Pictures Not Loading

If you right click on the picture is there an option to download picture? This would be the safest way to solve this problem.

This is Microsoft's explanation: Pictures and images embedded in HTML e-mail messages can be adapted to secretly send a message back to the sender. These are often referred to as Web beacons. Spammers rely on information returned by these images to confirm active e-mail addresses. Some spam messages contain Web beacon images so small that they are invisible to the human eye?but not to Outlook Express.

An improved defense against Web beacons is to stop pictures from downloading until you've had a chance to review the message. Outlook Express in Windows XP SP2 will now block images automatically in messages from people who are not in your address book. This goes a long way in preventing the verification of your e-mail address for spammers. It makes your e-mail name less useful to spammers and may result in your getting less spam over time.

Here is the link to view the whole article: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/ieoeoverview.mspx

you being prompted that unsafe activex controls are being blocked maybe? in yellow info bar across top?
this IE?
empty your temporary internet files

am i paranoid or does ms post questions here to make us go look and find the new 'features' they have snuck into the 'critical updates'... (uh, thanks)
just that time of year i guess, making me get a creepy feeling...

Well if you are not seeing an Active X prompt across the top of the screen in IE then you can always lower the security settings to allow Web Pages to display full pictures.

For E-Mail you can do the same thing depending on the browser you are using this is done a bit differently but they are similar enough to be easily done in both Outlook and Outlook Express change the security to low and enable showing pictures. Just remember that you are moving things away from the default settings and act accordingly.

While that will get the pics up for you, you must remember that you are far more exposed to the nasties on the Web so be careful.

Col

had a similar problem where pictures in emails where showing place holder (running office XP and XP SP2) and same result when printing the email.

Got around this by installing IE6 SP1 (as well as the rest of IE updates) and this sorted the problem out