When using Netscape, why am I forced to save the Excel spreadsheet report object output to disk, when I've selected "Display in Browser"?

This problem has been seen to occur in Netscape (but not Internet Explorer) under two different circumstances:

  1. Your computer has Norton Antivirus installed on it and the operating system is Windows 98. (This same problem may also occur if you are running under Window 95 and Windows ME, but it is not a problem with Windows NT or Windows 2000.)

  2. When you were prompted to either "Open it" or "Save it to Disk" previously when downloading the same type of file, you unchecked the box stating "Always ask before opening this type of file".
The first situation occurs due to the way Norton Antivirus is set up as a helper application in Netscape. One way to prevent it from forcing you to save the spreadsheet each time, rather than directly opening it, is to remove a particular MIME type association with Norton Antivirus within Netscape. But doing so could potentially open up your computer to infection by a virus via an infected downloaded spreadsheet. If you decide to remove this helper application anyway, you should be very stringent in scanning downloaded Excel files that do not come from extremely trusted sites. To remove a helper application, you go to the Edit menu in Netscape, select Preferences..., then in the Category section of the new window, expand the subtopics under Navigator, and select Applications. The one that you would need to remove has a Description of "Download File", with the following File Type Details:
  • Extension: (this entry is blank)
  • MIME Type: application/x-msexcel
  • Handled By: NAVW32
The second situation also relates to a helper application setting in Netscape. If you wish the message box to return asking whether you want to open or save the file, you need to find the helper application listing in the Netscape preferences as described above. But this time, the helper application you are looking for has a Description of "EXCEL File", with the following File Type Details:
  • Extension: (this entry is blank)
  • MIME Type: application/x-msexcel
  • Handled By: EXCEL
When you've found this entry, click on Edit..., make sure the "Handled by" setting is not set to "Save to Disk" and check the box for "Ask me before opening downloaded files of this type". Once this helper application is set like this, it will ask you each time whether you want to open or save it, versus immediately prompting you regarding where you want to save the file.