gzip file for download

[DrDoc]

I have a script that generates a fairly large file (14Mb).
At the end of the file I do this:

$MIME = "application/x-gzip";
$file = gzencode($file,9);
$filename = "whatever.txt.gz";

header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=\"$filename\"");
header("Content-Type: $MIME");
header("Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary");
header("Content-Length: " . strlen($file));

echo $file;

...but it refuses to work. First of all, it doesn't suggest the correct file name when saving. And, sometimes the download just fails entirely.

[mipapage]

I take it that is supposed to zip up the output that you'll be saving...?

[DrDoc]

Yep... which it does properly and correctly in Opera and Mozilla, but not in IE.
Opera/Mozilla create the .gz file, which is properly gzipped the way it should. IE sometimes complains about downloading the file at all. Sometimes it doesn't even prompt me to save/open, but opens the compressed data in the browser.

[mipapage]

Are you behind a firewall of some sort? Sometimes AVs or firewalls munge 'content-accept', or something like that, for me. I suppose that would affect all of the browsers, but maybe you could check your accept-headers in IE vs. the others and see whats up?

[DrDoc]

The Content-Disposition: attachment part should still force the dialog to appear, right?

[mipapage]

Ahh, I'm reaching a bit beyond my know-how on this one, so I'm not too sure. What I do know is that I have bumped into problems %like% this one and usually it had something to do with the header, and what it accepts etc.

sorry! I mean, it sounds right, but try and tell that to IE!

[DrDoc]

try and tell that to IE

That's how I feel too...
Maybe if I change the MIME to just application/gzip
But that still doesn't solve the $filename issue...