I remember that when I downloaded things the downloads window didn't pop up, but instead the icon on the dock just notified me. I did something and now the window comes up when I download something, so how do I stop it from appearing?
Try clicking and holding the download icon on dock and a menu will appear. Not sure this helps but it may once you change the selections.
Which browser? Check its Preferences, eg. in FFox I can choose whether or not to display the Downloads window.
For Safari. I looked all over in preferences and I couldn't find an option to not display the download window.
Well, under Safari > Window > Downloads there is the option to show Downloads, but it looks like a per-session activity. Best advice therefore is to switch to Firefox.
Good guess, but that's the Downloads folder, where files are downloaded to. The Downloads Window is a window that shows the progress of files being downloaded. The menu that pops up on the folder only affects the folder, not the window. Switching to another program just because one function isn't available or obvious is hardly good advice. (I can't find the window defroster, so I'll just buy another car!) There are several options, one of which is a script: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20040710172400835 Another is SafariStand, which is useful for many things, including the downloads window.