Windows 7 - temp folder: do not files deleted when exit program

Hi all:

I have a bit of an unusual issue. I am trying to prevent Win 7 from deleting files from the temp folder (C:\Users\<NAME>\AppData\Local\Temp) when I close a program (in my case Firefox). I believe it is the OS, and not the program or my AV, which is deleting the files, though if folks think otherwise please let me know. Does anyone have suggestions on options to change to prevent files from being expunged from my \temp directory?



Here are the specifics:
I am trying to prevent Firefox from deleting files which I download using the Download Manager using the "open with" (rather than "save as") option.

These files remain in my folder, C:\Users\<NAME>\AppData\Local\Temp until after I close Firefox at which point they are deleted. Note: I am sure it is Windows which is deleting the files since:
* I have disabled my antivirus and related programs (Malwarebytes real time protection)
* I can see the file disappear from the \Temp folder a few seconds after Firefox is closed down
* when I terminate the Firefox process via the task manager the file deletion does not occur


Some other comments:
* I do not believe this is influenced by the Tools>Options>Privacy settings in Firefox, but I have set it to "Use Custom Settings for History" and unchecked "Clear History when Firefox Closes"
* I have experimented with various settings in Firefox's about:config (privacy.clearOnShutdown.* options are all set to false)
* files downloaded during previous sessions are not removed from \Temp when the browser is closed (so if I terminate Firefox via task manager it will not be removed when I exit again later)


My set-up:
OS: Win 7 Enterprise x64
Browser: Firefox 3.6.21
AV: Sophos

Actually, I think everything points toward Firefox deleting the temp files, not Windows. In any case this behavior is by design, since Firefox downloads your files in order to open them with something and you're not just saving them.
So my question is...why don't you just save the files instead of using "open with"? If for some reason you can't or don't want to, you could simply move the desired files out of your temp folder before closing Firefox...

Hi Corazon:

I often download big files which I am not sure I want to keep, so I use "open with" option to save a step (I would have to open the file after downloading). It is nice to be able revisit the file later without either moving it or redownloading, but FF typically deletes it first.

I wish there was a way to customize FF to prevent this from happening, though folks over at the Mozilla forum suggest this is not possible.

Intriguing I might've found something to help you out actually. In Firefox, enter about:config in the address bar to gain access to all of FF's options and settings. In the list, browse for a setting called privacy.clearOnShutdown.downloads - this is set by default to true and you can set it to false simply by doubleclicking it. Just to be on the safe side, close and restart Firefox afterward and see if that does the trick...I have a feeling it's exactly what you want.

Hi Corazon:

Thanks for checking on this! Unfortunately I had already sent privacy.clearOnShutdown.downloads to false (as well as all other privacy.clearOnShutdown.* options) and my \temp folder is still being cleared. I will post over at the Mozilla forum to see if this is unexpected.

Ah, bummer. Hope you find an answer on the Mozilla forums. Good luck

No luck over at the mozilla forum. oh well, maybe some future poster will have a solution this one.