "Adobe Digital Additions" to download books from the University Library site. I think that might be a torrent type program, I don't know (don't know much technically).

Cheers

ausgumbie

Hi Strollin

The uploads (I checked the Telstra usage table) were piddling. And, no, I don't use Dropbox or OneDrive, though I may have enabled my Norton 360 to backup to the cloud. Every time the computer boots up I get a window telling me the "Online Backup via Browser isn't working and (blah, blah, blah)". Since it tells me this before I've had a chance to go online, I just kill the message every time. As far as I know I've never uploaded anything to the cloud (by way of a backup).

But - BUT - I'm learning things don't always do what your screen says. e.g., trying to change my Telstra password, the page that came up after I'd submitted angrily told me "it couldn't change my password and come back another time". I did - and found out my password did in fact get changed!

But, my basic query is whether Windows can tell me what's been downloaded to my computer. I was thinking some log file hidden away somewhere. I gather the answer to that is "not really". So, I guess I'm now moving onto Future Prevention, so yeah, I'll take all and any tips.

That in mind, two anomalies: The first, on the Firefox history (otherwise unremarkable) for 16/9/14 were two pages with humungous url's that were named "POST data". The second, one of the pdf's I'd downloaded (uni course reading) wouldn't open one page - "Not enough memory to display image". That's happened before, and I've gathered it's Adobe Acrobat's way of saying "Your poor little RAM is too pov to cope with everything you've got open at the moment so shrink the page size a few percent and I'll display it". I did the page-shrinking thing, but it still wouldn't display which is unusual.

Unfortunately, I cleared the downloads earlier on the night of 16/9/14 so what (Murphy's Law) is probably the crucial bit of info-help I could use is gone. (And, that kinda shows which end I do my thinking with!)

Enough groaning for the moment

Cheers

ausgumbie