Video DownloadHelper

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET Staff on February 27, 2009

This tiny Firefox add-on helps with downloading items from the Internet, but install suffers from a minor glitch. As soon as we installed it, DownloadHelper immediately directed us to the publisher's Web site to read a message that we hadn't downloaded the latest version. The problem was that the version it was pointing to was the same as the one we'd just installed.

That issue aside, the program could use a less convoluted approach. It isn't a difficult process, but it's not as intuitive as we'd expect. After install, you'll find a new icon on your browser toolbar. When you access a site that DownloadHelper can pull files from, the icon goes from gray to multicolored and becomes animated. However, instead of the expected click on the icon to download files, you place your mouse on the Web page that holds the file you seek. Then right-click to choose DownloadHelper from the menu and you'll see the file listed. Click it to download the file to your computer.

If you just click the program icon, you'll get a hyperlinked list of sites where the program works. Instead of directing you to the listed site, each link sends you to the publisher's Web site. You'll find some user comments about the site that aren't always useful. That final page does include a link to the originally chosen site, but that's a couple of clicks you really don't need to get to what you sought.

DownloadHelper does work, and it couldn't be easier to use once you understand the process, but less-experienced users may give up before they ever get to save a single file with this freeware app.