Why Don't Web Graphics Display?

June 30, 2006 8:24 AM

Sometimes graphics are not displayed when I'm online. Graphics *are* turned on and generally *do* display--that's why I'm confused. I'm not talking about unusual graphics, odd graphics formats, I'm talking about regular GIFs or JPGs. I use Internet Explorer version 6, if that helps. I would appreciate any/all tips! Thank you.
posted by whitebird to computers & internet (10 comments total)

Do you have any adblocking software running, or are you using a proxy?

Can you give us a couple of specific examples of what images aren't displaying from what URLs?
posted by Zed_Lopez at 8:26 AM on June 30, 2006

We do have a firewall, I believe.

Recently, one of the Microsoft MSDN websites (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vb/) wasn't displaying graphics, now it is!

Aaargh!
posted by whitebird at 8:34 AM on June 30, 2006

Let me fix that URL. The site the non-displaying graphics is here.
posted by whitebird at 8:48 AM on June 30, 2006

When you don't see the graphics, do you instead see little red x page markers, or are the graphics entirely missing from the layout?
posted by odinsdream at 9:03 AM on June 30, 2006

If I recall correctly, there are markers.
posted by whitebird at 9:14 AM on June 30, 2006

Images not displaying in IE (this is Windows, it sounds like) are usually a sign of low memory conditions. How much memory does your computer have, and how much other stuff is your computer typically doing when you have this problem?
posted by dammitjim at 10:25 AM on June 30, 2006

Unfortunately, this computer only has 128 MB of RAM.

That's very interesting. I didn't know low memory could do that.

Is there a fix for this problem, notwithstanding installing more RAM?
posted by whitebird at 10:47 AM on June 30, 2006

running out of memory is very bad, so some programs actively try to prevent the situation -- they will monitor the amount of free memory, and not perform non-critical memory-intensive tasks (eg displaying images) when that number gets low. So that could definitely be the problem. 128Mb should be enough, though...
posted by clord at 11:02 AM on June 30, 2006

We also haven't determined what version of Windows you're running. Is it XP? 128MB is just barely enough for XP, and only then if you're not multitasking much.

Yes, there are fixes other than buying more memory, but keep in mind that it really is easier to triple your RAM with one stick of 256MB for about $30, unless you're familiar with tweaking Windows. If you're ready to start mucking about with your Windows install, though (you have backed up all your important data, right?), here are a few suggestions:

Turn of unnecessary services [ good link | google ]
Turn off useless startup programs [ good link | google ]
Do performance tweaks for windows in general [ holy crap a lot of info ]

Also, simply don't leave a lot of IE windows open. Good luck!
posted by dammitjim at 11:45 AM on June 30, 2006

It *is* XP and I *do* tend to leave many windows open at once.

Thanks for all the great information, everyone!

I really appreciate it!
posted by whitebird at 12:08 PM on June 30, 2006