The Red X mystery
RIVER BENDER - July, 2010
For years, folks have been complaining about e-mail that's supposed to have a photo embedded in the message but they get a little white block with a red x in it instead of a photo. You'd think by now everyone would know what's wrong and have a standard procedure for correcting the situation. I wish it was true but unfortunately that's not the case and the solution is not always simple. It turns out there are numerous reasons for the red x and that's why it persists as a problem. Let's talk about some of the reasons for it.
If all photos arrive as a red x, it could be that your mail program is optioned to block photos. Using Outlook Express as our example, but other mail programs should have similar options, go to Tools/Options/Security and uncheck "Block images." However, if you're the sender and someone is complaining about the red x you sent them, go to Tools/Options/Send and under the mail sending format select HTML then click on Settings and make sure "Send pictures with the message” is shown.
If photos with a red x only arrive from one person it's safe to say they probably didn't send the photo properly. If their sending format is set for text instead of HTML all photos they send may arrive as a red x. I say maybe because they could have an option set to convert text to HTML. Here's an old but good site on how to send a photo in Outlook Express either as an attachment or embedded in the message text: Go to http://www.dwightblackburn.com/express.htm
Not all e-mail programs are completely compatible and handle pictures differently especially in forwarding mail with a picture. Best to copy/paste the entire message, including the picture into a new message to send rather than forwarding. Better yet, send it to yourself first as a test.
A red x on a web page is another matter. If all images have a red x the solution is simple. In MSIE go to Tools/Internet Options/Advanced tab and make sure "Show Pictures" is checked under Multimedia. Other reasons could be because your firewall has privacy settings that are uppity or perhaps your Internet Explorer security settings are too high. In MSIE check Tools/Options/Security and set it to default level.
If your hard drive is close to being full, this could be the reason you're having trouble seeing photos. Clearing your temporary Internet files creates more space. Go to Tools/Internet Options/General Tab in Internet Explorer and click on Delete under Browsing History. On the next display you may uncheck all items except Temporary Internet Files that should be checked to delete.
There are probably more reasons why a red x instead of a photo appears, even when using software such as MS FrontPage or PowerPoint offline so my suggestion is to google red x plus words for your situation and hopefully you'll find what's causing your problem. I wish it was easier.