Several pieces of software Stardock ex..(theme manager,impulse etc..) has built in use of the engine in IE thus making it the perferred browser for dowloads ,however itt does auto install which can be bothersum at times , I still just copy the link and paste it into FF if I want to keep the dl archived .That is the easiest and quickest most reliable solution as IE will always see them as a default file type!

 While I know it is not what you are looking for it is the best alternative I have found !

I understand how you feel but MS isn't exactly up to snuff when it comes to browsers. Probably why a lot of folk don't use IE. Suggesting the you go for FF may sound lame but at least it works the way you want it to. IMO

It's Vista IE9 with a Notification Bar irrespective of what site you're on......what am I missing??  

1. I have the "Notification Bar" disabled. This is one of the first things I do with ALL versions of IE.

2. As the other respondents above will affirm, nearly every other website where you can download a file, the IE "Download Manager" opens when you click on the download link. For reference it is identical to what happens when you download a file with FF. However, on Wincustomize the "Download Manager" is not evoked and the file is 'silently' downloaded and then automatically installed. THIS is what I'm unhappy with. I prefer to install the downloaded file at my own leisure at a convenient time.

3. Nearly every other website where you can download a file I can right-click on the download link and choose "Download with IDM" (Internet Download Manager) which used to work on Wincustomize before the major update to the site. Now even this option is unavailable.

Lastly, the fact is, the majority of PC users prefer IE for a browser. Most websites are aware of this fact and do code accordingly. Wincustomize is the exception, evidently. Thus my original question asking if there was a way to be able to use my browser-of-choice, IE, to download files to my hard drive without having to be subject to having the file(s) auto install.

I do hope that the above makes things a little more perspicuous. And, I have no interest in debating browser preferences.

I have no interest in what browser you use. I only have one question:

Why?

The simple answer is... I have no regard for the alleged "security" the Notification Bar offers and thus disabling it allows for an immediate connection/action without having to deal with it. I am an 'puter tech and really have no need of those notifications since all my machines are more than adequately secure... if you know what I mean, Vern?

Certainly your personal preference is....well....your personal preference.

I'm a bit of a "'puter tech" myself and I have no idea what your "security" concerns are.....and, frankly, it doesn't matter.

I don't believe Stardock is going to re-code to accommodate your wishes though.....

.........could be wrong.

From a personal perspective, I hope they do.....I've never had the occasion to know what being wrong feels like.

Precisely. I tried researching the notification bar and security issues with it and found none.

I also doubt SD will re-code anything based on an unsupported request.

Hapkido, if you can document those security concerns, then you should bring them to Stardock's attention. Then, perhaps you'd find a more sympathetic ear.

The 'Notification Bar' that you are talking about in IE 9, is this the 'Status Bar'?

When I right click on IE 9 I see Menu, Favorite, Command and Status Bars.

On the subject on downloading and having things automatically install, I don't mind.  In fact if it installs where is it supposed to then I don't have to go searching for the right file and folder.  Just goes to show you how differently we all are. 

Having the wba file auto install makes it as idiot proof as possible. Let's face facts folks ( ARRRRR-Harrr... SLAP.. ehem..) there are MANY MANY idiots with computers that don't grasp the idea of, oh let's say... double clicking a file to install it, or for that matter they don't even know what double clicking means. Idiot proof = less support issues. 

My suggestion to you would be (since you are

Having the .wba autoinstall gives the same result.

If it changed the blind at that time,I could see where that may be disruptive, but a small notification by the systray? Hardly a showstopper.

From your reply and one other, it appears I did not phrase a statement clear enough. Let me try again, re: security concerns. MS is the one which created the "Notification Bar" that is displayed when you click on a download link. It was designed to "protect" the typical PC user, who has been described as one who doesn't "grasp the idea of, oh let's say... double clicking a file to install it, or for that matter they don't even know what double clicking means." I couldn't agree more. The vast majority of my clients are PC illiterates, many of whom didn't know how to move a window or resize it. Okay, back to the "Notification Bar". It is an alleged security measure which prompts the user to think (is that a joke?) before downloading a file which may be hazardous. What I tried to say is that I have no need of such "security" measures since I am very much aware of what I am downloading. Should a file be the product of some miscreant, I have plenty of security provisions installed to deal with that type of garbage. That's why I disable it in the Internet Options (they are named 'options' for a reason, eh?)

Yes, my PREFERENCE is to download ALL files to a location of MY CHOICE and to install them when I WANT TO or perhaps discard them without installing them. So yes, my PREFERENCE is to object to auto install files and/or programs. It isn't just Stardock but anyone's offerings. Can anyone here not grasp this? Is there anyone here who hasn't been rather miffed when installing a program to find out that some 'toolbar' has been automatically installed along with it with no option to opt out?

Bottom line... why is IE singled out for this 'auto install'? If one uses any other browser (assumed) you can download a file from Wincustomize like any other file via the Download Manager. My PREFERENCE is to have that choice with IE too. Do I think that SD is going to recode Wincustomize download scripts just for IE users, never mind me?..... that's a rhetorical question, right? I wouldn't even dream of something like that. It's difficult enough to have a support ticket dealt with in a timely fashion nowadays. Things have certainly changed from what they were in the past. And I've been a loyal SD and Wincustomize customer for many years.

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. Obviously, there is no practical resolution to this issue which I find acceptable. Being forced into using one of the viable methods described appears to be the only way to go... sadly.

Sorry about that guy. We can offer suggestions, possible solutions. Every one is free to choose to go where they will. No one's forcing you, your preference is your own. We can live with that.

Until you can give a reference re:  The Notification Bar's lack of security, any doubts you may have remain in the realm of conjecture.

The yellow rectangular Notification Bar (at the bottom of the screenie) pops up with clicking the download button, Philly.

ahhh okay, duhhhh, I knew that, just couldn't see the tree because of the forest. 

Problems like this is why I upload all my .wba files inside a .zip file, so issues like this do not occur.

Interesting. According to MS and other threads I've read, you cannot disable the notification bar in IE9.

It isn't shown in Internet Options either. So.. I'm REALLY curious on how you accomplished this task.

Just out of curiosity I opened IE 9 and went to  this site. I downloaded 'and saved, to my download folder, Lit Blue by firebrick. Zipped up nice and tidy. Now, what was it you said about not being able to do so? No problem. On the bottom it gives you a choice, open or save. But wait...isn't that the notification bar. Disable it and you can't save a download. Makes sense? Not

Heh, there is obvious some confusion here re: Notification Bar in IE9 and part of that confusion is on my part. My apologies. Terminology is very important and perhaps I have not been accurate or perhaps in understanding what others have referenced???

Anyway... IF the "Notification Bar" is the bottom bar that is part of the new IE9 Download Manager system, then yes I do get that when downloading files everywhere EXCEPT on Wincustomize when the file is a proprietary type, e.g., .wba, .CursorFX, etc. These type of files are downloaded silently (no user input) and auto installed. The exception is as my old friend LightStar noted .zip files or any other file type not proprietary to Stardock products.

What I have always disabled in IE and here perhaps I have just assumed I did was the "Security Bar", which I have often referred to as the 'Notification Bar' in the past that was also yellow in color but appeared at the top of the window. As stated previously, this was a security measure included in IE by Microsoft with the intent of preventing users from downloading malicious content.

@Uvah: Just to help you understand one more time... The "Lit Blue" file you downloaded via the "Notification Bar" is a .ZIP file type; not a proprietary Stardock file type. Try downloading a Windowblind or CursorFX file and see what happens.